Snowy Owl (click to see larger) Yay. My first Snowy Owl this winter. I've driven hundreds of miles already this winter looking for a snowy owl to photograph in Iowa. Despite reliable reports from other birders and photographers I have not found one where I could get a good photo. I did see one last week about 75 yards from the road but it was well after sunset with just a little light in the sky, but not enough to get a good photo. Tonight I went for a drive with my 13 year-old grandson to look in the same area as last week near Wesley (Hancock County) and he spotted this one on a power pole about a mile west of the one I had seen last week. We stopped about 100 yards away and I took a few photos out the sun-roof of the car just at sunset.. This image taken with a 600mm lens is heavily cropped as we did not want to approach too close. Snowy Owls in Iowa are often stressed at this time of year after a long migratory flight from the northern tundra. They have to work pretty hard to find enough mice and voles to eat and may be under weight and suffer from malnutrition. They need to conserve their energy, and approaching too close or getting out of the car to photograph them can cause them to unnecessarily fly away.
[More Owls]
Update: There was a great article in the Des Moines Register about the Snowy Owls in Iowa - Read here.
[More Owls]
Update: There was a great article in the Des Moines Register about the Snowy Owls in Iowa - Read here.
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