Well, what else can I say about my photo excursion this past Saturday beyond: Snowy Owl! Yes, the lighting was horrible and yes, it was snowing so the pics didn’t come out all that great but… It is a Snowy Owl!
My son and I were out on our morning photo excursion on the Colorado plains in an area we don’t normally frequent when I spotted this beautiful creature. On first glance, I thought it was a clump of snow that had somehow gathered in a weird way but as we drove by, realization set in. My son and I screamed excitedly and I quickly made a U-turn back to the spot.
We both managed a good number of captures before it flew away – unfortunately directly away so we only got rear-end flight shots. It is quite rare that these gorgeous birds come this far south so I count myself very, very lucky to have seen it.
Snowy Owls maintain their distinctive white plumage to help them better blend in at their summer home in the Arctic. During the winter they move south into Canada and the northern quarter of the contiguous United States. Adult males are pure white while females like this one have the ‘salt and pepper’ markings.
As an addendum, because this is such a rare find, I have already been asked by many people and groups to share its location. I will not. This find is going to be kept between me and my son. It is not often a Snowy Owl is found in Colorado and I don’t want to stress it by a having a glut of photographers descend on its location. After a few months when I am confident the owl has moved on, I will log the find with some organizations as I do realize there is a scientific benefit to knowing the creature was here. Until then, mums the word.
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