All I want for Christmas… Is a snowy owl to photograph.

This image, taken almost four years ago, was one of the last times I was able to photograph one. These beautiful creatures are rare visitors to Colorado in the winter, or at least are rarely seen. I do tend to think they are here every year but given the wide-open expanses of the plains, they just aren’t seen.

Thus far this winter there has been one report of one of the Arctic visitors in the state but none since so it is just a matter of being lucky enough to spot one.

Come on, Santa Claus, help a guy out!  😉

Taken almost exactly three years ago today on what was my most recent chance to photograph these amazing visitors from the Arctic.

It isn’t often snowy owls make it as far south as Colorado and this year, unfortunately, none have been spotted. The closest report of one is some 250 miles away in northwestern Nebraska and I won’t go that far for a long, long shot at seeing one.

So, here is a never before shared image of this one that was hanging out in the Denver suburbs in January 2018. On this afternoon, it had perched atop the roof of a house.

For nearly two hours it sat there, mostly napping, occasionally stirring. A dog in a neighboring yard started barking and that got its attention – as you can tell. Seconds later, it would take flight and that was the last I saw of it. Truly a magical encounter and a sighting that I hope to repeat someday. 

A friend reminded me that it was one year ago yesterday that I had photographed this gorgeous visitor from the Arctic. Its chosen location was two hours from my home but that didn’t stop me from hopping in my truck and high-tailing it to the spot.

My time with it was uneventful, very much so. In fact, I only captured a couple of images with its eyes open, this being one of them. The rest of the time it was quite content to close its eyes and soak in that warm, winter sun.

Snowy Owls only appear in Colorado every few years and thus far, none have been seen this season. It may not happen but I will be keeping my eyes peeled and my fingers crossed.

Image available here.

Denver may see record heat today so that has me wanting for cooler temperatures and the increased wildlife activity they bring. Looking back on this past winter, there is no doubt that this Arctic visitor was the highlight.

It is rare for Snowy Owls to come this far south to Colorado but at least five different ones spotted in the Centennial State during the season. This particular one hung out for a few weeks in January in a suburb northwest of Denver.

The types of events that bring them here are called an irruption and while it isn’t perfectly clear what causes them, it is believed that a very successful summer breeding season results in an over-population of young owls in the Arctic. As a result, many head south in the winter in search of food.

It could be years before the next event like the most recent occurs but I will be anxiously awaiting and ready!

Image available here.

Here’s one for Snowy Owl Sunday and an image I haven’t shared before.

Taken late last year out on the northeastern plains of Colorado. At that time, a few of these had been spotted out there and one report had me hopping in my truck and high-tailing it two hours away on a moment’s notice.

It was perched way out in a field on a piece of irrigation equipment, too far away to get a decent view. Fortunately, the land owner happened to drive by and ask what I was looking at and once he knew, gave me permission to enter his property. That allowed me to get close enough to get some cool shots and this owl was completely comfortable with my presence, totally ignoring me. In fact, it slept the entire time with me only getting one or two captures of it with its eyes open.

After enjoying some time with this Arctic visitor, I let it be, right where I had found it and me going away thankful for the opportunity.

Note… I know there can be some controversy over approaching these types of creatures and the risk of stressing them. However, again, it was totally relaxed while I was there, only opening its eyes a couple of times, otherwise continuing to sleep and I made sure not to linger. Further, this image is taken at a very safe distance with the equivalent of a 960mm lens and the final image is cropped quite a bit. I am always extremely cautious about approaching wildlife and would never do so if I felt the animal was upset by my presence.

I do have this image available here if you are interested.

A fun image of this visitor to Colorado from the Arctic. It spent much of this particular afternoon perched on house in suburbia, primarily napping and enjoying what was actually a relatively nice day. Snow was not in the forecast and it was relatively sunny but suddenly a dark cloud moved over and light snow began falling. As it did, the Snowy Owl looked skyward, seeming to enjoy the change in weather.

It is rare for Snowy Owls to come this far south but this year there have been at least five different ones spotted in the Centennial State. The types of events that bring them here are called an irruption and while it isn’t perfectly clear what causes them, it is believed that a very successful summer breeding season results in an over-population of young owls in the Arctic. As a result, many head south in the winter in search of food.

You can get a print of this gorgeous creature here.

I haven’t done too good of a job sharing pics of my relatively recent encounters with these Arctic visitors so here is a fun one.

This gorgeous Snowy Owl spent a few weeks hanging out in the area around a suburban lake. During the day, it decided the neighboring residential area was a nice place to sleep, oftentimes perching on top of homes’ roofs. On this afternoon, it did just that, much to my delight. It slept much of the time but did occasionally stir to look around. Here, it struggled to stay away letting loose with a nice, big yawn. 😉

It has been a few weeks since any of these awesome, rare creatures have been seen here in Colorado so either they are doing a good job staying hidden or they have started their trek back north for the spring and summer. It isn’t often that they come this far south so it was a real treat to get to spend time with them this winter. You can check out more of my pics of them here.

I promised more pics of this gorgeous creature and I might as well start with the best of the bunch.

Over two evenings last weekend I snapped hundreds of pictures of the Arctic visitor. It was these last images that I love the most. I had spent three plus hours watching and observing the owl as it sat on top of a house. It gave tons of cool poses, completely ignoring the humans below.

This was fun but we of course wanted to see it fly. Suddenly, it perked up and began paying a lot of attention to something in one of the backyards. I assume a dog or the like. That was enough to spur the owl into action and it took off directly at us!

It happened so fast I simply squeezed the trigger and hoped like I heck I caught the action. Some of the images were out of focus or cut off the wings but there were a good number of keepers that I hope you enjoy seeing.

Should you be interested in owning a print of one of these, please do let me know or head over to here.

Scroll down to view the complete sequence of images.

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What an absolutely treat to spend not one but two evenings with this Arctic visitor recently. This guy has become quite a local celebrity as it has spent the last few weeks hanging out in a suburban area northwest of Denver. Despite multiple attempts, it wasn’t until Thursday and Friday that I was able to get some good pics of him.

On this evening, the fluffy, white owl was hanging out on a home’s roof. He spent much of the time sleeping and occasionally preening. Here, he gives a big shake showing just how thick a Snowy Owl’s plumage is – something that is needed in its normal home of the Arctic.

It is rare for Snowy Owls to come this far south to Colorado but this year there have been at least five different ones spotted in the Centennial State. The types of events that bring them here are called an irruption and while it isn’t perfectly clear what causes them, it is believed that a very successful summer breeding season results in an over-population of young owls in the Arctic. As a result, many head south in the winter in search of food.

I’ll have many more pics of this guy to share in the coming days. If you’re interested in a print of one of the images, be sure to let me know.

This guy (or gal) has caused quite a stir over the last couple of weeks. It was spotted right before Christmas northeast of Denver in a suburban park and lake area. Of course, once word got out, bird watchers and photographers soon descended. It is very rare for a Snowy Owl to come this far south so it wasn’t surprising to see the interest.

I have spent multiple days out there looking for it but on only one did I have any luck. It had nestled in among some tall grasses so I was never able to get a clear capture of the beautiful creature and the distance was hefty so these images are quite cropped.

At the end of my time with it, it did take off to an area further from the group that had gathered. By then the long shadows signifying the end of day had descended and the light was minimal so my flight shots were not good at all. Even if the pics aren’t the greatest, it was a treat to get to see this.