IT AIN'T OVER, TILL IT'S OVER

What am I referring to?  Winter?  Well, maybe, especially after waking up to a coating of fresh snow yesterday morning.  But I was really referring to the season of photographing Snowy Owls.  When I’m out shooting, I can hardly pull myself away from the habitats where I’ve seen Snowies this season.

So I pulled into the industrial park and looked up at all the places where I’d seen owls this winter.  Corners of buildings.  Light poles.  Snow banks.  Nothing.  Then I drove by the fenced area housing the radio towers and buildings.  I was almost past when I did a double take and spotted a Snowy on a white patch of snow just outside the fence.

I drove on and turned the car around.  I approached the owl slowly on the wrong side of the road so I could better zoom in.  What a camouflage artist!  Choosing a white patch of snow was a perfect spot to go unnoticed.  I was concerned, however, because I’d not seen a Snowy hunting from the ground before.  Seems like a very vulnerable spot.

I put that notion out of my mind, however, as I watched it performing normal Snowy Owl behavior with swiveling its head from side to side searching for prey and still keeping an eye trained on me.

But what was especially exciting about this Snowy was that it was nearly pure white, except for a few darker flecks on its body.  The coloring indicated this was a male Snowy Owl.  I’d only seen a male one other time, and he was on a distant lamp post, too far away to get good photographs.

The owl kept one eye on me at all times which made me concerned that my presence was a stressor.

Then he turned my way and took a step forward with his sharply taloned foot.  I knew that maneuver was a precursor to the Snowy taking flight.  I was in the worst possible position for capturing that so I drove ahead and turned the car around.

I was too late, though.  In my rear view mirror, I watched the Snowy take off and fly across the road to the corner of the Pepsi building.  It looked my way once or twice but mostly it scanned the field below for prey.  I felt fortunate that I'd gotten an extension on the Snowy Owl season, especially being able to photograph this male bird for the first time.  But I was even happier that the bird was feeling more secure from this high post.