Subject: [Tweeters] Skagit/Snohomish Snowy Owls today
Date: Jan 15 19:23:07 2006
From: Michael Hobbs - birdmarymoor at verizon.net


Tweets - I took my wife, a sometimes-birder, up to Fir Island today to show
her a Snowy Owl. She had missed my trip up there during the last invasion
year; her only Snowy previously was the one in North Creek (Bothel) in a
light industrial park. I wanted her to see one in a more natural area.

We went straight to the Jensen Access, where there was one SNOWY OWL
visible, very far away. Even with the scope, it was hard (though not
impossible) to be 100% sure it was an owl.

We then went over to the Rawlings Rd. access and walked all of the walkable
dike. We found neither Snowy nor Short-eared Owls.

On our way back to the car, we passed a group of birders who had just
arrived. They kindly directed us to Port Susan, where they reported 3 Snowy
Owls earlier in the day.

So off we went, getting good looks at Trumpeter Swans, a few Tundra Swans,
thousands and thousands of Snow Geese, and a NORTHERN SHRIKE at the Hayden
Reserve on our way.

Port Susan, at the end of Boe Rd., south of Stanwood, was in glowing late
afternoon sunlight. Janka spotted a SHORT-EARED OWL that was out hunting,
and which then gave us stunning looks, flying and perched.

There were also two SNOWY OWLS, one of which was close enough for excellent
views. The other was preening, so we got a good show.

As we were leaving, we stopped to scope a flock of DUNLIN and BLACK-BELLIED
PLOVER. There was one smaller pale shorebird with them, but the flock
flushed before I could ID it.

Off in the distance we noticed a hovering raptor - it turned out to be a
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK.

All in all, a pleasant afternoon birding.

== Michael Hobbs
== Kirkland, WA
== http://www.scn.org/fomp/birding.htm
== birdmarymoor at verizon.net