[mou] MSP airport Snowy Owl

[Alt, Mark]

I have had many good days birding after I pull up behind Dave
Cahlander's red Subaru. It means I am in the right place. On
Tuesday,12/20/05, at 2:30 PM, Dave had located the Snowy Owl on Cargo
road, accessible from the intersection of Hwy 62 (Crosstown) and Hwy 77
(Cedar Avenue). There are two tunnels that go under runways, then a
rotary dead end. This day the Owl was between the two tunnels, on the
northern side, perched atop a security fence, on a post top, at eye
level, 120 yards away.  I shot 20 minutes of video, (eat your heart out
Peter Neubeck), and got the bird actively perusing its surroundings,
then fluffing its feathers up, tilting its head back, gaping impossibly
wide, appearing to be working up a pellet. It also did some preening,
including cleaning of its foot with its beak, accessed by lifting and
twisting its tail and diving its head down to its bottom area. Lots of
feathers pushed around, I cannot be certain of what it was doing. This
is one flexible bird!  It was clearly a 1st year female, with very dark
blackish marking on every feather edge on its back and breast, dark
barring on the  tail feathers, and a clear white small bib, that
extended down the front of the bird equal to the height of its head. Its
head was very darkly mottled on top as well. The nape of its neck had
marking son it, but not as profuse or dark as the back. While watching
the video, I realized I only have to get the size of the posts and I can
closely estimate the height and width of the bird, I will try and do
that. Maybe I can get mug shot backgrounds for each post at the airport?
Parking alongside this road is in clear violation of the signage in the
area, so if you do stop, please use precaution and use flashers and be
careful not impede to traffic at all. I would hate to see us lose access
to this area. We looked hard for another bird in the area, to no avail.
I understand some birders have chased this bird 4 times at this location
without seeing it.  It certainly does match its surroundings. My wife
remarked that the film could be black and white and it would make no
difference. The only splash of color comes from the Snowy's amber eyes
and the occasional red tail of the jets taking off. This is a really
large bird, and when it gaped to cough up a pellet (it looked like a
really big yawn), I was impressed by the size of its mouth. I will check
it out; it may have the largest gape of any North American Raptor. I
wonder what they are eating, perhaps some of the Jackrabbits that still
inhabit the area, but more commonly, I would expect rodents - rats and
mice. Has anyone witnessed predatory behavior from these birds? I have
read that Snowy Owls are known for chasing down Arctic Hares, locking
into them with their talons and then pumping their wings to slow and
stop the Hare, then delivering the coup de grace with its beak. Kind of
like parasailing except the boat is edible. This is the kind of mental
imagery that will probably have me out there shooting hours of video
again this year. I know, I know, I am using a tripod, even though I had
to borrow one form Dave Cahlander yesterday. I recommend stopping for
red Subaru's when you are out looking for birds.  Good Birding.=20

Mark Alt
Brooklyn Center, MN
Hennepin County