Really these are the last Snowy Owls for winter 2011-2012
I promise, I promise these are the last Snowy Owl images for this winter (probably). I feel incredibly fortunate have spent so much time in the company of these wonderful creatures. I wish that they remain safe as they begin their northward journey to the Arctic.
Read MoreLast Snowy Owls for 2012?
All of this winter, those of in Montana have been treated to an amazing display of Snowy Owls, especially in the Mission Valley. The owls have remained readily visible in a subdivision that sits above Polson and adjacent to agricultural towards Pablo. I have been able to visit on 7 different occasions, and I have taken 100s of images of the owls. But sadly, this enjoyment will come to an end as spring marches forward. The white owls will filter their way north of the arctic Circle, and I probably won’t see them again for another 4 years, when the lemming and owl cycle renews...
Read More2012: The Year of the Invasion
2012 has been the year of the invasion. An invasion of normally arctic-dwelling bird species has descended upon the northern tier of the United States. There have been upwards of 50-60 separate Snowy Owl observations in the state of Montana. The causes for the invasion are, most likely, due to a couple of synergistic factors: the owls have enjoyed several good breeding seasons in the North and the vole population in Montana has exploded. This event is called an irruption. The summer of 2011 saw massive numbers of lemmings scurrying across the tundra like fleas on the rump of a cur dog, and,...
Read MoreMission for Snowy Owls
Before I could bear to watch the Green Bay Packers lose to the Giants, Tom and I went up into the Mission Valley on a Snowy Owl mission. We initially checked around the Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge and the surrounding agricultural lands, and we turned up nada. No Snowy Owls or much else, other than Gray Partridge and ring-necked Pheasants. Coming to the conclusion that we should try up near Polson, we fired off along Highway 93 and arrived in Polson in no time. Once we arrived at Polson, we soon found one Snowy Owl on top of a cell tower. which was quickly followed by 5...
Read MoreMore Than Birds
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