DC Snowy Owl Update

A Snowy Owl is still being seen in Washington, D.C., according to an Americablog contributor:

I saw what appeared to be a white owl on the building across the street from me late this afternoon. My upstairs neighbor, Rick Bloom, is a professional photographer and he got a great picture of the bird for me. I'm pretty sure it is a snowy owl, which I had seen once in awhile when I lived in Maine, but never expected to see here in D.C.

According to a post on MDOsprey, the location is in the Kalorama neighborhood. Watch that listserv for further updates.

There is a photo of the owl at the Americablog link. In my opinion, the owls pictured at Americablog and in last week's Post article look different enough that there may be two birds involved. Note that the Post owl has a clean white breast and light barring on the flanks and belly, while the Americablog owl has brown streaking on its breast and a heavily barred belly. Some of the difference could be due to the angle, quality of light, or other photographic conditions, but I do not think those would make that much of a difference. In any case, it is something for DC birders to consider.