Chasing Down an Elusive Snowy Owl

It happened about six years ago.  I opened the door to my backyard and something caught my eye on top of the garage. In an instant, that "thing" spread its massive wings and flew right over me.  It was the first time I had ever seen a snowy owl.

Also known as Arctic owls, these beautiful creatures have been occasionally spotted around Cape Breton, much to the delight of the few who manage to catch a rare sighting. The one I spotted six years ago was the last time I saw one until this year and I was not alone in capturing the beauty that is these beautiful owls. I'm sure this winter must have been a record one for snowy owl sightings.  It seems everyone was seeing them everywhere!

When I first heard that an owl was spotted at Dominion Beach, I got my camera ready, bundled up and headed there to try and capture a photo.  I walked the entire length of that beach in the freezing cold and, alas, did not spot any owls.   

Over the next few days, I heard of more sightings around the area.  Each time I heard an owl was spotted in an area, I'd head there with my camera only to find out that the owl had departed the area, presumably to go hunting for its lunch.  

I continued to keep my eyes peeled for a sighting as I went about my daily duties.  About a week after I heard about the first sighting, I heard that people were spotting an owl on the cliffs at the bottom of a street not too far from where I lived.   

I drove to the spot, parked my car and got out to scan the coastline for something white. There was no snow at that time so the owl wouldn't be hard to spot.  I could see something further down the coast that looked out of place. It was white.  It looked owl-shaped. I got out my binoculars but I still couldn't tell.  I knew it was worth checking out though.  I walked slowly along the shore so I wouldn't scare whatever it was, if it was even anything. I figured with my luck, it was probably just a plastic bag that got stuck in some bushes. It was very still but I know owls can be very still.  At one point, I came to a dip in the terrain and was unable to see that spot anymore. When it leveled out again, I found myself almost face to face with a beautiful snowy owl. 

I stayed back so I wouldn't spook the owl, snapped a few shots and sat and watched him for a few minutes. He didn't seem scared of me, even made eye contact with me. So, was all that time spent chasing him down worth it?  Indeed it was!

later that week, I spotted snowy owls twice at Dominion Beach. One flew right over my head and landed on a dune on the other side of the sandbar and another one was perched on the bridge as I was walking back to my car. What a treat to have three snowy owl sightings in one week!