A most welcome find

This female (or juvenile, because they both have dark streaking) Snowy Owl was contentedly perched on this rather ugly fence rail, looking like s/he was almost asleep. This was the first Snowy that we came across yesterday, 13 January 2018, when a group of us went east of the city in search of owls and anything else. Later, we saw another three Snowies before it was time for the friend I was riding with to get back to the city, as he had some final preparations to get done before heading off on a trip today. After we had left the rest of the group, we came across a fifth Snowy, perched on a piece of machinery in a field. A nice treat before we headed back to civilization. I heard later that the rest of the group saw a total of seven Snowy Owls, as they stayed out for the whole afternoon. This winter doesn't seem to be a good year for these owls. Some years, the Internet is full of photos of these spectacular visitors, but this year I'm not seeing many. Thanks so much for the ride, Tony - so much appreciated, as always.

After all the frigid weather we have had so far this winter, yesterday felt balmy. Actually, I'm not sure what the temperature was, but it must have been above 0C. There was no cold wind and it just felt pleasant. The sun was shining and the sky was full of 'good' clouds. Not sure why almost all my photos were too blurry to keep - maybe the light wasn't as good as I thought it was. However, I did get a shot of each of the owls, so I'm happy. A few other bird species were also seen, including Common Redpolls and Horned Larks, one Gray Partridge, Magpies, etc.. Tony also spotted a Prairie Falcon on our way back to the city.

Many thanks, Terry, as usual, for taking us on this owl prowl. It was a great trip and, especially for those who had never seen a Snowy Owl before, a most amazing experience. As with any kind of owl, it doesn't matter how many one sees, I always find each time is as awesome as the very first time.

We are back to scattered flurries for this afternoon, 14 January 2018, but our temperature is a reasonable -2C (windchill -4C). The next three days are expected to be good, but then the forecast is for a couple of snowy days.