[mou] Possible Snowy Owl in Rochester

[Lee, Glenn]

This is a second hand report from a friend who is not a birder in our
sense of the word, but is none-the-less intimately familiar with birds
and has an artist's eye for detail. We've often watched the Peregrine
Falcons circling around the Mayo Clinic buildings hunting for pigeons.

Sighting was about 3:45 PM on Monday, 10/22/07, at approximately
Broadway and South 6th Street.  The owl was flying relatively low and in
a westerly direction, and was being mobbed by two crows.  The sighting
was naked-eye from about 150 feet away.  The observer particularly
noticed that the owl was intensely white and much larger than the crows.


I showed the observer an entry from Sibley's on the Snowy Owl, and he
felt reasonably certain (about 80%) of the ID.  He is very familiar with
crows and was absolutely sure of their ID.  The Owl flew low and
straight and didn't seem to notice the crows harassment.

This is my first posting here, and if I've grievously transgressed by
posting a second-hand report, then I apologize.  This seemed awfully
early for a Snowy this far south.

Glenn Lee
Northfield

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