Rondeau Ric

Snowy owl, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Dec 23, 2020. Fellow birders let me know this owl was just down the road from me. Also let me know where a screech owl was. Nice to have birding friends. Bubo scandiacus Male Snowy Owls are barred with dark brown when they’re young and get whiter as they get older. Females keep some dark markings throughout their lives. Although the darkest males and the palest females are nearly alike in color, the whitest birds—including the ones that played Harry Potter’s Hedwig—are always males and the most heavily barred ones are always females. The oldest-known Snowy Owl was a female, and at least 23 years, 10 months old when she was recaptured in 2015 during banding operations in Montana. She had been banded in Massachusetts in 1992. source - https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Snowy_Owl/

Snowy Owl, near Shrewsbury, Ontario, Canada, Dec 1, 2019. Would have been better if he was closer but I will take what I can get. Bubo scandiacus The oldest-known Snowy Owl was a female, and at least 23 years, 10 months old when she was recaptured in 2015 during banding operations in Montana. She had been banded in Massachusetts in 1992.

A summer snowy, near Brigus Junction, Newfoundland, June 6, 2018. Haven't been able to find many snowies this year so I'm posting one from last June. Seen in a rehab area, healthy but unable to fly. Bubo scandiacus Thick feathers for insulation from Arctic cold make Snowy Owls North America’s heaviest owl, typically weighing about 4 pounds—one pound heavier than a Great Horned Owl and twice the weight of a Great Gray Owl (North America’s tallest owl). source -  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Snowy_Owl/

Seems everyone but me has been posting snowy owl photos. This is the first one I've been able to get this season. Bubo scandiacus The Snowy Owl can be found represented in cave paintings in Europe.

We had not found a snowy owl in our usual search areas until today. We went a little further afield and saw 5 in a small area. This one was nice enough to sit on a telephone pole beside the road. Bubo scandiacus Unlike most owls, Snowy Owls are diurnal, extremely so. They’ll hunt at all hours during the continuous daylight of an Arctic summer. And they may eat more than 1,600 lemmings in a single year.

Sorry but I got a whole bunch of these. I was told today that when you see the facial disc the owl is actively listening for prey. Part of the feather ruffle is the wind but in other shots, not as clear, you can actually make out the feature. Bubo scandiacus

We were on our way back from Windsor when we saw a large flock of tundra swans in a corn field next to the highway. We took the next exit and looped back. They were too far away for decent photos. A bit further on we came across this snowy owl sitting on top of a power pole. Bubo scandiacus The Snowy Owl can be found represented in cave paintings in Europe.  This largest (by weight) North American owl shows up irregularly in winter to hunt in windswept fields or dunes, a pale shape with catlike yellow eyes. They spend summers far north of the Arctic Circle hunting lemmings, ptarmigan, and other prey in 24-hour daylight

Just sitting. Why? Cause I don't have a fiddle. Sometimes I enjoy being obtuse. We have a lot of snowy owls in our area right now. Unfortunately by the time I found this one after work the light was poor. I'll go back out tomorrow. Bubo scandiacus The Snowy Owl can be found represented in cave paintings in Europe.