Hello and welcome! This week’s Sunday edition will showcase the gorgeous Great Grey Owl I spotted on my first day in Fort Smith. I’m not used to seeing owls in the daytime exactly but since it stays light out most of the summer I suppose this shouldn’t have been entirely unexpected.
Usually, I see owls in March or April along the side of the road when the snow is just beginning to melt. So, I was caught off-guard a bit by the sight of this beauty at 8:30 in the morning in late June!
The morning light was wonderful for photography and a few images I have capture the back light that created a beautiful halo effect around her head. Capturing birds in flight is one of the most difficult subjects for me. I am constantly challenged by the technical knowledge required to maintain focus as well as physically challenged by the required hand eye coordination needed to keep the bird in the frame!
When she leapt into the air her wing beats were silent. There wasn’t even a whisper of air over her feathers as she glided past. I followed her with my camera and managed to get a couple of images to share here. I am always surprised at how graceful big birds can be in flight. The Great Grey Owl’s silent flight is even more impressive when you consider it weighs over 2 pounds!
Great Grey Owls are the largest of all the owl species though they are not the heaviest. Believe it or not, most of the great grey owl is made up of feathers. Much of its size is deceptive because their fluffy feathers, large head, and long tail hide a relatively smaller and lighter body than that of most other large owls.
Nerdy Bird Taxonomy fact: There are just 2 subspecies of Great Grey owls – the North American Strix nebulosa and the Eurasian Strix lapponica. There are ~ 15 owl species in the Strix genus and the Great Grey is the only one of the Strix genus that live in the eastern hemisphere.
Interesting Canadian fact: The great grey owl is the provincial bird of Manitoba.
That’s all for this week as I’d rather not moon on and on about how awesome it is to hang out with a wild owl. (But it is).
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