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Snowy and others



Howdy,

A unique, surprising birding year for us! 

A few weeks ago, Joshua mentioned a Snowy Owl was in VA. I did research and 
kept up to date on the sightings of the owl in Westland Beach, VA. Tuesday 
Joe and drove to Westland Beach (four hour drive from Raleigh) to look for 
the Snowy Owl.  We arrived at 2 pm and were at the first stop for 10 minutes 
when a car pulled up with a birding family from Richmond (a couple with a 10 
year old son with binocs). They followed us to another area where the five of 
us searched over the rock jetties and bay area. We all decided to check 
another area down the beach. After almost an hour and no owl, we decided to 
sit in the car to get warm, and the family went into town to get gas. It was 
cold and windy; the bank sign on the way in said it was 29 degrees, so the 
wind chill was easily in the teens.  A man (from Maryland) appeared asking us 
if we were looking for the owl. We said yes! He said the owl was around the 
corner. Turns out it was on a post at our original stop an hour earlier, but 
by the time we got there, he had f
lown off. UGH!!

Okay, we knew the owl was around. When the Richmond family returned, we told 
them the story. We were determined to find the owl! As we stood at a spot 
were we could scope two areas, two cars pulled up. They were from Washington 
DC and Kentucky. They looked awhile with us, then decided to drive around. It 
was almost 4 now. We got back in the car to get warm and drive around, when 
the car from Kentucky drove back saying they found the owl. Okay, please be 
there still!!! It was!!!! The immature Snowy Owl was sitting on the ground in 
a lump of grass, just above the beach. We watched him for 30 minutes. As we 
were there, another car pulled up. This time a family from  Fredericksburg, 
VA (another couple with a four year old son with binocs). They were lucky to 
pull up and find him immediately in our scope (like we were lucky to arrive 
in Concord and Eric and Celia said the hummingbird was in their scope)! There 
were 12 of us that got to see the white, beautiful Snowy Owl with big, yellow 
eyes, turning his head, lo
oking all around. A great birding moment!!

On the way home Wednesday we stopped at Sandling Beach on Falls Lake, north 
of Raleigh. We saw three Common Loons, one Horned Grebe and gobs of gulls 
that Brian wrote about earlier. 

On the Jan. 16 Raleigh CBC a Baltimore Oriole was spotted by John at Shelly 
Lake. Joe and live close by, so when our next door neighbor said she thought 
she was seeing an oriole, I wasn't too surprised. We finally got to see the 
oriole on Christmas, eating Wanda's homemade suet.   

The unexpected sightings of the Green-breasted Mango and Snowy Owl made 2000 
a great birding year for us. Now if we could only find the Red-faced Warbler 
(we've struck out twice). If a Vermillion Flycatcher can be seen in 
Goldsboro, why not a Red-faced Warbler on Mt Mitchell???

What will be the first bird I see on January 1st?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Karen Bearden
Raleigh, NC