From: Elizabeth Lowe <lizedge at me.com>
Date: January 26, 2012 6:30:47 PM PST
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Subject: Stanwood Snowy Owls, etc.


Regarding the Stanwood Snowies,

Husband, Bob, and I checked out the Stanwood Owls on January 9th. We
were on our way to the Anacortez ferry from Seattle, and my own
inquiry on tweeters gave me the information on Thomle and Edie Rds.
We had a lovely time, checking with road work crew among others to
find Thomle. We went all the way down Thomle, not seeing any owls,
until the farm that Marc mentions. We turned around and drove a
little way to find a car parked (road is very quiet), and upon
inquiring, found that the party had spotted a snowy on a pole/stump on
tom of the berm/dike. We would never had seen it with our naked eyes
had it not been pointed out. With binoculars, it was clear that it
was an owl. Luckily we borrowed a scope from our son, and had a
wonderful time with the other party, and an additional birder who
joined us, viewing the snowy, finding a second one, and having pointed
out to us a short-earled owl flying back and forth in front of the
berm; and a rough-legged hawk sitting on a post in the field.
Harriers patrolled regularly. When I got home, checking on the
internet we discovered that the man from the first party, who was very
well informed, and visiting family here from Chapel Hill, NC, was a
well respected biologist/ornithologist - professor emeritus from UNC
Chapel Hill: R. Haven Wiley. What a treat!

Good luck on your finding snowies and other treats. I hope you can
bring a scope. It made all the difference for us.
Elizabeth


Elizabeth Edgerton
lizedge at mac.com