Category Archives: Background

Where are the Snowy Owls?

Background, Year 10

Project Snowstorm just published an article today which indicates this winter is the worst winter ever for Snowy Owl eBird sightings for which there is good data (since 2004). Sightings across North America are essentially a flat line (see below). Thus, I should be very happy to have seen two different Snowy Owls, multiple times. The article is definitely worth a read. Apparently not only are sightings way down this winter, but breeding success (or even attempts) in the Arctic was almost non existent last summer.With that note, I head off to Hawaii for 2+ weeks … our first ever visit to the island state. Molly and I have a small remote guest house up in the hills / forest on the big island of Hawaii.

This graphic was created by Project Snowstorm.

Meet Smokey, the Great Gray Owlet!

Background, Year 10,

Smokey, the Great Gray Owl chick is looking for a rainbow, and the first draft of his children’s picture book story is now completed (written and photographed). I took these images many moons ago on a damp, foggy summer day in Sax-Zim Bog. It was one of my most special times birding. Only one other time in my life have I ever found two Great Gray Owlets. Thankfully I kept the original image files from straight out of my camera, which allowed me to rework the photos for my upcoming new book. My skill at photo editing is now much more refined than when I first met Smokey (Smokey is the Great Gray Owlet on the right of the image)

In the second image, Smokey is begging for food … like most toddlers! The chick’s parent was sitting in a tree about 50 yards distant, and totally ignoring the screech.

A video of the two owlets (video link for email subscribers)

And my first bird photographs of 2023 … year 10 of this journey! I have seen this Snowy Owl a number of times including when these images were taken yesterday afternoon. This morning I searched for Snowy for 35 minutes before sunrise, hoping for a sunrise image. Not! My first images of 2023 were almost of Snow Buntings. I found a flock of over 200 birds, and waited and hoped they would fly towards me. Once again, not!

Northern Nights Near Canada!

Background, Year 9, ,

Today will end my Covid quarantine, and tomorrow assuming I mask up, I will be able to reengage with the world. It will be fantastic to spend time with my wife. We have gotten behind in watching “The Crown”!!

As I have noted in prior posts this week, I am hard at work completing the second edition of Snowy’s Search for Color, and have pushed along on my new book … about Smokey the Great Gray Owl! Thus, it should be apparent that my case of Covid is somewhat mild!

Both of my two books on occasion involve using images of the night sky. Thus, after the hard process of making selections and processing edits, there two scenes will be used in the new book.

Milky Way deep in off the Gunflint Trail (It was so dark this night, that when I walked 25 yards away from my car, it was impossible to see my Subaru Outback! The BWCA is rated as having perfectly dark skies by the International Dark Sky Association)

Northern Lights over the Pagami Creek Wildfire Burn Area (I was 18+ miles from the nearest paved road and within yards of the BWCA. During this entire night of Aurora chasing I never saw another person or vehicle … only heard wolves and owls! The Northern Lights had been much more dramatic earlier in the night, but the contrast between the burn area and the Aurora was awe inspiring). The light painting of the wooden bridge in these images was done with the ever so brief use of a tiny flashlight (about 1 second).