SANDY POINT - Bird enthusiasts have a chance this winter to check a particularly striking species off their bucket list - what they prefer to call a "life list." Reports are multiplying of the return of the snowy owl to western Washington.
A volunteer observer for the annual Bellingham Christmas Bird Count on Dec. 18 counted three of the owls on Sandy Point, North Cascades Audubon Society Vice President Paul Woodcock said. That number may seem small but could indicate a larger local population of the tundra-reared bird. This year the region could have what Woodcock called a snowy owl invasion.
"If this is an invasion of snowy owls, it's all across the country. There have been about 300 sightings already," Woodcock said.
The count in western Washington grows almost daily, according to posts to the bird-sighting groups Tweeters and Whatcom Birds. This week in addition to Sandy Point the owl has been spotted near Stanwood and at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, perched atop the Australiasian building.
"In the big years, they will be all over the place, including downtown Seattle, Tacoma and other unexpected locations," Bud Anderson of Bow wrote on Nov. 19 to the Tweeters email group.
Sightings of the snowy owl began in November. Dick Porter of Bellingham, who describes himself as an "advanced novice" birder, was among those who saw the early birds.
"I was out to the Lummi flats area (several) weeks ago and got lucky and saw two that day," Porter said.
Whether there will be a visible explosion in snowy owl numbers this winter remains an open question. One year, Anderson saw 35 snowy owls from the same spot in the Samish flats.
"I have seen it where you'll have a few now and hordes arriving later in January," Anderson wrote to the Tweeters group.
Birders said this week there are about 30 snowy owls residing on Boundary Bay just north of the Canadian border.
Why these owls sometimes come this far south is a point of contention among birders and experts. This year, they say, a large population of the owl's primary prey, the lemming, made for a prolific breeding season for the owl. With the added competition for food, the youngest owls especially went beyond the species' normal range.
The snowy owl is a consistent draw for photographers, owing to its large size and its easily visible white plumage with brown bars. Woodcock said birders should strike a balance between getting their shot and leaving the owls at peace. The ones that have traveled this far to find food are especially stressed, according to members of the birding community.
"If people start bothering them, they're either going to leave or they're going to starve," Woodcock said.
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