Hi everyone,
Even though all the buzz on MDOSPREY last week was about the GWFG and even
though there were no positive reports re: sightings of the Snowy Owl all week,
3 friends, my husband and I all made the journey down to Assateague on
Friday night. We camped on Fri night despite the low temperatures. It was an
adventure. Our spirits were buoyed on Saturday morning when we went into the
ranger station and the rangers said the bird had been seen as recently as the
day before. So we got our OSV pass and off we went. (The 2+ hour hike from
the week before was a good experience but I was just as happy to ride in this
time!). After 10-15 minutes of driving and agonizing over each and every
white blob in the distance we found the bird. (Do you know how many white
objects there are in the dunes when you're looking for a snowy owl? A LOT.)
'round about km 22 or so there he was. Beautiful. After a few minutes Sean
McCandless & Parke John pulled up. Quite the owl-parazzi! We were treated to
great views and after a while (maybe an hour) the bird flew up the beach a few
hundred yards. That is when he parked himself really close to the OSV track.
It was unbelieveable. Lots of hushed admiration pretty much for every
breath he was taking and even more rat-a-tat-tat of the high speed shutter
clicks. We were out there for about 4 hours. He flew about once an hour and got
buzzed by gulls several times. The gulls elicited a couple hisses but mostly
it seemed like the owl knew they were "all squawk and no talons".
Everything that happened was a MAJOR thrill. What a beautiful extraordinary bird.
Here is a link to my photos if you're interested:
_http://sarahanderson.smugmug.com/gallery/6526975_fLVQJ#432910456_dBb82_
(http://sarahanderson.smugmug.com/gallery/6526975_fLVQJ#432910456_dBb82)
Sarah B. Anderson
Cabin John, Maryland
**************Make your life easier with all your friends, email, and
favorite sites in one place. Try it now.
(http://www.aol.com/?optin=new-dp&icid=aolcom40vanity&ncid=emlcntaolcom00000010) |