The Snowy Owl at National Airport was visible for a longer period this
afternoon than on any day in the past week, and it was also less energetic
than at any time during this period. I arrived at about 4:30, and the bird
had already been found sitting on a windsock structure at least ten minutes
earlier. This windsock was closer than the windsock on which it had perched
yesterday, but the owl was fairly far away. Still, the significant number
of birders who came to Gravelly Point all got excellent looks. The owl flew
once but settled back on the same windsock structure, only instead of being
on one of the structure's arms which had white lights, it perched on the
red light on the top of the structure. This allowed people to see the
talons as the owl held onto to the light -- once again looking like the
"red-vented subspecies." The bird preened a lot and frequently turned its
head, but most of the views that I had were face on. While I am probably
not supposed to say this, the owl has a very sweet looking face. We also
could see how white the owl was underneath. It's a beautiful bird. With the
exception of the one flight, the bird stayed in the same spot for more than
an hour. A possible reason for its lassitude might have been if it had
recently eaten, but that is just a guess. At about 5:30, the owl flew a
short distance and landed on an unlit utility pole. Once again, it showed
little inclination to move. I decided to leave at about 5:50 while the owl
was still in the same spot. I posted one distant photo on my SlickPic site,
and you can see some detail in the face. The URL is:
http://www.slickpic.com/u/WilliamYoung?grid ;.
Some of you might have seen the story in the Washington Post yesterday that
said that the Snowy Owl at National Airport may have taken off. The article
talked about efforts by the US Department of Agriculture to trap the bird.
The reason USDA is involved is that one of its offices is the Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), which is responsible for trying to
control conflicts between animals and humans. Owls at airports are
considered such a conflict that causes a safety risk to humans. A friend
who knows a lot about the working of the federal government sent me the
following:
The mission of USDA APHIS Wildlife Services (WS) is to provide Federal
leadership and expertise to resolve wildlife conflicts to allow people and
wildlife to coexist. WS conducts program delivery, research, and other
activities through its Regional and State Offices, the National Wildlife
Research Center
<http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wps/portal/aphis/ourfocus/wildlifedamage/sa_programs/sa_airport_wildlife_hazards/ct_national_statistics/!ut/p/a1/jVHLboMwEPyWfkDxxiUhOULS8gi0vURQXyyHgHELGNlWkfL1NajXUva0o53RaGYRQQUiPfsWnBkhe9ZOmOxo8hbhTQA4DsPnAOLXl_TdOycYNq4lfCwQztt1-mPoR66XAoC7xxCfgujkHTKAeLdOD3-MD__pkxUGWGXHjCMyMNM8ir6WqNCMDkpyxTo9AybUIJWho2hvragr2rA7Uzd7LA3tf9uk2thNG1FqlCOy6Dw1NxOWqpkJC9ltON7Kq_1jHiAiiduRcQrk99envQ2kqrpSlXIaqQ0qxnF0uJS8rZxSdmjoLpfingaH-HP7lfsPPyUTetA!/?1dmy&urile=wcm%3apath%3a%2Faphis_content_li>
(NWRC)
and its Field Stations, as well as through its National Programs. Program
biologists apply the integrated wildlife damage management approach to
provide technical assistance and direct management operations in response
to requests for assistance. WS NWRC research scientists are dedicated to
the development of wildlife damage management methods. The Program's
efforts help people resolve wildlife damage to a wide variety of resources
and to reduce threats to human health and safety. Funding for the WS
Program is a combination of federal appropriations and cooperator-provided
funds.
If you want more information about the National Wildlife Research Center,
here is a link:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/aphis_content_library/sa_delete_this_content/ct_nwrc_home_delete2
And here is a link to yesterday's Washington Post article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/snowy-owl-at-reagan-national-airport-refuses-to-take-off/2014/12/31/4e246eb4-912f-11e4-a900-9960214d4cd7_story.html
Tonight marked the 14th night since the light Snowy Owl was first seen. The
latest weather forecast calls for a 50 to 60 percent chance of rain on both
Saturday and Sunday, so owl viewing this weekend could be difficult.
Best,
Bill Young
Arlington, VA
