Her Royal Highness Queen Scandiacus

02 January 2020

     There has been much made of the fact that the extinct Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) was known throughout history as "The Lord God Bird" based on the tendency of those who saw it to exclaim "Lord God, look at that bird!" Obviously those who did so had never come face to face with a Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus)!

     I have held a couple of Ivory-billed Woodpeckers in my hand, long dead admittedly, and while conceding that a museum skin does nothing to enhance the majesty of a specimen, in a cast of illustrious avian characters the Ivory-bill is relegated to the second row. Depending on my mood on a given day, it might even be shuffled back to the third row.

     But a Snowy Owl, male or female, is nothing short of royalty and occupies a permanent position at the head of the chain of feathered aristocracy. 

     We had family obligations yesterday so there was no chance to get out and search for a Snowy, but already into the second day of the New Year (new decade in fact) we knew that we had to go out and pay homage. 
     It did not take us long to find a splendid female, perched a little farther away than we might have liked, but permitting a clear line of sight nevertheless.

     She even put on a flight display for us, cruising right over the top of the car, and circling back to land somewhat closer. No doubt she knew we had come as pilgrims, motivated only by devotion, humility and respect, and she responded in kind. 
     Miriam's camera has a longer zoom than mine; moreover she is a more skilled photographer, and some of her pictures reflect these facts.

     I realize that this is the second of my three most recent posts about Snowy Owl but you can never exceed your capacity to dwell on one of nature's outstandingly beautiful creatures. Even when she looks the other way.

     Every time we see a Snowy Owl I am reminded of the pace at which its Arctic breeding grounds are changing, with melting permafrost and all the knock-on effects from that, including potentially devastating consequences for the Brown Lemming (Lemmus sibiricus), principal prey of the Snowy Owl. The future is not bright to put it mildly.

      My former mother-in-law, always derisive about interests other than her own, used to comment with a hint of scorn in her voice, "You go out and look at the same dicky-birds all the time." Well, I looked at the same damn mother-in-law didn't I? I will leave it to your good judgment as to which you would rather see.  Snowy Owl or mother-in-law? Royalty or peasantry? 

     Didn't take long for me to make up my mind!