Today at 2:00 PM Steve Novatney found the first year Snowy Owl due west = of the de-icing area on Cargo Road at the MSP Airport. This bird is the = darkest Snowy I have seen in years, and shows as a light grey form = against the white snow to the naked eye. It was visible from the = de-icing pumphouse area at a distance of approximately 400-500 yards. = The birds was not sitting upright as I am accustomed to see them but was = laying flat on its belly like a dusting pheasant, with its head raised = up, looking very un-owl-like, assuming the lumpy form of Jabba the Hut = from Star wars... Its turning of its head while in view helped quite a = bit with the identification. I digiscoped it, with very poor results, = yet I will probably post it on MOUmn.org in the video gallery until I = get a better one. Great bird. Cold with the wind, numbed my face, must = be owl filming weather! Good Birding!
Mark Alt
