It's Owl Season..... Again

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Tyler: thanks for the photo. I was down at the fishing pier looking for it Wednesday, but no one had seen it. One guy said he had checked the fuel dock to no avail. It was very windy, so maybe the owl chose a spot that was protected. It is windy this morning at my house in the Maplewood area, so the owl may be back in the same spot where you saw it.
 
Some Thanksgiving Day photos of the snowy owl at the Edmonds marina. I left the big lens and tripod in the car and took these handheld with my 5III + 100-400L zoom.

The snowy is easy to spot on the breakwater when it is out in the open.
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The full frame of the 5DIII gives good crops when I am too lazy to drag out the tripod, 500L and teleconverters.
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Chamber of Commerce and Port of Edmonds publicity shot.
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The owl watched a small flock of starlings fly past.
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The owl was grooming itself.
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Late Friday afternoon (12/5/14) a snowy owl was spotted on the roof of a house on Sunset Ave. This is the first spotting of a snowy that I am aware of since the big storm of 11/29/14 which drove the snowy owl away from the marina. I'll have to check my photos to see if it is the same owl as the one we have been photographing.
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It drew the usual attention from the evil minions of the Dark Lord.
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It took off about 4:00pm and flew southwest towards the ferry dock.

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Based on the activities of the gulls, I think it flew past the ferry.
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Nothing to write home about, but it is my first Snowy siting. Taken at Fern Ridge Reservoir.

My first snowy.jpg
 
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Congratulations, Janice. As the birders say, you scored a "lifer." That reservoir is so typical of the areas where they have been spotted up here: open with lots of driftwood.
 
Bill Anderson said:
Congratulations, Janice. As the birders say, you scored a "lifer." That reservoir is so typical of the areas where they have been spotted up here: open with lots of driftwood.
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Yes I have. Nothing like your sightings, but I am pretty tickled just the same.
 


JaniceL: Do you get short-eared owls down your way in the winter? Maybe at Tualatin NWR or Ridgefield NWR?
https://images.search.yahoo.com/sea...prop=image&fr=fptb-yff20-s&va=short-eared+owl

Up here they like to hunt in cattail marshes along Puget Sound. Since they are daylight hunters, there are fairly easy to shoot and are quite photogenic. They occupy the same niche as the northern harrier and will engage them in aerial dogfights over prey.
 
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I have been giving the Yost Park barred owl pair a rest. Although they are good looking, all my shots of them sleeping on a limb look alike. I will most likely resume stalking them after the first of the year.
 
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Bill Anderson said:
JaniceL: Do you get short-eared owls down your way in the winter? Maybe at Tualatin NWR or Ridgefield NWR?
https://images.search.yahoo.com/sea...prop=image&fr=fptb-yff20-s&va=short-eared+owl

Up here they like to hunt in cattail marshes along Puget Sound. Since they are daylight hunters, there are fairly easy to shoot and are quite photogenic. They occupy the same niche as the northern harrier and will engage them in aerial dogfights over prey.
Click to expand...

I have never seen them, but would like to add them to my list. they are pretty cute. I have heard that they have been seen at the Baskett Slough Refuge, but that was last year.
 
Bill Anderson said:
I have been giving the Yost Park barred owl pair a rest. Although they are good looking, all my shots of them sleeping on a limb look alike. I will most likely resume stalking them after the first of the year.
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LOL, all my barred owls look the same too. LOL. Kinda done with it. Even the babies look identically cute. Although I may consider sharing the rent of a 600 mm one day during owlet season.
 
Congrats, Janice! That's a nice landscape shot too!

Do you get short-eared owls down your way in the winter? Maybe at Tualatin NWR or Ridgefield NWR?
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Bill, currently the local birding sites are receiving reports of up to 4 short-eared owls at Broughton Beach behind PDX Airport along the Columbia River. I haven't walked the beach looking for them yet, it's on my list though.

Oh BTW, If you head to Broughton Beach and park in the parking area be prepared to slide you credit/ debit card in a ticket machine. They charge you 5 dollars to park there and don't accept cash. Or you can get a year metro parks pass for 40 dollars. I don't know if you can purchase that there.



Chad
 
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photographmemories said:
Congrats, Janice! That's a nice landscape shot too!

Bill, currently the local birding sites are receiving reports of up to 4 short-eared owls at Broughton Beach behind PDX Airport along the Columbia River. I haven't walked the beach looking for them yet, it's on my list though.

Oh BTW, If you head to Broughton Beach and park in the parking area be prepared to slide you credit/ debit card in a ticket machine. They charge you 5 dollars to park there and don't accept cash. Or you can get a year metro parks pass for 40 dollars. I don't know if you can purchase that there.

Chad
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Thanks Chad.

Gosh they are charging everywhere. Grrrrrr
 


excellent work, Joe! looks like i may have to make a trip up that way once the rain stops for a bit...
 
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