Thank you all for the pictures of an amazingly versatile predator. I recall reading about a tracking study that found some snowy owls ranging well out onto the frozen Arctic Ocean, as far as 40 miles from shore. Turns out they were hunting sea birds and eider ducks in open cracks and leads in the pack ice.

Something must have been going on up north pushing them south this year. I was seeing several owls in West central MN during the beginning of November and we didn't have any snow. One was in the same field for a week straight and was in a tree above a yote I had caught. Seen another one several times about five miles away. I have only ever seen one here once before in my life and that was in the middle of winter.

Schmattz

Great shots Jonathan! Thanks for sharing?

This is how my stalk ended trying to get a closeup on this one , I have no fancy camera only my iPhone lol

Mike, Thanks for the share. The birds in the first photo looks like a pair. The all white color of the top one suggests it is a male.

CW, No matter your share is from an IP camera. You caught a neat moment of flight of a male bird in the scene. It shows the highly feathered legs and feet.

Jonathan

Saw one real close today, landed on electric pole in front of me

One of Gods best creatures.

There was an area near Leach Lake back in the 90's which had a stand of roughly 40 year old red pines. There was a snowy there for at least 3 years running using a nest. I do not think it built it or had young there, just seemed to come back to each winter until the area was clear cut.

Osky

Osky, That is an interesting observation. I suspect it was using the nest as a hunting platform to prey on songbirds or small mammals in those pines.

Any chance it may have been a juvenile Barred or Great Horned Owl?

Jonathan

Jonathan,

There was one that decided to venture way down here a couple of weeks ago and give us southerners a very rare treat! Like the article says, pretty much a once in a lifetime event for us.

http://www.cbs7.com/content/news/Snowy-O...-471194123.html

Wow that's way far south, I never knew they would go that far