On november 16th a snowy owl was seen at the Tofino Airport on the west
coast of vancouver island. Possibly the same bird was seen one day earlier
on a beach of one of the nearby islands. So much for their often-cited fear
of flying over water! The following day, the bird was not to be found, it
would appear that this bird has not yet found suitable habitat. While
looking for it though, it was quite entertaining to watch a young Bald Eagle
take down a Glaucous-winged Gull. The darn thing didn't even wait for it to
die before plucking it apart. It eventually flew off with the gull in its
talons and relocated itself in the middle of the busiest runway (not that
they are really all that busy) to resume its feast.
cheers,

Don Cecile
dcecile at cln.etc.bc.ca