I watched a Snowy Owl at National Airport this afternoon from
about 4:30 to 5:20. Unlike most days when I tried to find the owl from
Gravelly Point, I went into the old terminal building (A) and had a much
closer view. I was in front of a wall that said "A National Legacy." I
first saw the owl perching on the tire of a small green vehicle just in
front and to the left of the dirt pile where the owl was first seen on the
past two days. I estimate that the owl was probably 300 to 400 yards away.
This winter, I have not actually seen a Snowy Owl fly to the perch where I
first saw it. Like Jeeves who used to "shimmer" into a room, the owl seems
to shimmer onto its perches unnoticed. About five minutes later, the owl
flew to a perch which was almost directly across from where I was
positioned in the terminal. It perched on a yellow box that was next to a
sign that had an F and an arrow. The owl stayed perched on this spot at
least until 5:20 when I left. I took some photos, but the conditions were
not great for photography. In addition to the airport window creating
distortion, the weather was overcast. You can see images of the owl on its
two perches at my SlickPic site: http://www.slickpic.com/u/WilliamYoung?grid
.
While I had the closest look at the owl that I have had in the
past week, I still did not get a close look. In my 10 power binoculars, it
was just a tiny spot. Looking at this bird through a telescope, I think it
is probably not the same Snowy Owl we watched during the last week of last
year. It looks somewhat darker on the tail and on the belly and undertail
coverts. The weather is supposed to be sunny tomorrow afternoon, so if I
can find the owl, I might be able to see it in better light. Of course,
when the weather is sunny, the bird might wait until later in the afternoon
to shimmer into view.
Best
Bill Young
Arlington, VA
