Snowy Owl
This image is available in hi-res through the Adobe Stock photo agency stock.adobe.com/ca/images/snowy-owl-intense-focus/496181782
Snowy Owl has a Conservation Status under the IUCN of Vulnerable www.iucnredlist.org/species/22689055/205475036
Despite not being overly concerned about harassment (as mentioned in connection with another image www.flickr.com/photos/luminouscompositions/51958273022/in... ), this first year female Snowy Owl certainly kept an eye on its surroundings. This of course was for potential prey, but also — as in this instance — for other birds that might harass it. I was watching from inside my vehicle and could not tell what it was looking at initially, but it was very intent on the object in question from some distance away and tracked what turned out to be a Black-billed Magpie as it passed by. Snowy Owls, like most members of the family, are subject to swooping fly-by’s by other species, even more so in the case of these owls since they are active in daylight hours unlike most of their relatives which are more strictly nocturnal and roost in a sheltered spot while the sun shines. The visual acuity that this bird displayed emphasizes their hunting abilities.
Snowy Owl
This image is available in hi-res through the Adobe Stock photo agency stock.adobe.com/ca/images/snowy-owl-intense-focus/496181782
Snowy Owl has a Conservation Status under the IUCN of Vulnerable www.iucnredlist.org/species/22689055/205475036
Despite not being overly concerned about harassment (as mentioned in connection with another image www.flickr.com/photos/luminouscompositions/51958273022/in... ), this first year female Snowy Owl certainly kept an eye on its surroundings. This of course was for potential prey, but also — as in this instance — for other birds that might harass it. I was watching from inside my vehicle and could not tell what it was looking at initially, but it was very intent on the object in question from some distance away and tracked what turned out to be a Black-billed Magpie as it passed by. Snowy Owls, like most members of the family, are subject to swooping fly-by’s by other species, even more so in the case of these owls since they are active in daylight hours unlike most of their relatives which are more strictly nocturnal and roost in a sheltered spot while the sun shines. The visual acuity that this bird displayed emphasizes their hunting abilities.