---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Charles Swift <chaetura@gmail.com>
Date: Jan 29, 2006 9:02 PM
Subject: Snowy Owls - Latah *and* Lewis County, ID
To: Inland <inland-nw-birders@uidaho.edu>
Hi All -
We fairly easily found one of the Berger Rd. (Latah Co.) SNOWY OWLS on Friday, 1/27/06 at about 3:30 PM. It was on a ridge about 300 yds. northeast of where Berger Rd. makes its turn south (this is the general area reported by Terry earlier in the week). Deb picked it out from inside the car, it was some distance north of white "bucket bird" but easily distinguished from the "bucket bird"! In the scope it appeared to have a fairly pale head and dark markings on the body. (I'm getting more information on
We also noted 2 WESTERN MEADOWLARKS, at Berger & Danielson Rds. A fairly uncommon winter occurrence on the Palouse (prob new for county year list).
Amazingly (although this is obviously the year to do it!) we found a second SNOWY OWL along US 95 near Craigmont on the north end of the Camas Prairie as we were driving to McCall. It was perched on a power pole just beyond the north business 95 interchange to Craigmont. As we approached at ~65 mph I could see a raptor perched on the pole, perhaps, I was thinking a Great Horned Owl as they often do at dusk. I looked back as we passed to see a brilliantly white Snowy Owl. After a quick u-turn, we were able to study the bird for several minutes from the side of US 95 at fairly close range and got some decent digiscoped images in the fading light (which I will post later).
We also had 2 SHORT-EARED OWLS, 1 flying across Us 95 near Ferdinand and a second along the Johnston Rd. cut-off just west of Grangeville (both in Idaho Co.).
This evening (1/29), on the way home from McCall, we drove north through the Camas Prairie, east of US 95 from Grangeville to Nez Perce, and then west from Nez Perce to Craigmont where we picked up US 95 again. No more Snowies to report but there is lots of good looking country here and I imagine there must be more of them on the Camas Prairie right now. We sis see some N. Harries (always common here) and a flock of GRAY PARTRIDGE along Powerline Rd. near Grangeville - a decent Idaho Co. bird.
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Charles Swift
Moscow, ID
chaetura@gmail.com
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