It's Time to Watch for Snowies

As I looked out our windows the past few days, I wouldn't have been a bit surprised to see a snowy owl perched on a snag, gazing out with yellow cat eyes over the snowy expanse of our side yard.  This is snowy owl weather, and reports are beginning to come in that these owls from the far north are starting to drop down into 'warmer' territory.  It may be because of the pressure of too many owls (a good thing in a way) that pushes owls down to us.  It may be harsher than usual weather up north.  There are lots of theories but the important thing is to enjoy them while they're with us.

Snowies prefer open, grassy fields where they  hunt mice.  A snowy will appear as a short, squat, white shape on the edge of an open field, usually perched low.   Young birds will be mottled brownish, but still mainly white. Adults are the purist white imaginable.  They hunt by sitting motionless for hours, watching for movement in the field.  When a hapless field mouse or other prey is spotted,  in utter silence the owl will swoop out and down, taking the catch in powerful talons.

I watched a snowy owl who had been perched for some time on a low snag, motionless except for the slow blink of amber eyes.  A flock of red-necked phalaropes, small shorebirds who also winter with us, gradually drew closer and closer to the still hunter.  Finally the flock, still busily feeding, was no more than twenty feet from where the owl sat.   When he made his move, his lift-off was effortless.  Huge white wings unfolded and long feathered legs pushed him from the snag.  He angled over the now-panicked flock, talons extended, and easily grabbed an unlucky shorebird.  Almost casually he arced back to the snag, where feathers blew away in the icy breeze as he ate his catch.

Snowy owls showed up in Ocean Park last year.  One bird spent the night on the eaves of a friend's house right in town.  One snowy was seen at the Ocean Park approach to the beach.  He was quietly perched near the dunes in plain sight, but few of the people on the beach seemed to notice him.  Nature is all around us, but we often do not see the unexpected.  That's one of the lures of nature for me: to have the gift of such wildness so near us.

On another front,  it's been a busy few days feeding and watering the local bird crew.  Even the lake outlet is frozen over, so the small birds need water as well as food.   Little black-hooded juncoes, chickadees, towhees and even a few red-winged blackbirds have appeared on the deck, looking for a handout.  Shelled sunflower seed is quite popular, and a shallow plastic bowl of warm water is much appreciated.  These birds survive - or don't - without us.  Some will fall prey to the cold and stress, especially birds that were hatched this year.  They don't have all the survival skills lined up yet.  I found a beautiful female orange and brown varied thrush this morning.  She was actually still warm, but had sadly succumbed to the cold.
If throwing a handful of seed outside a few times a day can save one or two young birds, I'm all for it.  And the payback is to see them skittering along on the slippery ice,  fluffy and optimistic in the wintry sun.