To celebrate the arrival of April I was out birding today at Knoch Knolls Park in Naperville, Illinois, thinking about how another winter has passed with no sighting of my nemesis bird, the Snowy Owl. I had hoped to finally match this check on my brother’s bird list, closing the gap just a bit. Not many birds, really, just the occasional American Robin and Chipping Sparrow, but as I wandered my eye caught something in the few patches of snow left in the park.
I quietly edged closer to get a better look,
and I was astonished to see my first Snowy Owl!
Perhaps I was too excited because it got startled and flew away,
landing as these birds often do on a nearby post.
We stood silently regarding one another. After a few minutes of stillness, it took off again higher, giving me a final look as it flew away, surely to cooler climes.
I’m so excited to finally find a Snowy Owl, and I expect my brother to be happy that I’ve matched his check for this bird. Unbelievable luck! If I had ever thought I would see a Snowy Owl as late as April 1st, I would have thought I was fooling myself. 🙂
Ron Doerfler Photography 
Love it! Nice one Ron.
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Thanks, Brian! I don’t know, I may be pushing the envelope here for nature photography blogs… 🙂
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Ummm, hmmm, uhhhhhh, something doesn’t seem right about this. Clearly large in stature, predominantly white, large eyes, fluffy for sure and wait a minute… nope, now warning there, definitely has long talons. Well, the tipping point is clearly that they like hanging out in the snow and sure enough there be the snow. I must say, I am shocked that you were able to get this check which means I’ve lost what little advantage I had over you (although the Spoonbill is checked off my list). It does seem odd that this particular specimen doesn’t seem to need its wings to fly – almost like it was shot out of a cannon… WAIT A MINUTE…..
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Yes, yes, all those identifying characteristics are correct. I probably should have mentioned that the owl took off like a shot after I startled it, kind of leaped, really, so it didn’t need to use its wings. Kind of jumped up in the air at the end, too. I had no idea they could do that. Strong legs. I should also show you some pics of a Spoonbill I found with a similar flight pattern. 🙂
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Currently involved in an in depth validation – something still smells fishy – especially if I see a Spoonbill show up
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Reblogged this on Wolf's Birding and Bonsai Blog.
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