Sleepy Snowy Owl
by Elizabeth Winter
Title
Sleepy Snowy Owl
Artist
Elizabeth Winter
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
This winter is turning out to be an “irruption” period, a winter when many snowy owls migrate far south from their usual wintering grounds, which are in Canada, Alaska and the northernmost regions of the lower 48 — North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York and New England.
Snowy owls are mostly white with narrow, sparse brown bars and spots. Their golden colored eyes are rather small for an owl and their toes and claws are thickly covered with feathers. Their dark colored bills are short and strong and sharply pointed. They are among the largest North American owl species.
Snowy owls mainly eat mammals, ranging from small rodents to large hares. They are also known to eat birds ranging in size from small songbirds to medium-sized geese and lemmings. An adult owl may eat around three to five lemmings each day (1,600 per year).
Unlike most other owl species, snowy owls hunt mainly in the daytime. Snowy owls are highly nomadic and their movements are tied to the abundance of their primary prey species, lemmings. They are known to aggressively defend their nests and will attack those that disturb their nests.
Uploaded
January 20th, 2018
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Viewed 434 Times - Last Visitor from Romeo, MI on 04/17/2024 at 5:14 PM
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Comments (22)
Joni Eskridge
What a great image, Elizabeth. Love snowy owls. Never seen one captured quite like this. How fun!
Kathy M Krause
Elizabeth, this is a wonderful capture of this tired snowy owl! Great find and capture! L/F
Marian Bell
Fantastic capture, Elizabeth! Nice info in your description and in John's also! Makes me wish I could see one up close and personal, as it were! Won't happen this far south in Mobile, I don't guess! Glad you managed to get such a great shot! l/f
John Bartelt
Marvelous capture, Elizabeth! Looks like the poor thing is exhausted from its long flight. A couple of weeks ago we had a snowy owl land on Lake Pueblo south marina's breakwater. The event was reported in newspapers along Colorado's Front Range from Denver to Pueblo and also on TV. People came from all over to get a glimpse of the owl, prompting the Department of Wildlife to install signs and set up parking for visitors. Unfortuately, the marina rightfully refused access to all the visitors and kept its gates locked.
Elizabeth Winter replied:
Same thing happened here. I waited until the hype wore off and then went to see it. Its been here a month! Thanks John
Nancy Kane Chapman
What a moment you've given us....a special glimpse into this owl's life. Beautiful work, Elizabeth. F/L+
William Tasker
A beautiful shot of a beautiful bird that is fun too! Sleepy indeed! Your beautiful image has been featured by Wild Birds Of The World, a nature photography group. L/F
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