Around 4 pm this afternoon I found a Snowy Owl. For twenty minutes I watched as it slowly awakened and became more alert. A bit after 4:20 pm the Snowy flew 300 yards away and landed on a large snow bank. In a few moments it stretched its head, in what I thought was in preparation to pounce on some unsuspecting vole.
Wrong! There was another Snowy Owl about 100 yards away and suddenly an owl fight was in progress. There was a definite disagreement as to the border of the winter hunting territories! It was super cool to watch, and impossible to photograph as the combination of low light and acrobatics in the air rendered my camera useless. I did capture these images of the take-off, and a final photograph of the victor. Even these photos were tough given the low light. After defeating the other bird, the Snowy Owl returned to the same exact snow pile.
I totally intend to be back to check on these two owls. I don’t believe this altercation is over, and I know their territory dividing line!
I think we better call you the Owl Master. What a winter you are having with them. Congratulations, excellent photos and thanks for sharing.
Thanks everyone for the nice comments. Given the strong winds today in NE Minnesota, and the expected lighter winds tomorrow morning, Sunday, January 28th should be an excellent morning for owling. The birds will be hungry. Starvation is a great motivator, and our two days of strong winds have made hunting by hearing very difficult for Great Gray Owls.
What wonderful pics of that owl. Thanks for sharing.
Great find, thanks for sharing.
… and then he looked at you and said, “You want a piece of me too, guy-in-red-stocking-cap?”