Paul Hurtado wrote:
Hi folks,
I've been eyeing the Snowy Owl discussion from afar, and having seen a
few healthy and not-so-healthy Snowy Owls in the north east the past
few years I've been
wondering why the El Paso bird is sticking around.
From what I gather, such birds are frequently unhealthy (e.g.
suffering from infections picked up in their new southerly and
urbanized environs) and/or they tend to
be significantly underweight.
I visited the snowy owl this morning, arriving at Sunrise. Ron Green,
Barbara (didn't get last name) and I watched and photographed it
for a couple of hours. We saw it fly twice, apparently hunting
and grabbing prey. The bird looks well fed and is able to fly
quite fast and does not look injured. He also ignores most
actions by people, not considering them a threat. That includes
people leaving their houses, birders arriving and leaving, and the
constant drone of cars on the nearby highway. The snowy
seems uninterested in adults but does seem to look towards small
children with some curiosity. Overall the bird seems to be doing
quite well and adapted to the local environment.
Roger Clark
Lakewood, CO
