Final Snow Storm: Snowy Owl on the Hunt

For the past three days I have been watching two Snowy Owls which should leave for the Arctic any day now. In fact, this morning I could not find either owl, but yesterday evening I received a pass from my wife to skip supper and head out just before sunset. My goal was to watch a Snowy Owl as it woke up and prepared for its evening hunt.

Shortly after 5:30 pm I refound one of the owls I had left around 8:30 am that morning. I don’t think it had moved more than ten yards since calling it quits from the previous night’s hunt. This female owl’s coloration camouflages it well from the marauding crows which have now returned to the Northland in huge numbers. This camouflage will be a great asset when it nests on the open tundra of the Arctic. Only male Snowy Owls look pure white.

For over an hour I observed this owl wake up and take in its surroundings. In fact, I became almost frantically paranoid as I worried whether I would get any flight shots before the sun dipped below the horizon around 7 pm. For over an hour I kept my finger poised on the shutter release of my camera which is mounted on a monopod. To say my arms became extremely sore at the effort is a HUGE understatement. If anyone thinks “getting the shot” is an easy process, think again. Two days of effort went into finding these birds, and then a return visit near sunset willing to be motionless for over an hour. I had no idea when the evening hunt would begin. In my Snowy’s case, it was ten minutes before sunset.

Thus … here are the photographs I was after … the flight shots. Please note that in the second image the Snowy is screaming. In my intense concentration on this bird I totally failed to notice another nearby owl. My friend, Madam Snowy knew the other bird was around and screamed and attacked. Winter hunting territories must be defended right up to the last day before returning to the Arctic.

The Golden Hour Flight Images (10 minutes prior to sunset … note owl’s shadow)

All photos now are in time sequence over the course of one hour. In this image, the owl is tracking a migrating bald eagle. Without the use of my binoculars, I could not even see the eagle, but the Snowy knew it was overhead. 60 minutes prior to sunset the owl looks white!

Preening in preparation for the evening hunt. At times the Snowy looks like a dork! Notice the changing light. The coloration differences from the prior eagle watching pic to the final image in this sequence is dramatic … no photoshop color processing … better shows what happens at the golden hour.