Snowy owls

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That's a great pic. I'm with JR, they need to visit us here in Va. in the winter. I know my yard is full of moles and voles.
 
magnificent birds!

I've had several sightings in the northern lower peninsula of Michigan (probably the same one at different places).

The one I regularly see hangs out all summer at The Crown golf course outside of Traverse City. It has been a regular for years. The other sighting was on Silver Lake ( a few miles away). It swooped down just before light and tried to steal a duck decoy off one of our gang lines just after we set up. The decoy anchors dragged it down into the water, but it still hung on and left puncture marks in the Flambeau decoys neck. My wife and her brother were hunting with me and witnessed the entire episode. Any raptor that can feed on an adult mallard has my utmost respect!
 
Great Horned owls are moving around as well. There was one in my back yard last week, but it was too dark to get a photo.
 
With all the time I had spent in the woods in my life I had never seen a snowy owl. . . . . About twenty-five years ago, while hunting, I was sitting still on a log, and one landed in a dead tree only about 10 feet away, and ten feet up from where I was sitting.
When it landed it startled the heck out of me. It sat there, and let me watch it for a good 15-20 minutes before it took off again. Truly a beautiful bird. The only time that I ever saw one.

Tom
 
There was one sighted in western NC last week. I hope he comes my way and I have my camera with me when he does.
 
Great pictures of a magnificent bird of prey that I have never seen in the wild, thanks for sharing.
I live in a swamp and see Barred Owls almost every day, I love to listen to them chatter and hoot.
 
Robotech said:
Great Horned owls are moving around as well. There was one in my back yard last week, but it was too dark to get a photo.
Click to expand...

Neat thing about the Snowies....unlike most owls, they are active during the day. Seems this year has seen a record number of Snowy owls on a southern migration or what is more properly known as an "irruption" and is believed to do with availability of food. Predators have population cycles that correlate with the population cycle of their main food source. For Snowy Owls this is mostly small rodents, such as the Lemming. The predator cycle lags behind the prey cycle and thus reaches it's peak about the time their prey starts to decline. Thus every so many years there are hungry predators extending their home range in order to survive. If the new area is conducive and food continues to be readily available, it may become new home territory. This and the search for a mate, is the primary way Ma Nature and the good Lord has populated the earth with all species.
 
I saw a snow owl a couple days ago in my corner of NYS. I live out in the boonies by a large manmade lake and we have plenty of birds of prey here.

I see Eagles a couple times a week. I really know nothing much about raptors and I hope there is not a conflict between the Eagles and the owls as we enjoy seeing all of them!
 
Gorgeous bird. Never have seen one in person, but then I doubt they come this far south either. :)
 
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