I agree with Dennis. ?Snowy Owls aren't?nocturnal?like most other owls because they also have to hunt during the?arctic?summer in which there is no night. ?From what I've observed they are aware during the day and they will move around locally from time to time but spend much of the day sitting around probably dozing the way a cat (another semi-nocturnal?animal) does. Although the can hunt during the day I don't recall anyone noting the behavior last year but there was ample?evidence,?at least at?Damion?Point, the owls were well fed. ?Harassing?or catching Snowy Owls without some sort of permit is illegal unless the bird is obviously injured or distressed. ?You can't even legally remove them from your own property or?harass?them to make them leave. ?I would not hesitate to ask anyone I saw engaging in such behavior who they were and under what authority they were, or thought they were, acting. ?Take photos, get license numbers, whatever
it takes and call 91, talk to the local police and try to get ?Fish and Wildlife involved. ?

As to the one at Pt Townsend. ?That location is on port property and ports seem to think they are a law unto themselves. ?Although I have no idea why the port might want to remove an owl, ports in general have done so many irrational things that it raises a red flag. ?The other end of that is that when the Port of Olympia was allowing a?tenant?to remove active barn swallow nests we called the Fish and Wildlife warden out who read them the riot act but then we also threatened to take our pictures to the?newspaper. ?If you see something like this happening on any port property it may be effective to call them and remind them that they are responsible for things that happen on at their facilities so in some cases they are?susceptible?to public pressure. ?Of course Damion Pt is a state park and they have their own rangers as do the NWRs. ?If nothing else all the attention may be able to?harass?the person into stopping whatever they are up to. ?

Snowy's at Nisqually: ?There were 4 Snow Owls out past the observation tower around noon today. ?I scoped them from the Luer Beach Nature Center and even at 60x it's a long reach but they are recognizable. ?It was also so dark and misty that for the first time I wished I had a scope bigger than 65mm. They were all on logs or snags very close to the water and near the ground. ?They were to the your left looking toward the twin barns. ?There was also an adult Bald Eagle sitting on the ground very near one of the owls which I thought was interesting. ?
?
Ray Holden
Olympia, WA

Life is for the birds.


________________________________
From: Dennis Paulson <dennispaulson at comcast.net>
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Sent: Friday, November 16, 2012 12:45 PM
Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Snowy Owl - Port Townsend


I strongly agree with Kelly on this matter. I was actually quite surprised that the owl on Capitol Hill was picked up, as it obviously was being a successful forager, there are no Snowy Owl predators around there, and it seemed unlikely that any people would harm it. Sure, it's not natural habitat, but many Snowy Owls end up in cities (usually on roof tops) during invasion years, and if they can't forage successfully, they move on.

That's what Snowy Owls do - they perch all day in one spot and go out hunting in the evening. To say that an owl should be picked up if perched in one spot for any length of time is not only inappropriate but should be discouraged very vigorously by both the law and public displeasure, as long as the bird isn't obviously ailing or injured.

Dennis Paulson
Seattle, WA

On Nov 16, 2012, at 12:00 PM, tweeters-request at mailman1.u.washington.edu wrote:

Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2012 17:41:10 -0800
>From: "Kelly McAllister" <mcallisters4 at comcast.net>
>Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Snowy Owl - Port Townsend
>To: <tweeters at u.washington.edu>, <cgluckman at aol.com>
>Message-ID: <04F2C20BB74E484BA15CB0A5371EE2C2 at KellyPC>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
>I stood at about 75 foot distance from this owl from 11:30 until 4:30. At 4:30, a truck pulled up on the other side of the channel that goes into the marina. People got out and a guy wrapped what appeared to be a beach towel around his neck started clambering over the old pilings leading out to where the owl was perched. As he got close, the owl flushed and flew down the shoreline to perch on pilings associated with the old ferry dock, a well known Bald Eagle perch. I could only surmise that the guy was intending to throw the towel over the owl, probably to get it to rehab for some care and feeding. I remember, vaguely, a mention of the Sarvey policy to capture owls after a certain number of hours in one place, as though an inactive owl is always a starving or otherwise ailing owl. If this is really what people are thinking, I???m aghast. I didn???t feel that this particular owl was exhibiting unusual behavior for a Snowy Owl. Lengthy periods of
loafing seems to be the norm !
>for a Snowy Owl when it is unburdened by adoring throngs, isn???t it? In any case, I could only view the close approach as strange and troubling.?
>
>Kelly McAllister
>Olympia, Washington
>





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