Friday, December 6, 2013

Snowy Owl

I am linking up with Wild Bird Wednesday and Nature Notes

December 3, 2013

This seems to be the year for the Snowy Owls.. A Snowy Owl irruption is when the young owls fly south due to their food source Lemmings or prey becoming scarce. Just this past week Snowy Owl sightings have been reported all around New Jersey, Delaware and my state of Maryland.  I was thrilled myself to see one while driving down the Coastal Hwy in Delaware on November 30.. Apparently there were two Snowy Owls in the exact spot, I just happened to see one from my viewing spot.  The lucky people that were on the beach at the time saw two Snowy owls interacting with each other.. awesome photos were posted on the Delaware Birding facebook page..

Here are the few photos I took of just one of the Snowy Owls seen at the Indian River Inlet.


I stayed a good distance from the owl but, I am so glad my Canon SX40 has awesome optical zoom. I am happy with my Snowy Owl shots.



For my photos, I stood on the road... I did not have to be close to the owl or walk over the dunes...


I am always reading the facebook entries of birds being sighted. Some of others places where the Snowy Owls were seen Edwin Forsythe NWR in NJ, Cape Henlopen, DE, Indian River Inlet De, Port Mahon, DE and the place I saw my 2009  lifer Snowy Owl the Assateague Island Nat'l Seashore. They seem to be up and down the East Coast as far as the Carolinas and maybe even a sighting in Bermuda. 


The notice above is being passed around on facebook, I agree birders and photographers should keep a safe distance. Keeping a distance also allows others to view this beautiful bird without flushing the owl.



Check Ebird's got-snowies  for more information..

To see a Snowy Owl in the wild is a thrill, at least for a birder it is..I hope you get to see one too.
Thanks for visiting my post and for the nice comments.

 I am starting a new MEME called Saturday Critters..Saturday Morning 8am EST...join in on the party and post your cute critters.

Join in and post your birdies and to see more beautiful and wonderful bird photos please visit:
 Stewart's Wild Bird Wednesday and Michelle's  Nature Notes.  Thanks to our host Michelle our host Stewart.  Happy Birding and have a wonderful week!

71 comments:

  1. Ciszę się razem z Tobą, że udało Ci się sfotografować śliczną białą sowę. Pozdrawiam.
    Silence is with you, you were able to photograph the beautiful snowy owl. Yours.

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  2. Lindos! beijos,tudo de bom,ótimo dia! chica

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  3. What a great bird! I can't believe it just sat there! Very cooperative.

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  4. How wonderful and lucky you are to have such a visitor. That looks to be an incredible number of sightings. I hope they find enough to eat.

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  5. they are just adorable owls; you got some beautiful snaps Eileen

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  6. Hallo Eileen!!!
    How lucky you are seeing this beautiful Snowy Owl!!!I have see it on tv and i adore this bird!!!Wonderful shots!!!!Great captures indeed!!!Thank you for sharing these informations!!Have a happy day!!!Hugs!!
    Dimi...

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  7. That is so exciting!!!! I want to see one!

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  8. you know i always thought of owls as being night time animals or at least dusk. saw on once in the woods while on my mail route. it was so shocking. a moment i will always remember. he was amazing!! what a beauty. i have never seen a snow owl before ...wonder why they call him that when there is now snow around? how about a Sand Owl ... makes more sense to me. ha. ha!! ( :

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  9. Wow how exciting is that??? It is a beautiful bird.

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  10. I would love to see a snowy owl in my lifetime!! What beautiful pictures.

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  11. oh did you take over Critter Saturday or is it something new? that is super cool!! can't wait to see what you come up with? fun. fun, fun!! ( :

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  12. Great pictures of a beautiful snowy owl. Wish you a nice day / good week :)

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  13. Wonderful photos of this gorgeous bird!

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  14. I love snowy owls. Every year we have fields of them not too far from here, a place where they can find plenty of tasty moles and mice. I'm surprised so many of them are being seen so far south this year, though.

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  15. I've heard there are sightings in our rural area too. I hope I get to see one as I love your photos.
    Can I use the button at the top for the critter meme Eileen?
    Judith

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  16. Hi Eileen
    These are some amazing photographs of the Snowy Owl and great that you could take from a distance without disturbing them.
    I am going to try to join your cute critters linky on Saturday
    Wren x

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  17. Really great to see the snowy owl.
    Perfect photographed, Eileen.
    Greetings Irma

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  18. Lovely Snowy Owl shots! We had hoards of them here in the winter of 2011-12. I took hundreds of photos of them. If you get the Birds&Blooms magazine, I just had one of my Snowy Owl photos published in the December/January 2014 issue on Page 78. I had taken the photo in 2012.

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  19. Must be a thrill Eileen to see in person! I enjoyed seeing your photos of a Snowy Owl . . .

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  20. I'm going to start watching for them!

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  21. I will have to facebook friend you.You got some awesome pictures!!! I got to see one last year,& the bird is so large you can`t believe it till you see one,thank-you for sharing & for showing us where they have been spotted.phyllis

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  22. what an awesome find eileen, i would have wet my pants!!

    your images are magnificent!!

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  23. Beautiful shots, Eileen. I know you must be proud of these! So are these owls not nocturnal? They always seem to be in the daylight hours from the photos I'm seeing. Thanks!

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  24. truly awesome, eileen! last year i know there were scads of them seen in the western states. sure hope they find food sources!

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  25. What a beautiful sight! I love the last photo of it in the grass!

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  26. Great shots - there is so much action in the photos, even with the owl sitting still. I'd love to see some out here - but haven't heard of any this year so far.

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  27. How exciting for your Eileen to see the snow owls!! Hate the reason behind you seeing them - but if they can live here safely - then how blessed you are to see them!!

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  28. What a beauty! I love those birds!

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  29. How rare to see a snowy owl. Your pictures are lovely!

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  30. Oooh, great shots! I love snowy owls - I think they are so gorgeous!

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  31. I've neve seen the Snowy Owl.
    Really wonderful!

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  32. A great serie!
    The snow-owl is a great bird!

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  33. I never seen one we most likely don't have them.

    They are beautiful.
    Merle.....

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  34. Oh my gosh...and to spot one on the sand dunes yet...what terrific composition!!!

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  35. ps...what is the url of your new saturday meme? So I can make a link to it and participate when I have critter images posted.

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  36. Congratulations! Great photos! I'd love to see one of these guys someday!

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  37. Beautiful birds -- you are so lucky to see them.... its great that the information about being careful of them is being passed around on blogs and social media.

    Neat to know you're starting a new meme... I will check it out and probably join as soon as I can.

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  38. Awesome. Maybe this year is going to be my year to see one of these.

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  39. I had never seen a snowy owl before ( maybe only in the Harry potter movies ) . They look so magnificent and grand. Glad you witnessed them in their grandeur dear Eileen . Lovely pictures :)

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  40. I hope they can find food.... Great photos... I will try to remember your new meme Eileen... Michelle

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  41. wow! That is awesome. I am so glad that they posted the warnings.

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  42. What a great opportunity! Nice images!
    I am totally jealous since the chances of a Snowy Owl in Florida is a bit slim!

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  43. Wow! That is a fantastic sight! I have never seen this birds except for in the pics. I am big fan of owls for they are so different!

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  44. How exciting! Your photos are great and thank you for the information on how not to approach these beautiful birds.

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  45. What a fortunate sighting, Eileen! I'm thrilled when I even hear them, let alone seeing this beauty. It was in a perfect setting against the sand and beach grass.

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  46. It's lovely, you could cuddle it.

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  47. Hello Eileen,
    I bet you were thrilled!
    I never saw one in the wild!*I hope they find enough prey to survive winter and fly back to their breeding grounds...
    Fantastic captures, lucky you!!

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  48. What incredible pics of the snow white owl ! Looks so calm contented peaceful and serene !

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  49. There is some really valuable information and advice in your post Eileen. Love your pictures and I hope the invaders can all make it safely back north when they have to.
    I'm wondering if the invasion is limited to North America and if Europe may see a similar thing? I'm looking forward to Saturday Critters - count me in.

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  50. the snowy owl would be a lifetime sighting. It is a real beauty. Your images are gorgeous.

    I hope I will remember your Saturday Critters :)

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  51. What a cool bird to see and photograph! Great post, Eileen.

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  52. I could not believe when I read your location! I had no idea Snowy Owls were this far south on the East Coast! I'm in CT and will keep a look out. You were so lucky to get to see one! :-)

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  53. Hi Eileen, Wonderfully lucky for you! Have never seen a Snowy Owl. Great shots! Hooray! Have a super good Thursday tomorrow!

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  54. Oh my lucky you. They are such amazing birds to see in the wild.
    Great captures Eileen :)

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  55. How cool! I saw some pictures of the snowy owl on Facebook so thanks for posting an explanation.

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  56. Those owls are AMAZING!! I can't believe it's just sitting on the dune like that - what a magical moment and I'm so glad your zoom was up to the challenge!!!

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  57. how exciting to see a snowy owl! Lovely photos too

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  58. Ohhhhhhhhhhh ....... Here I may well be very jealous lol ... The snowy owl, I find the best there is. Unfortunately this be seen in the Netherlands. Only in the animal garden
    Beautifully photographed Eileen!

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  59. aww, eileen, aren't they adorable? lovely birds. how exciting to see a snowy owl!
    as always, your photos are great!

    happy weekend!:))

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  60. Hi Eileen!! What a amazing siting to have!! I'd seen on facebook other photos from friends who'd seen them too, and none of their photos were as good as yours--What a treat!

    And your blog-hop looks like fun, when I get my act together, I'll have to join in! Hope you're doing well, and enjoying your son's birthday! :-)

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  61. Oh so great to see this wonderful owl in real!! Beautiful photos :))

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  62. What a beautiful site Eileen, and I totally agree with your birding ethics :)

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  63. This is a very informative post Eileen.

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  64. How wonderful. I was delighted to hear that you weren't tempted up onto the dunes.
    Too many people spook them by getting too close. Brava!

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