Rare Snowy Owl Perches On Rooftop In Queen Anne, Seattle

The past few days, a rare snowy owl has been spotted in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood, and the new resident knows how to draw a crowd. The stark-white bird has spent several days hanging around rooftops in the area, before winging off at sunset. On Tuesday, a small group of birdwatchers gathered in an alley to watch the creature.

Hannah Toutonghi is working on her master's degree in Minnesota studying Northern hawk owls. She stopped by Queen Anne on Tuesday. "For birders, it's a prominent 'life-list' owl they want to see, so they'll go up into Canada, up into Alaska – kind of the boreal forests to see one," Toutonghi said. "But for an everyday person, it's pretty rare." Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife notes snowy owls have been spotted wintering in Seattle in past years, though it's still rare. The department also asks that anyone enjoying its presence keep their distance for the owl's safety.