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Re: Apology...



Dear Friends,

With that description is time to say, I was wrong. It should be consider as most

probably Snowy owl. the head shape and movement strongly suggest owl, yellow
eyes exclude aberrant Barred Owl.
Nevertheless I am still just a bit worry about that wingspan, seems to be too
small, but it could be just size illusion if everything else fit to Snowy and
exclude other possibilities.
I hope it will be consider by NC Rarities Committee as good chance for Snowy
record. Just have to wait for their decision.

Mike

Jerry Partrick wrote:

> Dear Listers,
>
> I said I wasn't going to post until I had something positive to report.
> Hopefully this is not negative but I regret not including some of my reasons
> for identifying the bird as a Snowy Owl.
>
> I am a retired Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon with a solid scientific
> background.  I practiced in Wilmington for thirty years and birding has been
> on the periphery of my life for just about all of my 67 years.  For a year
> or two in the '80's, I enrolled at UNC-W to add a little scientific basis to
> my interest in birding.  Sadly, I was too busy and could not finish a
> master's but my time with Jim Parnell was wonderful and greatly beneficial.
> How I admire him.
>
> I am trained in assessing physical aspects of patients and was proud in my
> diagnostic abilities in relation to my patient's problems but I wish I could
> say that I was as good at identifying birds.  I cannot!  I still can't tell,
> in the field, the difference between a Purple Finch and House Finch.  Could
> I have been wrong about the Snowy Owl?  Of course I could be.  My wife is
> very observant and thankfully she saw and agreed with identification of the
> bird.  I was driving and when I stopped, with the bird directly in front of
> the car, she approached the bird whilst it was on the road and moved within
> feet of the bird.  Even after the owl flew to the top of the bus stop sign,
> she and I both remained within feet of the bird.
>
> A nice person asked last night if I knew the color of the bird's eyes and I
> said no... (bad observation technique...).  After I hung up, I asked my wife
> if she had seen the eye color and immediately she said, "Sure... Yellow...."
>
> The bird was white over it's entire body except for the barring which
> indicates a juvenile, according to my references.  The nape, back and rump
> were as white as the breast, sides and belly.  When it flew, the entire
> undersides was just as white as the rest of his body.  The head was typical
> owl-like with large eye ovals and the posturing and turning of the head was
> also typical owl-like with extreme rotation ability...  As I said, the wing
> span was glorious and I don't know if it was thirty five or fifty inches but
> it was lovely.  As I think about it... the thing that is most memorable is
> how beautiful it was.  My wife and I felt priveledged and the adrenalin
> raced our hearts for a good while.
>
> The light was good.  My headlights were beamed directly on the bird for at
> least the three to five minutes whilst the bird was on the ground.  Even
> after it flew to the top of the sign, a nearby steet light provided good
> light and when it flew into the copse of woods, it still landed very near a
> street light.  I would have chased him but my car was running in the middle
> of a one-way street and felt that I should move it.  My home is just yards
> away and when I pulled into the parking spot, my wife went in and got my
> daughter and when they went to see the bird, sadly it was gone.
>
> I would like to thank the persons who challenged the sighting.  Good science
> is based on challenges.  Folks like myself need that sorta' thing.  It's a
> reality check and keeps me honest.  Let's keep up the constructive criticism
> if only for my sake.  It makes good scientific reasoning happen for me.
>
> I might also say that I am an amateur artist, and I paint birds and fish in
> watercolor as a hobby.  The birds I paint are mostly favorite common
> backyard birds and the Carolina Wren is my favorite bird.  I paint Trout
> because of my affinity for fly fishing and make bamboo fly rods in my spare
> time.
>
> I shall be attentive to this list and will try to improve my powers of
> observation.  In the meantime, I hope everyone in the world will have such a
> beautiful thing to happen to them... often.  I will be happy to answer any
> questions and help wherever I might.
>
> Thanks to all,  Jerry Partrick

--
************************************************
Michal Skakuj  Ph.D.
4600 University Drive # 1312
Durham, NC 27707
phone, fax: (919) 402 9961