Looking for a Snowy Owl in the dark is challenging, but looking for one in
the fog is much more difficult. Still, about eight of us who did not have
enough sense to come in out of the rain saw the light Snowy Owl at Gravelly
Point at 5 pm. We were standing in the picnic area when the owl flew in
from the direction of the river. The owl passed over the water in front of
us and flew to a utility pole in front of the south end of the main
terminal. On this 15th day since the owl was first seen, this was the first
time I had seen it fly in from that direction. The owl had not moved from
its perch by 5:30. Because of the weather conditions and the poor light, I
decided to leave the owl to sit unwatched the misty gloom.
The scientific name for the Snowy Owl is Bubo scandiacus, with the species
name meaning "of Scandinavia." The Great Horned Owl is the only other North
American Owl in this genus -- Bubo virginianus (of Virginia). Most of the
typical breeding and year-round range of the Great Horned Owl does not
intersect with the Snowy's. There are 15 other owls in the world in the
Bubo genus, and all of them have "Eagle-Owl" in their common name. They are
big, powerful owls. In the East African field guide I am studying for my
upcoming trip to Tanzania, there are five species of Bubo/Eagle-Owls. The
nominative species in the genus is the European Eagle-Owl (Bubo bubo). The
word Bubo come from a Greek word for hoot and is onomatopoeic. To my
knowledge, nobody has yet heard the Snowy Owl at National Airport vocalize.
If you want to hear a Snowy Owl hoot and make other vocalizations, visit
the Cornell Lab website.
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Snowy_Owl/sounds
I hope tomorrow is less foggy.
Best
Bill Young
Arlington, VA
