I "posted" this earlier, hit the Rview Post button ... forgot to "Submit" !!

Anyway: today's pictures of the large female snowy owl, a little farther down the raod than my previous shots of the same bird.
First ... on a post and she looked peaved !




Then , she really got peaved and flew away but ... not a chance to get a front view, unfortunately. Still an interesting angle I think:




Hopefully she will be around for a few more weeks ... Spring approaching, finally, and she'll be heading North to the tundra.

JP

[jpzk]

Very nice....you were able to get some good definition in the fine white feathers around the beak. Very hard to do with these birds...being so white. I know, I've tried, but not as successfully as you.

We get a number of Snowy White Owls in Southern Mb....every winter...as with yours perching on a hydro pole or sitting on a lonely prairie field.

Thank you, Les.

I would think that the snowies must be seen often enough where you are. The terrain sure appeals to them.

Yes, the white-on-white is often way off but I found that cranking the EV just a bit makes a difference, although it causes some "high key".

JP

[jpzk]

Very well done.........................Jim Z.

Thank you, Jim !

JP

[jpzk]

I live near Grand Rapids in western Michigan and our winter has been surprisingly mild and at times spring like. I have heard that some have spotted Snowy Owls in Michigan however I have not been so lucky as to see one yet although I'm always looking. In the meantime, I'll keep enjoying your encounters with the lovely owls!

The weather has also been very mild around here, considering where we are.
This has been an ongoing thing for the past 3 years and I notice that the warmer it gets here, the warmer it does way up North where the owls nest in the Spring.
So, if they have enough foodstuff up North, they will most likely not move South so much in the winter.
2008-9 was a great year (winter) here for the snowies, almost an "invasion" while the winters were very cold and snowy, and drastically colder up North. So they came down for food.

Thanks for the reply.

JP

[lesmore49]

Thank you, Les.

I would think that the snowies must be seen often enough where you are. During the winter driving by isolated farm fields...some days we get lucky out here. The terrain sure appeals to them. It must. Never thought about that, but the flat, snow covered prairie must be similar to tundra ? Particularly in the winter as the fields have been harvested and all that remains on the prairie is snow. There are a lot of mice, voles, etc...on the prairies and I'm sure the abundance of food really attracts them. This winter (too far for a photograph) I saw a SWO flying low and fast over a farm field and then saw it strike. Sight and hearing must be phenomenal as it flew quite a considerable distance before it hammered some rodent.

Yes, the white-on-white is often way off but I found that cranking the EV just a bit makes a difference, although it causes some "high key".

JP

Thanks for the hint, I'll try that.

[jpzk]

@ Les:

The tundra is somewhat similar to the farm fields as far as "flatness" is concerned. The snowies like to have plenty of space to look around and they will perch on the highest points available.
In the Arctic, they normally roost on pingaluks (rises in the tundra).

Here in the winter, much like in your area, they prefer the tallest trees/posts/poles overlooking any expanse of farmland.
The abundance of small rodents, such as you described, makes for a perfect area to spend part of the winter.
You should get lucky over the next few winters and of course, the snowies are routine birds and will most likely return where the food is, and they seem to return to the same roosting spots.

As for the +EV ... it works great when faced with white backgrounds/backlit with pale subjects, much like you'd use for taking pics during snow sports events outside.

JP