Subject: [Tweeters] Snowy Owl in Issaquah is RTHA
Date: Feb 15 14:26:35 2005
From: Michael Hobbs - birdmarymoor at verizon.net


Tweets - I followd Gary's directions, and found a large white bird in a tree there, but it was a leucistic RED-TAILED HAWK.

It is quite a striking bird - all white except: about half of the head feathers are dark, there are about 10 body and wing feathers on each side that are dark, there is a reddish belly band (about half as intense as on a typical light-morph RTHA), and at least the dorsal side of the tail is a normal Red-tail red (indicating this is an adult bird).

It was near the last field before the road ends when I saw it, and it called loudly and flew in a looping flight over the field before landing in a tree. Shortly after, another Red-tail (a normal light-morph) called and did a similar looping flight, before heading back north. The leucistic RTHA then flew to another cottonwood, shifted around a little, then carefully broke off a twig. It then took flight and circled up above the road for a few minutes before I lost it in the sun. Nesting indication?

I got great looks. Unfortunately, I was out of film in my camera...

== Michael Hobbs
== Kirkland, WA
== http://www.scn.org/fomp/birding.htm
== birdmarymoor at verizon.net
----- Original Message -----
From: garyluhm
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Sent: Monday, February 14, 2005 12:34 PM
Subject: [Tweeters] Snowy Owl in Issaquah


Snowy Owl in Issaquah

On Sunday morning, 2/13, a Snowy Owl was roosting on a dead tree limb on 188th Ave SE off of May Valley Rd south of Issaquah. It had some barring when it flew, but it was predominately white and I think it was an adult male.

A local said the bird had been in the area for two months.

Gary Luhm



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