A snowy glance
There is something magical when you lock eyes, however briefly, with a wild animal in their environment. Last weekend this snowy owl favored me with a long glance as it flew over the prairies. Here is the little story behind this image.
I was driving the country roads east of Calgary and spied this owl on the top of a small hill a fair distance from the road. The image above was taken with a big telephoto (500mm) so the bird was likely a kilometer away. Distance can be a bit tricky on the prairie so I may be a bit off but it was too far away for any of the shots that I was looking for. I left the car and slowly trudged up said hill on a parallel line from the owl. I don’t like to spook animals so slowness is key when approaching and lot’s of stops to watch closely for signs of pressure in the bird. After 45 minutes I was about 60 meters away, the owl continued to scan the fields from the high ground and I settled into the snow.
The sun shone, the owl dozed a bit between scans and I had an internal dialogue about the sanity of sitting on a bare hilltop on a cold day. It had warmed up compared to earlier in the morning when I photographed a prairie falcon a few kilometers away but a steady breeze kept things chilly. None of that really mattered though, I was happy to be sharing time with the owl.
Another 15 minutes passed and then so did a couple of ravens. As they flew overhead the owl tracked them closely. That seemed to stir her energy up and shortly after they passed she ruffled up her feathers, stamped a little bit and then took flight.
She flew eastward into the sun which lit her beautifully.
After a couple of wingbeats she looked my way and then stared at me for a couple more. Was it curiosity, an acknowledgement of the encounter, her saying goodbye? Probably not any of those but it was powerful, and as I said before, magical.
Christopher Martin Photography 
beautiful!
March 1, 2019 at 1:29 pm
Gorgeous photos. ❤ Love!
February 26, 2019 at 8:50 am
Sensational photos of Snowy Owl
February 26, 2019 at 8:47 am
Sensational photos of a wonderful animal. 🙂
Kind regards Alexander
February 23, 2019 at 5:59 am
It’s hard to believe such a beautiful creature exists. We’re used to thinking of tropical birds as the impressive ones, but I’d put this owl up against any of them. What a wonderful, if cold, morning for you.
February 23, 2019 at 4:47 am
I agree for sure. Though I wouldn’t mind trading the cold for a little while and be searching for those tropical birds!
February 23, 2019 at 10:11 am
Really beautiful!
February 22, 2019 at 9:52 pm
Thank you Valerie – they really are charismatic birds.
February 23, 2019 at 10:13 am
wow…just wow!
February 22, 2019 at 12:00 pm
I love your work and your blog, nice encounter with the Snowy Owl.
February 22, 2019 at 10:54 am
Thank you. I was very fortunate.
February 23, 2019 at 10:12 am
Just awesome.
February 22, 2019 at 8:30 am
Thank you Sheldon!
February 23, 2019 at 10:12 am
Gorgeous photos. What a beautiful, majestic bird.
February 22, 2019 at 8:23 am
Agreed! Thank you.
February 23, 2019 at 10:13 am