Subject: Re: Age of Snowy Owls in the Pacific Northwest -Reply
Date: Mar 13 14:58:42 1997
From: Mike Patterson - mpatters at orednet.org




>
>
>I had nearly forgotten that I did in fact see a single adult male Snowy Owl
>at Damon Point, but only on a single day (Jan. 29, I think). This bird
>appeared very similar to your bird #4. I wonder if it was the same one,
>en route to Oregon? Do you happen to know when bird #4 was first
>observed?
>

#1 first appeared in mid-November
#2 was seen December 7, 1996
5 Snowy's (one of which was presumably #4) were seen the second weekend in
January.

>
>You mentioned that one of the adult males hangs out on the river dune
>and actively cruises for Sanderlings. Have you seen these birds hunting
>by day? The birds at Damon Point and Boundary Bay seem to forage
>exclusively at night (avian prey) and sometimes dusk (rodents). There
>are occasional exceptions, and I saw one bird take a horned grebe from
>the water in broad daylight.
>

I watched an adult male cruise the river beach and drop quickly behind a dune
to the beach where I couldn't see it.
After about 5 minutes it popped up from the spot I had seen it drop and then
land in a spruce. I did not actually see it take any Sanderlings, but the
behavior was consistant with Northern Harrier and Short-eared Owl foraging
behaviors I have seen in the same area.

>By the way, do you know if anyone has collected pellets from any
>Snowies in Oregon?
>

I have gone out looking for pellets on two or three ocassions at what seem
to be regular daytime loafing spots and have not found anything. I wish I
had known they were communal roosters. That would be the place to look for
pellets.

--
*********************************** I got the blues so bad one time
* Mike Patterson, Astoria, OR * it put my face in a permanent frown
* mpatters at orednet.org * but I am feelin' so much better
*http://www.pacifier.com/~mpatters* I could cake-walk into town