Thursday, February 02, 2023

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!

I am connecting to Friday Face Off here.
I am connecting to Saturday's Critters here and I'd Rather B Birdin' here.

     
 


David M. Gascoigne,
David M. Gascoigne,

I'm a life long birder. My interests are birds, nature, reading, books, outdoors, travel, food and wine.

79 comments:

  1. ...gorgeous, I have never seen old in the wild. Thanks.

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  2. What a wonderful creature! So glad you were able to give your friends this opportunity to see a snowy owl. I have only seen thesm in the zoos here, not the same at all! Hugs, Valeriexxx

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    1. No the same in a zoo at all, Valerie. It is no challenge to find one there!

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  3. The snowy owl looks like a vigorous specimen with a lot of experience.

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  4. I don't know very much about birds, as I am a cat fan and the two don't get together ! But I love owls ALL owls, they look so funny and sometimes even like a cat face and when they turn their head around I wished I could do the same ! I never miss an occasion when owls are shown. That's really funny that you also live in Waterloo, except I live in the original and probably one of the Waterloo people immigrated to Canada and named the place after his town where he came from. In our Waterloo Battle museum hangs a map with all Waterloos of the world, there are 53 !

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    1. And obviously all the smart people live in Waterloos!

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    2. I grew up visiting my grandfather in Waterloo, Iowa, where I roller skated in the park and went with him to look at the trains in the railroad roundhouse.

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  5. Wow! Wow!
    When I taught 4th grade science a highlight of the year was dissecting owl pellets. Some kids loved it and couldn't stop finding all sorts of little bones and skulls which they compared to a chart to discover was it a mouse or vole or something else. Other kids were squeamish. Never have come across an owl pellet in the woods or fields and for you to see one expelled from a Snowy Owl no less: Wow!

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  6. You are right, it doesn't matter how many times I see the Snowy Owl it is always pure joy. These are stunning photos. Have a great day today.

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  7. How absolutely WONDERFUL. And huge thanks to Miriam for chilling her hands and face. I am so sorry that the bird was crowded/threatened by less ethical photographers and very glad that your friends could see it - albeit from a greater distance. Seeing the owl expelling a pellet is a wonderful bonus. Definitely better out than in.

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  8. To see any owl expel the pellet--well, that must have been amazing! A once in a lifetime occurrence. Such a beautiful bird. I'm glad your friends still got a sighting, too. :)

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  9. Oh, they are so beautiful, David. I'm so happy you found them, and your friends could see them too. They live here in Norway too, but it's very far from where I live. It must be wonderful to see them again and again. You are a lucky man!
    Hugs and kisses, Marit

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  10. They are indeed magnificent creatures, one which I likely will never see in the wild, so I thank you for sharing this experience with me.

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  11. What a great experience to observe this magnificent creature. I'm glad your friends arrived in time to see it. Wonderful photos!

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  12. Wow, what a special event you witnessed with the Snowy Owl. Priceless!

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  13. Hari OM
    What a magnificent critter!!! So glad for you that you got to experience this visitation... and thanks for sharing it with us! YAM xx

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  14. Oh a big WOW from me... and I heartily agree with your words, 'It is an incredible bird'

    All the best Jan

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  15. Gorgeous creature! To see many of the ducks here, we stay in the car often. If one gets out of the car, and walks closer, they fly off. There is a critical distance that is too close for Snowy Owls too obviously. Great adventure!

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  16. Me encantaría verlo también, pero como te he dicho en otra ocasión me conformaré con la lechuza común, que suelo ver por el pueblo. Un abrazo.

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  17. Beautiful, beautiful birds! When I worked for the fire department, we had a snowy that unexpectedly showed up and visited us for several years. There were several acres of farm along the road to the station, and I frequently pulled off the highway to watch our personal snowy, either on the phone line or out in the field. I even saw a few captures!

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  18. Hurrah for not only finding the owl, but getting to see her spit up a pellet. That is quite the view. I'm with you that this bird is not just a see once (if of course you have the opportunity to see them more than once). Thanks for sharing with us. hugs-Erika

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  19. hello David
    I know that feeling of seeing or observing something that isn't seen every day. Miriam did a great job.. and the amateur photographers (who don't know what flight distance means) need not be mentioned.. there are idiots all over the world. Great bird you can't get enough of.....
    Greetings Frank

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  20. This owl is beautiful, amazing photos!
    Greetings from Poland!

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  21. What beautiful pictures of this snowy owl.
    There are always people who have to disrupt things to get too close and even get out of the car, really stupid.
    Greetings Irma

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  22. Hi David.

    It's a beautiful owl.
    You were able to take beautiful photos.
    Great to be able to see this beautiful animal.

    Greetings from Patricia.

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  23. Just beautiful, amazing what one sees when looking towards the heavens..

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  24. Hi David - amazing photos ... as you say most of us will never get a chance to see a snowy owl - so these are just beautiful shots for us to see in such a natural habitat and to read how you both managed to experience your time with them; and were able to get Selwyn and Victoria to see them too - special memories ... thank you and cheers Hilary

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  25. Bravo pour les photos, les pattes semblent bien solide avec de bonnes griffes.
    Bon weekend

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  26. Dear David,
    what a wonderfully beautiful owl lady! ❤️ I understand that you were mesmerized by this sight and by your experience of her pellet expelling. There are always events in the animal kingdom that are exciting to see in natura. Too bad the over-zealous photographer chased the snowy owl away and while reading I was hoping that your friends would still get a chance to see them. Then the sigh of relief - it worked! And I know from experience how well you can observe animals with such a scope. A happy day for everyone!

    Thank you for your lovely comments! And no problem if it takes longer to visit my posts. We all have other things to do than only blogging and commenting! ;-)
    You're right, of course, it would have been even worse to get sick somewhere far away abroad. We also said that luckily we stayed healthy in Costa Rica. Apropos: Thank you very much for your corrections to the bird regulations. I'm fascinated and amazed - what criteria do you use to determine the differences? Or is it really just decades of experience? (I didn't consider the Tyrannus melancholicus because it doesn't have a "blindfold" on the Wikipedia photos. I also suspected the Quiscalus mexicanus, but then found my photos too different from those on the net and also thought that "my" birds were smaller.) In my next post I will need your help again for the hummingbirds...
    Best wishes - have a happy weekend 👋,
    Traude
    https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2023/02/costa-rica-4-kapitel-streifzug-durch.html

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  27. How wonderful is the snowy owl.
    Thank you for sharing these incredible photos.

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  28. Hello David :=) I came straight away after reading your comment, and I'm still smiling, although when I read it, I laughed out loud.:=)) Thank you!

    These photos are incredibly sharp and show the Snow Owl in all it's beauty. Many thanks to Miriam for her wonderful shots. I'm so pleased you saw the Snow Owl after looking for it without success, and to see it expel the pellet was very special. I'm also pleased that your friends got the chance of viewing this beautiful snow creature, which I will never be able to see, except like this. and in my books. Wonderful post!
    Warm Hugs to you and Miriam.


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  29. Wonderful photos ! It's great that the owls cooperated so that your friends could have a good look at them.

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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    1. Cooperative owls are sometimes hard to find, Mae!

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  30. Thanks for sharing the photos. Being in Alabama most of my life, I have never seen a snowy owl.

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  31. Yes, this beauty does definitely count for FFO. Thank you.

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  32. I have yet to see a snowy owl in my life and I'm so glad you were able to deliver to your friends! The photos are gorgeous and hats off to Miriam for the photos, especially the flight ones -- loved it's cute "toes!" Thanks for this -- a beautiful way to start the weekend.

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  33. Nicely done! I cannot go birding on Wolfe Isl. anymore. There are too many unethical, irritating people, and I just get angry.

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  34. What a great experience, not just for your friends, but for us who have also never seen a snowy owl before. Just amazing photos. Such beauty.

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  35. Awesome! I would love to see one.

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  36. I am absolutely delighted for you and Miriam, David and for Selwyn and Victoria too. Well done Miriam!

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  37. Precioso y qué gran suerte estimado David, incluso con la bola de comida. Un avistamiento que ha dado todo su fruto. Francamente, es un ave sumamente bella y estoy seguro de que nadie se cansaría de verle todos los días, su aspecto es increíblemente hermoso y no se puede comparar con cualquier otra ave de su naturaleza.
    Un gran abrazo querido amigo y muchas gracias por compartir tanta belleza que no nos cansamos de contemplar.

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  38. Hi David,
    Impressive Owl and stunning photos!!!!
    Happy weekend!
    Maria

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  39. Your friends are fortunate to BE your friends! What a great experience for them-- and for you before they got there and then to enjoy this beautiful bird through their eyes as well. I have had owl pellets shown to me by experts, but never found one myself; I would lie to find one and would certainly be one who would love to see it "made" (so to speak).

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  40. Such a heartwarming story, David. Have a happy weekend. Stay warm!

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  41. It's always a delight and a wonder to see your photos of these creatures. For some reason, I love seeing them on the ground. I don't know why; there's something about their shape when sitting that way that seems especially sculptural. In the past, you wrote about the man who carved beautiful birds: decoys and such. Have any of the carvers you know ever attempted one of these owls?

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    1. I agree, Linda - and sitting on the ground is quite natural for them since they breed on the treeless tundra.

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  42. Yay! Am so happy you got to see your owl, and even better that your friends got to see her as well. A magnificent bird, and such a thrill to see it in the wild - being able to watch the regurgitation was a great bonus :)

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  43. Hello David,
    Miriam's photos of the Snowy Owl are beautiful. It is a gorgeous Owl. I will never forget my first sighting of the Snowy Owl in Maryland. I have not heard any reports of Snowy Owl sightings this year, but people have been asked not to report the spot where any owl is seen. People do tend to harass the owls, getting too close so they can get their photos. I am glad your friends were able to see the beautiful Snowy Owl, thanks to your sighting. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.

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  44. Wonderful images! The bird looks so neat.

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  45. Great post about that marvelous creature. Congrats on such beautiful pictures of the snowy owls!
    Have a nice weekend :-)

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  46. Buenos detalles en tus fotografías. El búho es un ave que despierta mis simpatías.

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  47. What a gorgeous bird and interesting about the pellet. I've only seen one while hiking in the Colorado mts but that was years ago. Amazing photos! Well done Miriam, on the hard to get captures. Stay warm this weekend!

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  48. What a neat experience. Couple of things I really liked: “… Miriam looked up, that is, and rose ten centimeters off her seat.” I smiled at that because I’m not accustomed to distances in metrics. 😊 OK, 10 cm is about 4 inches and that’s a good expression of surprise! 😊 Also, “This is a female as you can tell …” Well, that sent me to Wikipedia to ask how to distinguish snowy while owl female vs male. Turns out, “Males tend to be paler and become whiter as they age.” Sort of like humans, I guess. 😊 Now I’ll know what to look for. Thanks for sharing, David, and for your kind comments on my blog. John

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  49. Undoubtedly objective achieved after the unsuccessful results in your previous attempts. But successes are not given away, finding a snowy owl in a snowy landscape is not an easy task. As you rightly comment, it helps a lot to know the habits of these birds well in order to know where to look to increase the chances of their observation. Congratulations to you and Miriam for such a brilliant post. a hug friend

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  50. Your photo's are soooooooo good, so close up, they sometimes don't look real. I'm always amazed by the details you get by being able to get some awesome photo's. The flight pics are wonderful. I almost feel like I'm there, except I'm warmer, lol. Thank you for sharing your talents with us.
    Sandy's Space

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  51. I love owls David. I saw them up close in a nursery in Finland. They looked like quiet and attentive birds. I especially like their eyes and wings.

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  52. The snowy owl is a very beautiful bird.
    I know him from your wonderful posts:)

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  53. I had to scroll down a post to find your owl post...a hyperlink would be so much easier when you share your birding link!!

    Such BEAUTIFUL!! OUTSTANDING!!! images David.

    And, thanks for joining us at IRBB this weekend.

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  54. https://travelswithbirds.blogspot.com/2023/02/snowy-owl-harfang-des-neiges-success.html

    (This is your hyperlink to your current bird blog post)

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  55. Niesamowita obserwacja! To musiały być emocje! Gratuluję spotkania i trochę zazdroszczę (nie trochę, ale bardzo :-) )

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  56. What a gorgeous sighting. The images are fabulous!

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  57. David those photos are amazing...that is such a beautiful bird, you're so lucky to have seen it! ☺

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  58. I was holding my breath until the end whether Victoria and Selwyn would make it and I am very glad that they did. But damn (sorry) that overzealous photographer who spoiled it for everyone else. Putting that anger aside, I am glad that you were finally able to find a Snowy Owl and such a pretty one! Witnessing that moment when she expelled the pellet must have been so special. These are fabulous pictures of this magnificent bird. I will probably never see one in the wild, but I am quite happy to see it through Miriam's lens.

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  59. Yes this owl is a perfection! You have to get up early and brave the cold.... - 15 ? oh my god ! I have never experienced this in my life bbrrrrr
    Congratulations to both of you, I am happy for you!

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  60. the snowy owl is a bird I really wanted to see but never have :( Thanks for sharing

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  61. Hi David,
    lovely post. I can imagine that the two of you were happy to be able to show this wonderful looking owl to your friends. Offcourse I've never seen one in the wild, but was happy to see one in a zoo.
    Best regards, corrie

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  62. What a magnificent bird! How lucky you are to be able to see it up close and photograph it! It would be a dream for me to be able to observe her, take photos and film her. Greetings from mMonte

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  63. Absolutely magnificent! So wonderful that you got to witness the pellet event, and that your friends got to see it. Oh, how I would love to see one!

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  64. Hello David, wow, wow and wow. What a bird. And as you say not manny people will ever get the chanche to see this bird. Therefore I am glad you and Miriam did. Now I can see it as well trough your post and great photos Miriam took.
    Warm regards,
    Roos

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  65. So beautiful, and I thank Miriam for the pictures and the owl pellet photo capture. My late best friend (who was a 4th grade teacher in New York City specializing in science) introduced me to owl pellets. Of course hers were sterilized and purchased from a teacher supply store. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com

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  66. Hi David,
    Unfortunately snowy owls hardly never show up in the Netherlands, so I have never seen one in the wild. In Canada the conditions are better for these birds with the winter conditions the birds like. You were able to see the bird in a fantastic way and even able to take pictures. A fascinating experience!.
    Greetings, Kees

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  67. Beautiful snow owl David. I wish I was with you. Have a nice weekend. I am still busy.

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