ONE OF THOSE PEAK EXPERIENCES

I'd gotten my first Audubon bird alert on Friday that a Snowy Owl had been sighted out near where I do a lot of nature photography.  It's where I'd photographed various birds, including the Great Blue Heron and Sandhill Cranes.

I didn't get the chance to head out until Sunday afternoon, but the Snowy was still there, perched atop an electrical pole.  I shuddered when I saw her up there preening herself because I'd just read that one of the most frequent causes of death among Snowy Owls is electrocution on power lines.

It wasn't long before she caught sight of me watching her from my car and clicking away with my camera.  Gracie was along for the ride but was sound asleep in the passenger seat.

And then before I knew it, she did what I'd always hoped a Snowy Owl would do.  She took off in flight.  I don't know what prompted her to fly and I wondered if it was my presence, although I wasn't all that close.  Regardless, I was ready and following her with my long lens as she pumped those huge wings up and down across the gray sky.

The whole time she was in flight, she kept that magnificent yellow eye on me.  I was amazed at the size of her wings.  My bird app reports that the wingspan of a Snowy Owl is 54-66 inches.

Her wings went up and down with deep wing beats.  Flap and glide.  Flap and guide.  Flap and guide until she reached her next destination. 

It was another telephone pole.  On the corner of a busy highway.  Go figure.  I knew this Snowy was a female because she had many of the dark bands in her feathers.  Males are nearly pure white.

I was able to get much closer with this new perch.  Close enough to capture those piercing golden eyes.  They seem to stare right through you.  

Soon after landing, the Snowy went about its normal business of preening and watching for prey, mostly little rodents, like voles.  One unusual thing about this owl is that it hunts during the day, unlike most other owl species.

Every once in a while, the Snowy would look down and give me a good stare.  I wondered if it was aimed at me or at Gracie, who'd come alive and was sitting on the seat staring back through the windshield at this magnificent creature.