It was time for a change of scenery…opting for farmlands to search out Snowy Owls rather than bush country.
Definitely a wear gloves kind of day with the temp sitting at -29c not factoring in the wind chill…but it’s a dry cold and no bugs.
The bitter cold was soon forgotten when I saw the beacon on a pole…this all but pure white male was easily spotted.
I missed the trees but change is always good…I just went with that gut feeling.
Hawk Owls like all owls swallow their prey whole or large pieces of prey depending on what they catch. They are unable to digest bones or hair/fur…over a period these undigested parts are formed into an oval shape pellet then regurgitated or coughed up. Similar to cats coughing up a hairball…you get the idea.
My best guesstimate for the pellet size would be 2+ ins. long…only because I didn’t go to search for it.
From my observations over the years…after a pellet is coughed up its an indication the owl is hungry again and will be actively hunting.
I just happened to be in the right location at the right time.
Another day another Northern Hawk Owl…only problem it was as I say a “Birders Delight”.
Meaning that it was close enough to recognize but pointless to photograph.
Knowing full well that at some point the owl would become active…just how longer I would have to wait was the question.
Seconds turned into minutes…minutes into hours but I was determined as I had nowhere to be.
Around the three hour mark my patience paid off as the owl became active…moving closer as it tested out different trees from which to hunt.
Bottom line…3 plus hours of patients and determination paid off.