In the last nine days we’ve had three snowstorms, including one blizzard. Two nights ago seven inches of the new white stuff fell out of the sky. The end result is that the snow in the forest is now deep, which makes hunting much more difficult for Great Gray Owls. Given this kind of owl hunts by hearing its prey running beneath the snow, it is always easier to hunt when there is no snow. In addition the three storms have meant lots of wind, making the listening process of hearing mice and voles much more difficult. Over the past nice days a lot of meals have been missed. Owls are hungry.

Yesterday afternoon, in the middle of the afternoon I found a Great Gray Owl hunting around 2 pm. I suspect this bird is a juvenile and not an accomplished hunter. The wind was strong and the snow was deep which meant non ideal hunting conditions; however hunger is a great motivator.

It was a beautiful experience for me, but for the owl it was a matter of survival.

This first photograph is “backed off” to show the owl in its environment. As photographers (me included) we often want to zoom in as closer to a subject as possible, which is quite often a mistake.

Now I wanted to feature the owl and the snow flocked trees.

Video 1: Great Gray Owl during a snow squall (link for email subscribers)

Video 2: Windblown Great Gray Owl (the bird gave up hunting shortly after this point) (link for email subscribers)