Residents in Queen Anne have reported sightings of a rare snowy owl, the likes of which are seldom seen in the area. Bird watchers are flocking to the area for what they call a “once-in-a-lifetime” sighting.
The snowy owl, which is one of the largest birds in North America, is native to the Arctic and is hardly ever spotted in Washington state.
“All of the other photos I have seen have been on rooftops, so it took me by surprise that it was actually in a tree. The crows that finally drove this guy away were actually my clue to where he was perched.”
“So today I saw a bird I'd never seen before,” he wrote. “It’s a rarity, a snowy owl that came down to Seattle for whatever reason and was hanging out in Queen Anne.”
The professor said it was the last bird he’d expected to spot in Western Washington.
“I was [expecting] to see my first somewhere on frozen windswept tundra, but given everything else going on this year I'll take it.”
In a phenomenon known as “irruption,” groups of snowy owls sometimes migrate south for reasons researchers don’t always understand. Small irruptions can happen as often as every four or five years, but larger flock migrations are rare, occurring perhaps once or twice in a lifetime.
Cornell University’s identification guide also illustrates that the spotted brown pattern on the owl’s feathers shows it’s a female.
Most owls are nocturnal; however, the snowy owl happens to be an early bird that stays awake during the daytime. It isn’t uncommon to see this species perching high up on fence posts, telephone poles, and rooftops. They can sometimes be spotted by patient bird watchers with binoculars.
Residents have joined bird watchers in attempting to catch sight of the rare owl, which tends to be a solitary creature.
“I think it’s beautiful,” he said. “There was an expert here yesterday, and they were saying this is a once-in-a-lifetime bird.”
For anyone trying to catch sight of the bird, experts advise maintaining a 100-foot distance from the snowy owl to avoid disturbing it.
