I've actually stuck to listing my encounters this winter. I started one last winter but gave up when a lull in the Owl encounters occurred over 6 weeks or so through December and January. I do wish I had kept up with that list for comparison.
I really thought it would be lacking this time around since the actual amount of Owls in the GTA is few and far between compared to the last 2 winters.
As of last night, that is where I am at with Snowy Owl encounters for this season. 34 in total with 23 in February. See, much like last winter, I had a lull in the early part with only 10 sightings in 3 months. I'm glad I kept at it this time around though. I do swear, well in my mind anyway, that last winter was much more. Now that February is over, I'm thinking this is probably pretty close.
I'm not going out of my way looking for these birds minus one back in November. There are some blogs from a few years back where I made it a mission to see as many Snowy Owls as I could, individuals, and got 11 one winter, 13 another winter, counting birds from different regions/parks, etc. Those missions were a lot of fun but time consuming and costly on fuel and other expenses overall. I'm really enjoying my "encounters". The Owls have all been after dark, most on my way home from work, or when I go out for a coffee on my 30 minute break from work. Last week I had 2 Snowys on break which is awesome with the short amount of time I have to myself on shift.
A few ask me why I waste my precious break time and go out. It's a time out from the grind. A 3 to 5 minute sit with a Snowy near where I park the truck is like a recharge. I forget work and any BS from the night in those moments. The Owls are much more active after dark, flying/diving/hunting and occasionally catching a meal. Such great sights sitting in the driver's seat of the GMC!
Digi-scope shot with my Blackberry and a crappy pair of binoculars I keep in the back of the truck.
I love this guy! He really takes me away for a moment.
I'm pretty sure this is him again, as it's on the same small stretch of road near the plant.
I made a post on social media the other week regarding my time outs with the Snowys. Can you add any more reasons to the list here?
I do like most of the people I work with. But with 8 hours a day at the plant, taking those 30 minutes to myself some evenings is much needed, and seeing a Snowy Owl is a blessing. I'm sure many of you will agree.
And it's made Whisky Wednesday all the better! More reason to enjoy some White Owl Whisky. It's Wednesday as I blog this... cheers to you all later tonight!
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