Look WHO’s in Edmonds: A snowy owl at Ninth and Walnut

The owl on the roof, by Gary Haakenson.
An even closer look, by Nate McCarthy.

This snowy owl drew a crowd Saturday as it perched on a roof at Ninth and Walnut. We’re posting two marvelous views of the creature, as captured by Edmonds residents. The snowy owl is one of the largest and heaviest species of owl in North America.

 

  1. The phone calls kept coming in today at my house about this spectacular occurrence… Here is a tidbit taken from Audubon’s Birdweb for readers to ponder…Snowy Owls are migratory, nomadic, and irruptive. An irruption takes place after a large lemming population stimulates a high rate of reproduction. Snowy Owls may wander in summer as well as in winter, but it is in winter that they appear in Washington State. Wandering out of the breeding range may be associated with the dominance hierarchy, as the smallest and least dominant birds, presumably immature males, are those most likely to migrate the farthest south.Winter sightings are increasing in some areas of Washington, perhaps because of the development of large agricultural fields that attract rodents and waterfowl.

  2. I live right by the big park by Lynndale Elementary, and walk my dog there daily, I saw an owl just like this one sitting low on a branch above the walkway mid-day. It was an awesome sight.

  3. The owl is lovely but I will be happy when it migrates north again. Friday the 9th I was in my front yard at 10:30pm taking my dachshund on his last potty break before bed and an owl that looked like this one swooped at my dog out of the darkness. Scared us both silly. He then landed in a nearby tree and watched us for awhile. The owl is certainly hungry if he’s momentarily considering a dog as a snack. Especially since my dog is quite a bit bigger than a lemming.

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