I too saw the NORTHERN HAWK OWL today. I too had driven around looking for
it for more than two hours, had traveled all the local side roads looking
for it, and was checking "the spot" (see below) one last time before
leaving. I drove up just after Ron and Jerry had finished photographing the
owl and was able to scope it for 10 minutes before it hunted off to the
north.

It was the most beautiful owl I have ever seen!!! The field guide pictures
do not do it justice! In the sun this afternoon you could clearly see that
the breast was barred with reddish, as in a Cooper's Hawk. The face pattern
was a startling contrast between black and white. It was a lifer for me,
but the excitement in this one was in the seeing. It was fabulous!!

It is well worth the trip. Be patient, though. It is there, just not
always where it is suppose to be. Keep checking back to the original spot.

Also in the area:

Red-tailed Hawk (4, including a very dark phase)
Rough-legged Hawk (4+)
Merlin
Wild Turkey
Northern Shrike
Common Raven

Stephen Lindsay
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
slindsay at dmi.net


----- Original Message -----
From: "Ron Dexter" <ronpatdex at juno.com>
Sent: Sunday, 19 November, 2000 6:15 PM
Subject: Fw: Hawk Owl


>
>
> Jerry Brooks and I saw and photographed the Hawk Owl again today
> (Sunday). It didn't show up for three hours and then there it was on the
> Slide Creek cottonwoods. Then it flew down to hunt from the pasture fence
> posts between 395 and the Old State Highway. For more info, see my
> message from last week below.
>
> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
> I found the previously reported Hawk Owl today...Whooopeee!
>
> It is still there where reported by Ken Knittle. Ref: page 104 of
> DeLorme, T34N,R39E, S35.
>
> I took a few photos, but the light was very poor with heavy overcast.
> Hopefully, the photos will be good enuf for I.D.
>
> I left my home near Mt. Spokane at 10:30 am and found the owl at 12
> noon. It wasn't there at first, but as I searched near the Colville
> River, I looked back towards highway 395 and spotted it in the top of a
> cottonwood .7 mi. N. of milepost 219. I knew instantly that it was the
> NHOW. It was half the size of a Redtail hawk and sat very upright.
> I drove back to the highway and walked slowly towards the trees to snap
> a few quick photos. It is a magnificent bird. It's front was very heavily
> barred, but now highly contrasted. I think it is a young bird, but in the
> poor light, I won't bet on it. At one point, it flew to a branch closed
> to me, perhaps 70' away, and it wasn't interested in me.
> Then, it flew off to the East side of highway 395 several hundred yards
> away. After a few minutes a Rough-legged Hawk glided towards it and then
> they both flew West over the trees where Ken first reported it and went
> another 100 yds down the small road towards the Waste Management plant
> where I had just come from.
> I went down there with the car to attempt photos with my large lens and
> tripod, but it flew back to where I first saw it. There 2 ravens started
> circling it closer and closer to within a few feet. It flew off to the
> evergreens a quarter of a mile to the East with them dogging all the way.
>
> I drove a half mile S, turned left on 12 Mile Rd to the Old State Hwy,
> turned left and searched for it. At 1:10pm, I found it atop trees on in a
> side yard on the W. side of the OSH. NHOWs appear very high strung and
> don't stay in one place long. They continuously jerk their head around
> and even hop branches as this one was doing. If they don't find evidence
> of food, they are off to another spot.
> So, again it flew back NW 1/2 way to 395 to cottonwoods over Slide
> Creek. After a while, it flew down into a pasture to a railroad tie
> fencepost, then captured a small rodent. It flew back atop a power pole
> on OSH near me. Then into cottonwoods in the backyard of 999 OSH, approx
> 100 yds S. of Slide Creek Rd. There it hopped about nervously from limb
> to limb, looking about continously for competitors. It finally settled
> down and ate piece by piece.
> It preened and rested for a while. At 1:50 it flew West towards 395 and
> disappeared from sight. While searching for it again, I watched a Bald
> Eagle fly up the valley and found a N. Shrike on the lines near Westover
> and OSH. It was getting a little darker, so I decided to search for it
> down by the Colville River where I was when I first spotted it. At 2:50,
> I found it high in a decicuous tree West of the RR tracks. It hopped a
> few branches, then flew SW a couple hundred yards atop more cottonwoods
> by the river. It was now 3:00 and I headed for home. Arrived home at
> 4:30pm. A very successful 6 hr. I was happy, happy, happy.
>
> This is my 2nd NHOW. I watched and photoed the one at Cheney in 1997 for
> several weeks. It is my opinion that this one may stay here for a while.
> But when more snow comes to this valley, I believe it will move further
> South. So, if you want to see this one--go soon. Be careful along 395. It
> is a narrow hwy, so get off the road. Good luck-----any questions?
> E-mail me if you go with your results. There are plenty of places to eat
> nearby and I believe you can stay in Colville. If not, it's only one hour
> from Spokane. Remember, Ken and Marv Breece saw it last weekend and I saw
> it today, Wed.
>
> good luck---Ron Dexter----OCIE
>