Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 08:07:32 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: "Rob (Robert) Hilton" Subject: Southern Frederick County Snowy Owl In-Reply-To: <3A42941A.DD4790A3@home.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Yesterday afternoon (Dec. 21), after much looking, standing, and driving, I finally spotted the Snowy Owl. It was just east of New Design Road south of Greenfield. Two cars parked at the edge of the road were the big clue. The bird was some distance away from the road, maybe 100-150 feet. Two of us got out of the car while the third went to get the other watchers on Oland Road. We were the only people not in cars, I believe. While we were waiting, and after we had been on the roadside for about two or three minutes the bird took off to the south--to harass a female American Kestrel which was passing through. After driving off the falcon, the owl landed on a utility pole by the side of the road, two poles south of where the two of us were standing. The two cars then drove off (I think). After a further three or four (or more) minutes a caravan of cars came south along New Design Road. I tried to keep all the parked cars north of my position, on one side of the road, and as far off the road as safely possible, and tried to wave southbound non-birders safely through. A couple of cars couldn't park north of me so they parked south of me, closer to the bird. The bird stayed on the pole until the last of the 15 cars were, thirty or more minutes after the caravan had arrived. For most of this time it was facing south, so its back was toward the birdwatchers. At one point four or so people were halfway between its phone pole and the next one north, and the bird continued to sit facing away from us, turning its head from time to time. Soon after the bird turned ninety degrees to face east, it opened its mouth and regurgitated a pellet. By this time most of the people had departed. It resumed facing east, not looking in our direction roughly any more often than it was looking in other directions. As my car drove past the bird on our way home, the bird stretched a wing, then folded it and remained on the pole. It wasn't quite 5 pm. People that go this weekend too look for this bird--PLEASE BE COURTEOUS. Don't block the roads, don't harass the bird, and don't enter private property. Best, Rob Hilton robert@csa.com Bethesda, Md. ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================