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December 13, 2005
Snowy Owls Are Back
The large powerful Snowy Owls, residents of the high Arctic, are back this winter to the NorthWest. Only occasionally do they appear in large numbers south of the Canadian border. They like open country similar to the open spaces of the Arctic. When they do winter here they are usually found on the coastal beaches or at the wide open spaces of airports. This year they are at the Oregon coast as far south as Coos Bay. One has been seen at the Portland International Airport. I have not seen that one. The last time I saw Snowy Owls was in the winter of 1996 at the south jetty on the mouth of the Columbia River near Astoria Oregon. That was almost a decade ago. Absolutey magnificent birds. In 1996 we saw three Snowy Owls at the south jetty beach. My wife and I spent the entire afternoon with the three owls and only reluctantly left because the sun was setting. I should say we tried to leave. Our cars fuel pump had died in the jetty parking lot. The tow truck driver gave us a "special" deal and only charged $300.00 to tow us back to Portland. "$300.00", I said to my wife. "Well worth it", she said. "That's only $100.00 an owl."
Posted by bill@birdingguide.com at December 13, 2005 07:41 PM
