Hi Tweets,

For $10, one can buy a permit to walk on the private land owned by a Mr. Lervik during hunting seaso, at the Stanwood Thomle Rd. Snowy site. You do not have to be a gun-toting hunter - the landowner understands that birders are interested in getting closer looks and photographs of the Snowies and other birds of interest out there. Mr. Lervik lives on Boe Rd, maybe about half-way to its end at the Nature Conservancy site. There is a sign up at the end of his driveway, telling where to go to acquire a permit and when they are available (M-F only, between something like 10 and 4 or 5, as I recall). Several people did this last year, but most Snowy Owl viewers trespassed or were wrongly given permission to cross the field and walk the dike, by workers at Twin Foods (the metal sheds at the end of Thomle) or by one of the game wardens out there. Of course, many folks chose to stay off the private property. Sometimes there were 25 or so people trespassing, which irritated the landowner as well as those who were trying to abide by the 'rules'. Problem was, the rules were not commonly known and the appearance of the owls was not an annual event, so it took everyone by surprise.

I hope we birders get off on the right foot this winter and get those permits. If you don't, you may likely find yourself confronted by Mr. Lernik on his 4-wheeler and be told to leave. I've talked with someone who has already purchased a permit and who has spoken with Mr. Lervik, and says he was pretty pleasant about the whole situation. I hope we can avoid the 'bad blood' between birders and the landowner and instead let him know how appreciative we are that he will let us walk his private property. I was thinking that, if Mr. Lervik has never looked at the Snowies close up, he might appreciate the occasional look through a scope or camera - I intend to offer something of that sort when I go to get my permit - goodwill goes a long way.

It appears that the dike that runs along the Port Susan Bay estuary is not Mr. Lervik's - I think it is owned and managed by several different organizations - last year, I spoke with someone who helps manage the Nature Conservancy Preserve out at the end of Boe Rd. and she made it sound like dike management was a bit complex, and that Mr. Lervik has access rights.

However, it also turns out that not all the goose (and duck?) hunters that are legally out there to shoot birds, are very happy when, a group of optics-toting bird watchers seems to commandeer the area, perhaps keeping some of the hunters' prey from coming into the area. I'm not sure how safe it is in general, for anyone to be strolling around out there while there is active hunting going on. We should use good judgment when deciding to or not to head out into the field or go up on the dike, when hunters are there. Perhaps there are things we can do to minimally agitate the hunters - any suggestions?

Sure is neat we are getting a bonus Snowy Owl winter in the Stanwood and other areas in Washington and British Columbia. Enjoy the opportunity to get out and observe some of the "white blobs", at closer range. At the Thomle site it is certainly worth $10.

Hope I've helped answer Deb Lewis' request for info and given others of you some of the particulars about the Stanwood Thomle/Boe Rd. site. I should mention that sometimes one can see the Snowy Owls from the dike along Eide Rd - only need a Discover Pass for that, as long as you don't walk down off the dike and on into the field to the south across Davis Slough - that is Mr. Lervik's property.

If any of the rest of you have any more or more accurate information about this access issue, please chime in.

And have a swell Turkey Day.

P.S. Last year Mr. Lervik and some other farmers, claimed that birders were leaving trash on the dike and in the field - not necessarily a substantiated claim, but something else to keep in mind as we aim for goodwill among men, women, property owners, and hunters !

Barb Deihl

North Matthews Beach - NE Seattle

barbdeihl at comcast.net