Snowy Owl (Harfang des neiges) Success

      Nature holds the key to our aesthetic, intellectual, cognitive and even spiritual satisfaction.

E. O. Wilson

     As I have reported earlier we have experienced far greater difficulty this winter finding Snowy Owls (Bubo scandiacus) than is normally the case. Given that most birders in the entire world will never have the pleasure of seeing this phantom of the north, there is no reason to be petulant about having to work a little harder for them.

     Yesterday the conditions were ideal. It was bright and sunny with the temperature around minus nine, with a bit of a wind chill taking it down to minus fifteen or so, perfect weather for snowies.

     We had been so focussed on scanning the fields and fence posts, round bales of hay, farm machinery, and rocky promontories that we had neglected the tops of utility poles. Until Miriam looked up, that is, and rose ten centimetres off her seat. "There it is," she exclaimed triumphantly.

     I can tell you that it doesn't matter how many times you have seen this truly splendid bird, it is always a heart-stopping moment when one comes into view.

     We drove ahead a short distance and made a u-turn to have the sun behind us, and when we looked up again the bird had flown. Quickly we searched and to our great delight it had perched a mere twenty metres or so from the road, in the field.

     Our friends, Selwyn and Victoria, had it as their quest this winter to find a Snowy Owl, never having seen one before, so we called them right away and gave them directions. We told them we would wait for them, hoping that the owl would too, since they had a drive of thirty to forty minutes to reach us.

     Meantime we used the car as a blind and enjoyed the bird to our heart's content.

     This is a female as you can tell, big and strong and appearing in top form.

     It is an incredible bird!

     What happened next was very special indeed. As many of you will know owls (and other birds of prey) regurgitate the inedible parts of their prey - fur, bone, hair - in the form of a pellet. I have found many owl pellets and examined their contents, but I have never witnessed a bird actually expelling it, owl or otherwise.

     This was about to change.

      Here you see the beginning of the pellet being cast out.

     And here it is lying on the snow.

     Miriam and I were both elated to be present for this event; it is going to be hard to top this kind of success. A bolus of inedible food is a big deal for those who care about such things!

     Unfortunately a couple of other cars had stopped and as is often the case with over-zealous photographers one fellow got out of his vehicle and approached the bird a little too close and it flew.

     Miriam was taking pictures by hanging out of the car window with the cold nipping at her cheeks and I think she did remarkably well to get these two shots.

     Our heart sunk a little, knowing that Victoria and Selwyn were on their way.

     The owl perched father away, but still within scope range, so we crossed our fingers tightly, hoping it would stay there.

     After a while, it moved again; in the process it disturbed a second owl that we had not noticed, and the two birds flew off in opposite directions.

     One owl (we are not sure which) perched in a tree along a fence, now quite far off but still clearly visible. As long as it stayed there, we had an owl for Selwyn and Victoria, and I could set up my scope so that they could see it.

     Finally they arrived and all was well. They saw their Snowy Owl! There was as much joy for us in ensuring their success as there was in finding the bird.

     I think that Victoria summed it up well, " It is so great you set up the scope for us and I actually saw her yellow eyes and fluffed up wings and when she turned her head!! It is a once in a lifetime experience! Hopefully many more to come."

      I hope so too, Victoria, and I hope we share more moments like this together. It doesn't get much better!

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