A Snowy-White Experience
Written by Marlene Meyer and Penelope Kipps
When a Snowy Owl made home in the Queen Anne neighborhood on November 25th, birders all over flocked to the neighborhood to see this extraordinary raptor. A lifer for many, this opportunity was hard to pass up. Marlene Meyer, EAS member, was one of those who made the trek out to Seattle.
“When I saw the Facebook text from a friend, and the photo, I had to drop everything and go!! A Snowy Owl in Seattle. Really?! This would be a lifer.
I talked my husband into driving so I could navigate to the location my friend had given me. This spot was being quietly passed between birdwatchers who would be respectful. We arrived at the given crossroads, but no Snowy Owl.
After driving around for a while, my husband was ready to go home. Then I spotted a neighbor walking his dog. I thought he might have seen something but the neighbor had not seen the Snowy Owl that day. Disappointed, we decided to drive once more down the block when this same man and his dog came jogging back to our car. He said he saw a crowd down an alley a block away. How nice of him!!
We found the group watching the most gorgeous female Snowy Owl that was up on a roof next to a chimney. I was mesmerized for an hour. At one point, I think she was looking down and laughing at us. Being too hot here for this arctic bird, we also saw her fluttering her throat - moist throat membranes, I was informed, to stay cool. What a momentous day.”
After hearing the news of the snowy owl from Marlene, I was also one who dropped everything to go see the bird. Anxiously awake the night before, I planned to head out to Queen Anne right after I got off work. I was nervous, wondering if she would still be there, or if I would be able to find her. Once in Queen Anne, I drove around for an hour, planning to stay there for as long as I needed. I made it to the neighborhood she was spotted and looked around, eventually parking my car and walking around.
Then I spotted her through the trees. I immediately ran to my car to get my camera, and located a closer street to see her better. I overheard the neighbors chatting to other passing individuals who had come to see the Snowy Owl. They didn’t mind groups of people overtaking their streets and looking at their roofs. In fact, they welcomed it, knowing that this was a welcome end to such a hard year everyone has had. It’s heartwarming to know that the community came together to share this.
A short note about Snowy Owls: They are white birds with varying amounts of black or brown markings on the body and wings. On females this can be quite dense, giving the bird a salt-and-pepper look. Males tend to be paler and become whiter as they age. The eyes are yellow. The aptly named Snowy Owl is mainly a circumpolar species, which means that individuals live and nest in the far north regions around the North Pole. In the non-breeding season, this species also can be found in areas of southern Canada and the northern United States, as well as parts of Asia and Europe.
Slideshow photos by Marlene Meyer. Cover photo by Penelope Kipps.