A closer look at the rare northern hawk owl

WILDLIFE WATCHING — Birdwatcher/photographer Ron Dexter, who lives north of Spokane, snapped this sweet image of the northern hawk owl that’s been catching a lot of attention in the Spokane area for the past two weeks.

The bird has been hunting mice and voles along Prewett Road in west Spokane County.

“This is only the 4th hawk owl seen in Spokane County since 1993,” Dexter reports. “It hunts early in the morning, rests through the middle of the day and begins hunting again around 2 p.m.”