Snowy Owl (217)

Nyctea scandiaca

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

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Date taken: Dec 15 2024

Details: male, immature

Ottawa - After a disastrous winter in 2023-4 when the lowest number of Snowy Owls in living memory were present in Ontario, or anywhere in Eastern Canada, this winter has seen a modest recovery, closer to normal. Males are uncommon, even in good years. At the height of the peak, from 2012-19, we only saw 1 male for every 20 females.There may be a few more males this winter.

Date uploaded: Dec 16 2024

Comments (4):
Ahmad Shah: Magnificent capture.
Brian Morin: This was a real treat after seeing three others in recent weeks, all so far away you needed to have the bird identified in the photo. :)

Snowy Owl (217)

Nyctea scandiaca

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

  📍 Map

Date taken: Feb 8 2023

Details: male, adult

Kingston - Wolfe Island - I had 7 owls of a probable 8-10 birds there this winter. Most did not present very well and adult males are notoriously skittish making shots like this a challenge. Their caution is for good reason because females always chase them away and wouldn't hesitate to have one for dinner. This is a very poor year for Snowy Owls, with most remaining in the Arctic. The area had the North American high for Christmas bird counts this year (8 birds). To show the potential, I think the all-time record was 80+ birds some years ago. I had 53 in 2014. When there is a bumper crop of voles in the area coinciding with plenty of owls heading south we can get results like that. This is the third consecutive year with low numbers in all of Southern Canada.

Date uploaded: Feb 9 2023

Comments (2):
Chris: Terrific to see and hear the background. Looks like an old male 😊
BrianMorin: Old indeed. Surprisingly there were three withing a few kilometres. That's a high percentage of birds in the area compared with the ratio I usually see in Eastern Ontario when males represent one in 10 females at best and sometime one in 20.

Snowy Owl (217)

Nyctea scandiaca

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

Details: female, adult

Wolfe Island (Kingston) My first shot of the winter. The number of Snowy Owls in the region is very low this winter.

Date uploaded: Jan 10 2023

Comments (4):
Chris: The top species on Birdviewing…you can see why. Magnificent to see every time.
BrianMorin: She's a real beauty.

Snowy Owl (217)

Nyctea scandiaca

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

  📍 Map

Date taken: Mar 4 2022

Details: male, adult

St. Rose - This male has been in the area for the winter but it was the first time I had a chance to see it up close.

Date uploaded: Mar 8 2022

Comments (4):
Sue Bishop: Stunning,Brian!
BrianMorin: I waited all winter for a chance at this bird and with luck it was close enough. I originally spotted it in a field that day but too far out to shoot.

Snowy Owl (217)

Nyctea scandiaca

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

  📍 Map

Date taken: Feb 10 2022

Details: female, adult

Cornwall - I found two birds only a few minutes from home in an industrial sector. A large open undeveloped weedy area undoubtedly has plenty of meadow voles to keep them going. This bird was perched on a pole and headed down to attempt a capture. It wasn't successful but rather than returning immediately it stayed for five minutes. Because it wasn't that far out from the car I got some nice shots.

Date uploaded: Feb 11 2022

Comments (4):
Chris: That’s great to witness and capture. I can’t recall seeing a Snowy hunting…except one strange nighttime observation after leaving work at the airport.
BrianMorin: In this case the bird hovered over a spot for about 10 seconds before realizing that it didn't have a target. I rarely see that type of action because it usually makes contact.

Snowy Owl (217)

Nyctea scandiaca

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

  📍 Map

Date taken: Jan 4 2022

Details: female, adult

Kingston (Wolfe Island)- We were very surprised that the bird didn't take off as we drove by, especially being an adult female. The pink sky was an interesting background.

Date uploaded: Jan 26 2022

Comments (4):
Ahmad Shah: It is always nice to see this magnificent bird. Great shot.
BrianMorin: She was a beauty. There were a number of birds but most were at a distance.

Snowy Owl (217)

Nyctea scandiaca

Brian Morin

Canada (Prince Edward Island)

  📍 Map

Details: female, adult

Ottawa - My first Snowy photos this winter, hopefully with more to come.

Date uploaded: Dec 20 2021

Comments (6):
Ahmad Shah: That is gorgeous, good shot.
BrianMorin: It was early morning and the bird had just settled in for the day. The choice of roosting site is deliberate.

Snowy Owl (217)

Nyctea scandiaca

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

Date taken: Feb 15 2021

Details: female, immature, multiple species

Ottawa- This was a bizarre scene. The Raven stood right beside the owl but did not attack it. It called a few times, walked circles around it and would stand right in front of it, inches away from the Snowy's face. The Raven eventually flew off. The owl didn't give up any ground. The Raven is spotted in snow making it look like it is snowing.

Date uploaded: Feb 16 2021

Snowy Owl (217)

Nyctea scandiaca

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

Date taken: Dec 8 2020

Details: female

Amherst Island - a classic view of this striking species. We were under cover of a structure to avoid disturbing the bird, which was about 25 metres out.

Date uploaded: Dec 9 2020

Snowy Owl (217)

Nyctea scandiaca

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

Date taken: Nov 24 2020

Details: female

Kingston - The season is progressing and a few Snowy Owls are finally showing up in familiar territory.

Date uploaded: Nov 30 2020