SNOW Stormin' 2015

It's been quite a winter with sightings of Snowy Owls. We had an irruption of these majestic birds in the winter of 2013/2014. This winter, they called it an "echo", kinda like a smaller irruption. The 2103/14 winter, I stopped counting at 2 dozen. This winter, I gave up before I really got started. I made mention of that in a blog back in January. I took it easy and just enjoyed the show. I only wish I did what I said I was going to do and document my "encounters" because that number would be staggering. So many nights coming home from work I've spotted these birds along the stretch of the 401. Most nights one bird, sometimes two and a few nights up to four I spotted in what is probably a 10 km stretch of road.

There was a lull back in December for a few weeks. I heard they were trapping the Owls around Pearson Airport and relocating them. Within a couple weeks, I was seeing birds once again, just out of range of Pearson. I was fortunate to spend many lunch breaks with an Owl or two near the Pepsi plant in Mississauga. We had a nasty storm in February, everything iced up, the weather turned frigid for what felt like forever and suddenly the birds were gone again.

March rolled in. Spring was approaching. I figured that was it for steady sightings but could probably spot a few migrants in the coming weeks. And that is happening now. I've had one or two Owls 3 of 4 nights so far this week. Last week I had 2 nights of the 5 spotting one Owl. Same Owls? Perhaps? So hard to tell since they are nomadic and move with where they can find food. Hence my want to count the encounters instead of really trying to count Owls.

I get a whopping 30 minute break in my 8 hour shift. In those 30 minutes, I have my lunch, get out to the nearby Tim's for my coffee and do little drive around a couple spots no more than a few blocks from the plant. It's a nice break, taking in the fresh air, the noise of the traffic and passing planes doesn't bother me as it's nothing compared to sitting on a 16,000 lb propane forklift with the motor right under my seat (add all the production lines running, producing those Pepsi products for the masses). Yes, the outdoors, I can shut those things out and tune into the natural world. Hell, even the radio gets shut off so I can focus on my surroundings better.

Please note, any 401 sightings do not have me pulling over for photos. I don't care if it's day or night, it's not worth the risk of getting killed for a photo op (not to me anyway). If the birds are in vicinity of some back roads, I may take the next exit and seek them out. Most nights though I grin at the sight of them and continue my journey home.

It's funny how people get wow'd by what I see after dark in a rather busy part of Mississauga. To me, and other bird buds, it's really freakin' cool but not beyond belief. It's what interests me. It's part of my passion, seeing and being amongst the wildlife around us. I get wow'd by the guys who know stats on their fave hockey players, sometimes the whole team. Sure I like hockey but I'm not that "into" it.

My night sightings intrigued Angie enough to wake me one Sunday morning at the wee hour of 3am to go look for some. We found 2 about 10 minutes from our home.

It's a very different experience seeing the birds at night. They are active because they chose to be active and not because they are being flushed by someone getting much too close for a better photo. It is peaceful for me because it's just the Owl and I. I may have just finished work 20 minutes ago but that is out of my memory at this point. I almost forget that work thing when I'm on lunch and the clock is ticking.

It's March 27th. I wonder how many more encounters I will have before they are gone?

Enjoy the night photos, some are cool and ghostly, nothing museum quality, but they are memories of a fantastic winter with these Owls, and the best winter to date for me personally. This may not happen again for another 5 years.

Flash is never used. I use manual settings and take advantage of the "natural" HA city lighting around us.

If you are still here, have yourselves a fine weekend!

Snowy Owls #5 and #6

The Snowy Owl invasion continues and I follow reports along with my own gut feelings about these birds whereabouts and came across 2 more Owls recently.  Oh, and #4 surfaced yet again!

Snowy Owl #5 was way the heck out on a pier in a lakefront park in Mississauga.  I was scanning the area and something caught my eye far off in the distance.  I guess it was the shape if nothing else.  And in my bins I was second and third guessing what I was seeing.  I took a couple photos with the 500mm lens and still wasn't sure.  I decided to crank the ISO and exposure, basically blowing the s**t out of a shot or two and indeed I was seeing one.

I played a game of "Spot the Snowy" with friends on Facebook with this shot.  It's still a closer shot, being not zoomed with the camera, than what I was seeing with my own eyes at first.  Can you find a Snowy Owl in this photograph?

Well, what do you think?  Any ideas where he is?

Would you believe where I've half circled below is a Snowy Owl?

Surely you see him now in this photo below.

One more super cropped to heck shot.

I can't even guess how far out he was from where I stood.  1,000 ft?  Who knows for sure but he's one of the most off in the distance Owls I have spotted in my days of birding.  As I search out these Owls this season, no matter where I go, how far out they are from me, I'm still enjoying the views and am nearly as excited with each one as compared to the first almost one month ago.

So, that was #5 and later that night, after work, on my way home, I spotted #4 along the 401 once again.  And then the next day, I came across Owl #6.

It was a cold rainy Friday morning and I set out once again for a couple hours before work.  I always have my hopes up but I am never expecting in my outings.  One just can't predict wildlife.  But luck have it, I spotted the bird in another lakefront park quite some ways out on the ice.  It was funny because I swear he just appeared since I scoped the area minutes earlier with nothing and then suddenly I saw the lump.


I was quite excited to see this bird after a lengthy damp dismal walk of the park!  I followed my way around the shoreline in hopes of a better view of the bird and lucky me, he stayed put.

Obviously he was aware of my presence but not bothered enough to take flight and flee from me.  I wasn't aggressive in my walk of the shore and there was no way I intended on creeping out onto the ice for a closer shot.  Note, ice or no ice, I don't believe in invading their personal space.  It's just not my thing.

So, I passed the bird some and found the shore went further out into the water just west of the bird.  I decided to try that spot for a great view and a few more photos.

Here I tried shooting through the crook of a tree.  I was using the tree as a blind, hiding my body from the Owl.

I stepped to the left of the tree and tried a few more pics just as the rain was getting heavier.

This was freaking awesome!  I had never seen such a heavily barred Snowy Owl before.  And experts birding buds tell me this is a young female.  I knew it was a young'un as most of them venturing out from the tundra right now are young birds in search of food after a very good breeding year. 

I'm falling asleep as I key this.  It has been an exhausting few days after that awful ice storm here in Southern Ontario.  I wonder how the birds fared through the storm and who is still around?  Word is some of the recent visiting Owls have disappeared, and people guess they moved across Lake Ontario and into the USA now.

My goal, as some know, is to beat my record of 13 Snowys back in the 2011 invasion.  That's just 8 more Owls to go.  Think I can do it?  Care to cheer me on? 

If you missed my last Owl blog, here it is.  It seems to be a popular one with friends.  I hope you enjoy it too.

Wooly... Snowy!

I was on my way home from work last night and I saw my fourth Snowy Owl.  He was sitting on the guard rail along highway 401 just over highway 410.  It freaked the heck out of me, just wasn't what I thought I would see mere feet from the truck and eye level.  Just like others I have seen over the years along the 401, it's the bird that escapes a photo because it's just plain suicidal to try and do such things on a busy highway, never mind it being dark...  and I didn't have my camera.

And last week, exactly one week from last night, I had a re-visit with a Snowy Owl near where we live.  I assume its either the second or third bird I saw.  It could be another but since I don't know for certain (I count birds in each area).  So unless I see 3 in one day here, I won't be adding them to my list from this spot.

It was a cold blustery morning, -21c with the wind chills but the sun was shining and I wanted to get out for a bit.  We just had some snow recently and I was hankering for a winter photo or two. 

The outing was pretty quiet, saw a couple Hawks hunting off in the distance and that was it.  No Cardinals, Jays, Juncos, Woodpeckers, Chickadees, nothing.  I was nearing the end of my trek as work would be beckoning soon.  I decided to check one more path quick, a very short path I might add.  I came up empty once again.  And as I turned around and started to walk back to the truck, I noticed a Wooly Bear atop a pile of snow and ice cleared from the path.  How could I miss this creature the first time around, passing it only minutes earlier?  He just stands right out against the blanket of white!

I should have taken the Wooly Bear's photo on the snow mound but easily you can see these colors of black and reddish brown would scream at you from a snow pile.

I put the Wooly Bear in my pocket, thinking he was dead, and I could put my macro lens on him when I got home later.  And as I was standing myself upright from this, I happened to look to my left and see a funny mound of snow to my left.  And that's what I said to myself, "what an odd snow pile".  As I focused my sights on it, eyes watering from the wind, I realized it was a Snowy Owl!

Here he is, shot is cropped and was a full zoom with the 500mm.

We weren't very far from each other, maybe 60 ft?  I took a couple photos and then the bird took flight.

He landed on a fence nearby and I thought I would take one more try at some photos.  If he flew once more, I would walk away.

The best approach to wildlife is not direct in my opinion.  Actually Big Frank told me this the other year we were out viewing a Snowy Owl north of Toronto.  "Don't walk right at them.  You gotta try and walk away from them but move closer".  It's hard to explain here being first thing in the morning and working on my first coffee.  But for this bird, here is what I did...

I crossed the small field he was in, because I wanted to be on the other side with the sun behind me (better for a photo).  I did like a half circle, moving away from the bird as I made my way over to the other side.  He watched me, looked elsewhere, watched me, and so on.  Once I was on the other side, the bird lost interest in me probably because he lost most sight of me.  The fence he was on was atop this small hill.  I worked my way up the side of the hill now, slowly and quietly.  Even when I got to the top, we still had some distance between us, once again probably 60 or 70 ft, but we'd be eye level.  There were some small conifers here that I hoped to use as a shield in my sneaky attempt for another photo op.  And it worked!  He was aware of my presence, probably long before I got a view of him again.  But since I wasn't in his face or making aggressive moves towards him, he allowed me some time with him.  And I was thankful for that.  And I don't abuse such a moment.

In the next six or seven minutes, I took some photos, played with my settings, waited for some clouds to roll by and took some more photos.  The bird looked in my direction, he'd look away, and so on.  And then I left him where he was...  grinning from ear to ear.  It was an awesome moment with such a  majestic bird and I was ready to go to work and take on all the nonsense of the afternoon with a smile.

I missed the poop shot here...

Here is the Snowy Owl as I left him...

I guess you guys forgot about the Wooly Bear in my pocket, eh?  Haha!  I almost did too.  When I got back to the truck, I pulled him out of my jacket pocket and set him on the centre console.  A few blocks from home, the little creature work up on my toque.  I half suspected he would with the heat but still another part just thought he was dead. 

I was texting Angie about him, and she did some research.  They have quite the remarkable story which I will share another time.  But I put him out back in one of the bird houses full of wood shavings to go return to his winter slumber.  I plan to check up on him come mid-March or so.  Google the Wooly Bear or wait until the Spring when I blog about him.

The holidays are just about upon us.  I want to thank everyone who has read my blogs the past year; the good ones, the sad ones, the long ones, whatever.  I wish all the best, to you and yours, through the Christmas season, into 2014, and beyond!

Cheers!

Masters of Camouflage Part 2

I got looking at some recent photos of mine with the Owls, and thought I'd share a few of them, with some good showings of their mastering the camouflage. Enjoy!

A Long-eared Owl sure blends in on the edge of a cedar at a lake front park. The local Crows knew he was there though. I tell people all the time, listen to the wild when out and about, and some may point out such sightings you could easily walk right by.



A Great Horned Owl that I discovered right around the corner from the house showing it's skill of blending in.



And the first day that I noticed it, it wasn't as above. I happened to spot it's backside way up in a pine. How I ever took notice to her that day, without the assistance of any alarmed wildlife or online reports is beyond me. Just pure luck.



I never thought a Barred Owl could disappear in the woods, their feathers appear quite white on the eyes, when in close view. But a little further back and I can see why so many people walked right past this guy in Etobicoke in November.



I know a few people who've gone the same route we have looking for Snowy Owls this winter and say they never saw a single one every visit. While we saw on average 3 each time and others we know were spotting 6! Of course it could very well be the Snowys weren't around, but then again, maybe a double or triple check on a lump out in the field is needed.



Maybe if I didn't centre the Northern Saw-whet Owl here, you might have to take a moment to find him?



The Screeches are the true masters in my opinion.



And of course, so many times, we think we see something, such as an Owl, but it turns out to be not the case. I really did think that lump on the branch was one. I bet my next walk of this area when Spring migration is in full swing will have me do a double look here again.



Like Ferris Bueller says "life moves pretty fast, you gotta stop and look around once in a while, you just may miss something" and I add this... "like an Owl".

Thanks for viewing, comments are always appreciated. I don't forsee any more Owl blogs/photos coming up in the next while as Spring migration is rapidly approaching. But you never know. In the meantime, perhaps you may want to check out my first "Masters of Camouflage" blog, or how about why it's not good to tell everyone in the world where an Owl is, especially a nesting one with my "Stealing An Owl Ain't Cool..." blog and lastly, one of the most heartfelt important blogs I have done regarding a lovely little Saw-whet Owl that roosted in our area this winter "Through the Eyes of a Saw-whet Owl"... it's a long one that should keep ya going till my next entry. :)

Owls, Lifers and Assholes. Oh my!

As promised to friends I made mention about this upcoming blog, I decided to stick to my word about this title.  It pretty much sums up the weekend which overall was a great one despite the antics of a few individuals.

Saturday had Angie and I go out for the afternoon with our friends Dave and Andrea.  We did a road trip to Cayuga and from there we snaked along many back roads making our way down to the shores of Lake Erie in Nanticoke where it can be Bald Eagles a plenty on a good day in the winter.

The day did start out slow in Ruthven Park.  The banding station was closing up but the feeders were still active with regular winter avian visitors.  We were hoping for the appearance of a Tufted Titmouse (there's 6 in the park now) but none showed up.  Most unique during our stay was a handful of Common Redpolls.

Dave drove as he knows the area better than me.  And I am forever grateful to my friends who don't mind doing these long drives.  I find they burn me out too much some days, especially when I am unfamiliar with the area.  Plus, our GMC Jimmy is a thirsty truck and fuel consumption would have been double compared to Dave's PT Cruiser.

Through the afternoon we saw so many Red-tailed Hawks that we lost count.

The biggest flock of Snow Buntings we chanced upon somewhere along the way.  I estimate there was 400 or 500!  We found a few smaller flocks but this one in particular.  Holy!  What fun watching their amazing flight show.

And through the mixes of Snow Buntings, we were also blessed with some great views of Horned Larks.  I really like these birds.  They sure do look like they have horns.  And a treat to see in Southern Ontario through the winter months.

We finally made it to Nanticoke and luck have it that we got a young Bald Eagle near the side of the road!  Don't let the age fool you, they are still enormous sized birds.  Both Angie and I think the young'uns look much bigger than their parents.

We were pretty certain we saw a couple more Eagles in flight over the power plant but as quick as we saw them, they were gone just as fast.

A field near by had us spot somewhere in the range of 50 or so Wild Turkeys.  Big goofy birds they are to me; but nice to see.

And down in Lake Erie had Angie and I get a lifer in way of many Tundra Swans.  From a distance they sure look like Trumpeter Swans only missing the big yellow ID tags most have on their wings.  I tuned into their calls, double checked with my Sibley's guide on my mobile, and confirmed they definitely were Tundras.  For whatever reason, my camera would not focus on those birds far out on the lake.  Our friend Dave snapped a few photos despite the distance.  I mean, hey, why not?

As we headed back, we chanced upon a Short-eared Owl.  Apologies to those asking "Where?  Where?" but I don't publicly post Owl locations.  The road appeared to have a few cars with birders and photographers on it.  Some were walking along the edge of properties and one could only wonder if they had permission to do so.

Andrea spotted the Short-eared Owl first.  And before we could do anything, this small silver Volkswagon comes around us and parks right in front of the tree where the Owl was sitting just off the road and not that high in the tree.  Two guys jump out, one with a big ass lens and try to get it's photograph.  Of course they spooked the Owl and it flew up the road.  We were furious!  Short-ears are a rapidly declining species and I believe on the endangered list in Ontario.  We wanted a view too, and a few photos, which we were willing to do so from within the vehicle.

Dave pulled upside them and voiced an opinion all of us shared on what these two, yes...  assholes, just did.  The one guy apologized but soon after said they had been chasing it up and down the road for the last half hour or so.  "Are you serious?!?!?!" is what I was thinking.  UGH!  It's kind of a blur after that, not sure how much else was said, and then we slowly drove ahead.  We found the Owl again, on the other side of the road, a few hundred feet up.  Dave pulled over and we watched it for a bit, took some shots within the car.  It was rather comical as for Andrea and I, we were having trouble taking photos, trying to shoot across the car from the inside and out the driver's side windows.  Dave offered to be my tripod and had me set my 500 mm lens, full zoom out, on his arm and shoulder.  He leaned right over to help me try to get some photos.  I don't know if my excitement at seeing this bird or my laughing at our situation in the car was the cause for so many shaky shots.  We all were having some good laughs and enjoying the moment.  We long forgot about those two guys who were parked behind us now but not getting out of their car.

Angie suggested she take my camera and try some shots out the window since she was closer and could use the window for support.  I am glad she did, because she captured a few nice clear shots of this not commonly seen species of Owl, despite the distance between us and the bird.

And sure enough, as soon as well started to pull away.  Those two guys jumped out of their car and went after the Owl again.  We have no idea if they stayed on the road now or ventured onto the property where the tree and Owl were.

I felt bad for this Owl.  I feel bad for so many Owls.  Just about every one I have chanced upon this winters has had to put up with some real selfish people.  But I was happy we pushed these people out of the moment with the bird, we didn't give them the power to ruin our time, and just know they could never get close enough to the Owl to harm it.  Yes, I am fully aware their constant flushing does harm in its own way.  What more can we do?  Give them a bit of a scolding and hope they back off.  Anything else can land us in trouble.

So, as we headed back Burlington way for supper, we noticed a huge "herd" of White-tailed Deer in a field just outside of Cayuga.  I counted 40.  Never seen such a number of Deer in one spot.  Apparently they aren't called a "herd" but that's what I call 'em.

Sunday was supposed to be a rather low key day after the big outing on Saturday.  But I ended up doing a small grocery run.  Then home.  Then back out again with Moonie riding shotgun as we ran a few more errands and he got a little trimming at the pet store along the way.  We do this every now and then since he's still got some attitude when he's flying around.  Misfit comes and goes as she pleases, but always ends up back in her cage.  Not sure what Moonie's deal is but he never goes home unless we trim the wings back.  He made a friend at the drive through for lunch which was funny.  I laughed at the praise he was getting and one line I said to the girl was "no, he does not eat french fries but thanks for the offer".

Later Sunday afternoon Angie reads a report about a Snowy Owl appearing not far from our place.  I kinda bounced around a little bit.  Sure I can be a little cuckoo for Snowys but also with it being March now, they aren't going to be around southern Ontario for much longer.  So off I went, but Angie passed on the idea, still not feeling 100% after some recent surgery.

Before I get into my bit on the Snowy Owl, which I saw almost immediately, let me jump ahead to the unexpected lifer I had that afternoon being a Western Grebe that has been reported along Lake Ontario, being spotted in a couple different parks.  His presence was pointed out to me by a kind birder who had been viewing him moments earlier.  This bird is well out of his winter range which is actually along the Pacific coast.  I don't know much about this species but if you would like to know more, check out this link.

So, ya, it was pretty awesome to see this bird.  And as some said to me, no binoculars required, which was so true.  I watched him for a short bit in the bay and eventually he swam to my side of the shore and he was maybe 30 feet out from where I stood.  Wow!  The lighting was pretty bad now as the sun was setting but I was one happy guy.

Now, back to my Snowy story...

If you remember the title of this blog, "Owls, Lifers and Assholes.  Oh my!"  Much like the earlier story with the Short-eared Owl and those assholes; I once again found myself seeing this Owl and yet another asshole.  I tell my friends I cannot wait for Spring migration and the Warblers.  I love and hate Owl season all in one breath.

I spot the Owl out in the marina.  She's sitting on one of the docks.  It's quite a distance from the shore and bay is about 95% ice.  A few open spots are close to shore.  I figure it's 300+ feet from shore to the docks but a friend, with the help of some computer tools or whatever, says it's more like 500 feet which I can believe.  And everyone over the years that has seen a Snowy in this marina or any other in the GTA all say they are very safe out there with the ice and water separating us.  I was a firm believer in that as well until Sunday afternoon when I watched this man, or can I say "asshole" walk out onto the ice from the east shore, with his dog on leash and head towards the Owl sitting on the dock.

I stood there in shock.  I was fuming too!  Mainly for the fact of where he was going, right for the Owl.  It was upsetting that he put his dog in a dangerous situation too.  And as he neared, of course he spooked the Owl and it flew to the next line of docks just west.  The guy stood there, watching it fly and where it landed, and he continued onwards towards it for another look.  He had no camera and no binoculars.  I guess he wanted a close look at the bird.

I'm not one for being loud in public, I really got to be pissed for me to speak up and this was one of those rare moments.  I'm not sure all I said, shouting across the ice at this guy, but "what the hell are you doing, you fucking idiot!" was in it.  I know there was more but I was blind with anger and frustration at this guy.

He made the Owl fly yet again and then he stopped.  He watched it go further out on the ice and then he turned to look at me.  I guess I was still shouting who knows what at him.  And then he decided to get off the ice, heading to the southern part of the land that surrounds the marina.

Funny thing is I had no idea there was a young woman layed out on the bench right behind me during my rant.  She was tuned in to her ipod and enjoying the frosty lake air.  She was actually asleep as hard as that is to believe but once I was started freaking out, she jumped from her sleep and sat up, stunned and puzzled at me.  I explained to her what my problem was.  She was still puzzled.  She said "isn't High Park full of Snowy Owls?"  I was too pissed at this point to give much of an educational lesson and replied with "no".  I apologized for my outburst and disturbing her.  I pointed to the guy just getting off the ice now with his dog and said "what a #@*" one last time and walked west to where the Owl flew and where I soon learned about the Western Grebe.

Once I saw the Snowy, really out on the ice now, I convinced myself she was safe for certain from human disturbance.  She was not safe from a few angry Gulls that began to dive bomb her; but she gave little notice to them and zoned out for a while.  I enjoyed a brief viewing of her now, with no other people around.  And I forgot about yet another asshole disturbing an Owl.

As you can see, by this time, the Snowy forgot about him too.  :)

If anyone recognizes this individual, perhaps they could ask him what the hell was he thinking that afternoon?  I never take photos of people doing stupid shit in the field, as much as I want to; but I felt compelled to this time...  proof to what some people are capable of, and how stupid they can be in the moment.  And also if this guy happened to go through the ice, there would be a photo of him if something tragic happened to him and his dog.

Confirmed Bird Nerds

Being "into" the birds for nearly a decade now, I've learned a lot.  I'm far from an expert but also very far from where I began.  At times these days I find myself envious of new birders as they get excited over everything that comes their way...  because it's new.  Sure I still get a thrill for some birds I have seen many times now just because I adore them a little more than other species.  But it's an inner happiness that only I feel as I gaze upon an Eastern Bluebird; which is one of my best examples.  I don't see them all the time, maybe half a dozen times a year if I make the trip to some nesting locations.  Or more closer to home, my heart still warms up to our daily visitors, being the Northern Cardinals.

This past New Year's weekend though, myself, Angie and our friends Jim and Lynda found ourselves once again in a situation out in the wild where we were suddenly like new birders.

We set out one morning in search of Snowy Owls among other winter birds but the Snowys were top on the list for us this day.  As we slowly searched an area they frequent in the winter just north of Toronto, we stopped to admire an American Kestrel sitting off the road on a wire.  During this moment, a small bird came flying in and began to peck at the remnants of some weeds sticking up above the snow.  And seconds later another flew in, and yet another after that.

We watched them and for whatever reason our minds went blank to what kind of birds were feeding mere feet from the van.  We knew Snow Buntings were in the area but these definitely were not Snow Buntings.  Another bird who loves the flat fields is the Horned Lark, another winter visitor.  But we've seen a number of those in the past couple years and they are unmistakable.  I think it was me who threw Lapland Longspur out there, and perhaps it was more just in wishing out loud that is what they were.  I know Angie and I have never seen Longspurs before and I am not certain if our friends had either.  Anyways, from that moment on, it was an excited frenzy to ID these birds.  Guide books were pulled out, binoculars to view them better, Jim and I had the cameras fixed on them for future reference if the birds took off.  Looking at the book now, it's obvious these were not Lapland Longspurs either.

The whole ordeal probably lasted a mere minute or so before we confirmed them to be American Tree Sparrows.  But what a "bird nerd rush"!  And we all had a good laugh about it afterwards.

It was a nice feeling to know despite where we are with our birding knowledge and skills, we can still find excitement with even some of the more common birds in Ontario.  And to be pulled back to those thrills of "firsts" in the field even though that was not the case.

I hope some of you got a chuckle out of this tale.  I think most of you out there probably have a similar tale of sorts, nothing to embarrassed about, as this is what keeps birding fun.

Here is one of the American Tree Sparrows we saw.  Perhaps with the weeds blocking view at times helped with the stumping us?

Yes, definitely NOT a Lapland Longspur.

And lastly, the bird we had hoped to see that day, and actually had an amazing moment with a couple of them that will be blog worthy in the near future...  a Snowy Owl!

Thanks for giving this a read.  Comments are always appreciated.  :)

p.s.  if you click on the bird links above, it will take you to Cornell's "All About Birds" website.  The Longspur shown is in it's summer plumage which would have been easy to identify... 

Hoo Hoo, can I say "Boo to the Zoo!"?

On vacation by myself this week, I am making good use of the camera where possible. I started the week off with a visit to the Toronto Zoo. Its not the same as going for a walk in the woods and finding wildlife in my travels; but then again, where else in Toronto can you find Lions and Tigers and Bears... and Snowy Owls (in September)?

I hadn't been to the Zoo in a couple years, not since sometime after they first opened their Tundra Exhibit back in August 2009. I don't think I ever blogged about that experience and will probably touch upon it at the end of this one.

I got there for opening at 9:30am. I went right for the Tigers and was happy to see one still awake and active for a few minutes, capturing a few portrait photos of this magnificent cat. And from there just walked the paths seeing all the other outdoor creatures including Elephants, Rhinos, the White Lions and so on. I hit the Tundra Exhibit last as I knew I would get lost with all the beautiful northern creatures, and have a main focus on the Snowy Owls. Why? Well, after the incident a couple years ago and more so after the experience with so many Snowys this past winter during the irruption, it was nice to see these creatures once again. It definitely is not the same as seeing the ones in the wild, but it is the closest I could ever be to see one alive.

Everyone loves Snowy Owls. Even the least of the animal admirers in the world. They are beautiful creatures. The pure white adult males strike everyone. But you can't knock the spotty females and juvis either.

So, it was like a shot to the heart when I finally made it over the see the pair of Snowy Owls and find the male in this condition as seen in the photo below.

Besides his physical appearance, he does seem okay otherwise. I watched him bathe and preen much of the 45 minutes or so that I spent with them. But seriously, what is up with that eye? And the left eye seems to be going the same route as the right as it's pinkish and irritated looking as well.

I watched people come and go from this enclosure. And like I said, everyone loves Snowy Owls. They all marveled at his beauty of being a big pure white Owl. What surprised me is how nobody took notice to his eyes, even when opened, well the one anyways. I wonder if they will see his condition when they go home and upload their photos?

I waited some time before I found a keeper in the Tundra area that I could talk to about this Owl's condition. The man was very vague and nonchalant about it, or maybe even evasive. He said it's been like that almost since the Owl arrived at the Zoo and that it was a mishap. I asked if the Owl scratched himself with his talon, or maybe the female did it to him. The answers were "no" and "no". I then asked if maybe a Bee had stung him? Owls can get Bee stings in their big yellow eyes because Bees can mistake them for large flowers. Once again the answer was a simple "no". He then said "it was mechanical" but wouldn't elaborate. What the heck does that mean? Did the Owl injure itself when first brought to the Zoo by ways of a freak out in the enclosure and hitting his face against something? I can only speculate.

The keeper ended our discussion with a "I will go have a look at him again". I felt it was more of a brush off than anything else. And through our talk, the man made little eye contact with me. I could tell he didn't want to have this talk with me. Did he have this discussion a thousand times already? Was he hiding the truth?

A friend of ours told me the Owl was like this back in the winter as well. So it's nothing new.

I've posted on the Zoo's Facebook page inquiring about him and shared a photograph. I wrote an email to the Zoo via their website as well.

Here is a photo of the female he shares the enclosure with. She was well hidden and over looked by most until I pointed her out to others. And it was pretty cool that I was able to share the little bit of Snowy Owl knowledge (and Owls in general) I have and talk about the irruption to a few.

After reading all the above, it may not strike some as deep as it does me. This blog is about this male Snowy Owl and maybe someone else reading it will either be able to shed more information on what is going on OR also make contact with the Zoo and perhaps bring further awareness to him and his condition? If that keeper I spoke with could have told me a great lie, the awful truth, whatever, I probably wouldn't be blogging about this right now. Maybe his condition is not nearly as severe as it seems? But the guy left me with nothing in the end.

I can now tell the part that I very lightly mentioned at the beginning of this blog about our first visit to the Tundra Exhibit and why seeing these birds was important to me.

Angie and I visited the exhibit not long after it opened. We were excited to see the Snowy Owls. Upon finding the Snowy enclosure, we were disappointed to not find any Owls within. From what I recall, there was four in the beginning (two adults and two chicks). We hung around for a bit until we saw someone who worked for the Zoo and asked him where the Owls were. He was saddened to tell us that they were recently killed by a wild Mink that broke into their enclosure and killed them all. I think shocked and confused should be added to our feelings of sadness.

We sat at the picnic area near the Arctic Wolves and had some lunch, trying to overcome this hit of terrible news. And eerily enough, there was a sudden gust of wind and what blew to our feet was one lone Snowy Owl feather. We picked it up, not exactly sure what to think, and brought the feather home with us.

Some months later, we learned through others, and some very reliable sources that in fact the Owls were not killed by a Mink at all; but that they perished in the summer heat due to unfitting conditions for Snowy Owls. How awful is that?

I always have mixed emotions about visiting the Zoo. I like to think they do more good than anything else, like with the Polar Bear and Penguin programs, and bringing awareness to many thousands of people every year. But maybe keeping Snowy Owls is not their thing?

My initial blog ended here with that last quote but I must add this below...

Whoever runs the Zoo's Facebook page started commenting back in the thread after a number of concerned comments were posted by others who saw the picture I shared with my initial concern. It was nice to get some sort of reply from them...

The Toronto Zoo Hello everybody, and thank you for your concern for our snowy owl.
This male owl continues to receive treatment for a stubborn eye injury and condition, which has perpetuated for well over a year. Both our Zoo Vets and specialists (animal opthalmologists) continue to monitor his condition and his eye on a regular basis, hopeful it will eventually heal with continued treatment.

At this point it's best for both his mental and physical well being to be in his exhibit, opposed to inside our animal health care centre.

Hopefully this provides you with some insight, and again, thank you for your concern!

My reply...
Rob Mueller Hi. Thanks for this above post. Much appreciated. It might be a good idea to have Zoo workers in the Tundra area informed on what to tell concerned onlookers like myself. The man left me with nothing after inquiring. And the volunteer I spoke with had no idea anything was wrong and went into a bit of a panic mode.

The Toronto Zoo That's good advice, thank you for bringing it to our attention, Rob.

Meaghan Edwards Thanks for giving the head's up. I'm glad he's still allowed out on exhibit, fresh air does everyone good :) I think it might be a good idea to maybe put a sign up to inform of his care.

The Toronto Zoo Hi all, since this photo was posted our Zoo veterinary staff wanted to advise that his eye seemed to be improved today (open) and to also reassure our visitors that this snowy owl is very regularly monitored by both our specialists and our keepers. A sign communicating his condition is a great idea and something we will follow up with!

I've asked friends if they plan on visiting the Zoo over the Autumn season to please keep me informed on the Owl's progress, and share photos with me. I am pondering another visit later in the year with cooler weather and hopefully more active animals AND this Snowy Owl in a much healthier condition.