The Travels of Tug 44 |
|
Snowy Owl |
 |
|
The Snowy Owl is a spectacular Owl that lives and breeds far north above the Arctic Circle in the Tundra. They come south to avoid the deepest winter, and they find the Fort Edward Grasslands exactly what they like. When the temperature hits 35 degrees below zero here, it's just fine by them. high-res
|
 |
|
This Snowy Owl is a female, as indicated by the black marks. I photoed this one sitting on an old crate behind a factory building near my home. She had spent some time hunting mice in a nearby airport and was now taking a snooze in the factory parking lot. She was utterly fearless of me. My photo appeared on the front cover of our local newspaper. high-res
|
 |
|
A male Snowy Owl sits on an old tire in the Grasslands, much as he would sit on a small mound in the Arctic Tundra. It's right in front of the Ranger Station, where they had cleaned out an old fence and barbed wire, but the Owl was happy with the location. The adult males are almost completely white. high-res
|
 |
|
This is a young male Snowy Owl. He has the black marks the females have but they are getting fainter and the wing trailing edges are almost white. As he gets older, he will become whiter. high-res
|
 |
|
The young male Snowy Owl returns to his perch after having swallowed a mouse or vole he caught. He's giving a nice view of his beautiful wings. high-res
|
 |
|
And off he goes again. It looks like he is flying at me, but he's 200 yards away and is after another vole he just spotted. high-res
|
 |
|
A lovely female Snowy Owl sits on a telephone pole and poses for me. They always seem to be smiling. high-res
|
 |
|
Here, she puts on her cute & coy look. They seem so expressive. high-res
|
 |
|
After preening her feathers, this female Snowy Owl fluffs her feathers to let them lay flat after she was digging around in them. You can see her beak in this shot, which is usually covered with feathers. high-res
|
 |
|
This female is sitting on the roof of a house. They don't fear people very much. high-res
|
 |
|
This male Snowy owl is preening his feathers and cleaning his feet. They catch their prey with their claws, so regular cleaning is needed. Notice his wonderful "snow boots". high-res
|
 |
|
This male Snowy Owl is nearly completely white, which makes him the old dominant male. As they age, they get whiter. They all spend a lot of time on the ground in the snow covered hay fields, which closely resemble the Arctic Tundra. high-res
|
 |
|
Late December 2018, we spotted this female Snowy Owl sitting on a fence, and thought she might be the same one that had been rehabbed and released a few days earlier. high-res
|
 |
|
And then she flew, and by the pattern of a few broken/missing feathers on her left wing we knew it was her. high-res
|
 |
|
And here the female Snowy Owl is again, she had landed on a ... well a "cow flop". We watched her hunt that field for a few days and then the weather shifted and she vanished ... but we know she is doing well. high-res |
Lighthouses - Canal Corp Boats - Tugboats & Trawlers