Snowy Owl sightings

According to many reports, Ontario is seeing a record number of Snowy Owl's this winter.

 Snowy owls live in the Arctic tundra, north of the tree line. 

 According to Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, N.Y.  the irruption "likely has to do with a bounty of prey in the owl’s breeding areas. With lemmings (the snowies prey of choice) plentiful, more owlets survived and flourished. With a sharp upswing in population, many of these young birds were forced to vacate their frigid northern homes, expanding their hunting areas further south"

I have been lucky enough to see one of these majestic birds in my own yard on several occasions.

 

 

 This guy seems to like my antennae, and spent quite a bit of time perched there yesterday.

 

 It didn't seem disturbed by me at all. In fact,  it was almost posing for me.

I think this may explain the lack of rabbits in my yard this winter!

 

 

 

It is the heaviest owl in North America, with females weighing an average of 2.3 kg and males 1.8 kg. This might explain the condition of my tower!

As I got closer it finally had enough of me and perched on a tree on the other side of the paddock.

I feel very privileged this beautiful Owl has decided to call my neighborhood home this winter.