Snowy Owl #2

This morning, 11 January 2019, I met up with nine friends for a walk at Shannon Terrace, Fish Creek Park. It was a very slow morning for birds, but after about two and a half hours, we had found 11 species of bird.

The other six photos I posted tonight were taken yesterday, 10 January 2019. Unfortunately, the Snowy Owl - the second of three that I found - decided to perch on top of such an ugly insulator atop a utility pole.

The first time I drove east to look for Snowy Owls was on 5 January, which turned out to be a day of dreadul, dense fog. I quickly gave up on the idea of searching for these beautiful Snowies that day. Today, the sun was shining, so I reckoned I would try again. Not much snow to be seen in the fields - sort of a patchwork of stubble and snow, which would make finding distant owls rather difficult. I like my Snowies close, ha, so I tend not to search the fields, keeping my eyes on the road instead.

The first two owls were on the same road, quite a distance apart. Couldn't believe my luck! Once I was back on a main road, I suddenly decided to take one of the back roads and was amazed to come across a third Snowy Owl. This one was skittish and took flight when I was stopped way, way down the road. The first owl simply stayed put on its insulator. The second owl stayed for a while, but then suddenly spotted movement way across the field. Off it flew and I could see it swoop down and then land on a distant fence post. From several highly zoomed-in photos, I could see strands of dried grass in its talons and it started preening, presumably after catching and eating some poor little Meadow Vole.

I am not on my computer very much at the moment, because I am just so fed up of it freezing constantly and I have to keep starting all over again. If I am able, I really have to get back to editing and posting more photos from our Ontario and Quebec trip back in May 2018. Not sure I am going to be able to finish them before my next trip, but at least I can get further ahead than I am now.