Snowy Owls

I spent the weekend of February 25 & 26 chasing after some Snowy Owls in Ocean Shores, Washington. After two flights to get to Portland, followed by 3.5 hours of driving through rain, sleet, hail and snow, I arrived in Ocean Shores. Once there, the conditions were even worse, with all of the above plus winds of up to 60 mph.


Click the photo above to see video of hail storm.

I met Jennifer R and Peggy M, friends who had been in Ocean Shores for the day, and they assured me that my desired Snowy Owls were still there and unfazed by the weather. That wasn't much of a surprise as they came in from the tundra, but one never knows.

It was too late in the day to have much of a chance to photograph the Snowy Owls. Other rare birds were in the area and so my friends guided me right to the Emperor Goose that was sharing a golf course green with close to 100 Canada Geese. A Black-legged Kittiwake made a pass directly over the car as we were driving then another flew in for a look while we were at the jetty. Gulls, gulls, and more gulls, plus gull hybrids, were everywhere.

Sunday morning weather was much better than I had feared. I trekked out to where the owls had been reported and was rewarded with at least 5 Snowy Owls (what I think was the 6th may have been one of the 5).


Click the photo above to see more photos of the Snowy Owls.

I watched as one took flight and pounced on breakfast behind a fallen tree. Others sat still and simply watched what was going on around them. An adult Bald Eagle flew around at the southern end of the peninsula. I can't remember the last time I didn't get excited at seeing a Bald Eagle but the owls were just that overpowering.

I had only a short amount to spend with the owls as I had to return to Portland to catch my flight home. On the way back to the rental car I found a reported rarity I missed the day before - a female King Eider.


Click the photo above to see additional photos.

Driving to the airport I came across 20+ Trumpeter Swans in a river easily seen from the roadway. It felt very odd to have the Trumpeter Swan as the default swan species of the area. I passed a few other small bevies along the way. The rain, sleet, hail and snow continued on and off the entire 4-hour drive back to the Portland airport.


Click the photo above to see video of snow storm.

All in all, a great trip, especially considering how I spent only 5 hours birding over the entire weekend birding. But those few hours were filled with awesome birds and fantastic friends.