Snowy Owl

It was another gorgeous day here in the Pacific Northwest. Friends told us they had seen scores of Snowy Owls up in British Columbia over the weekend, so we drove up to see if we could spot some. Since the Canadian border is only about a half-hour drive from our house, the lower B.C. mainland makes for a nice day trip destination. We drove to Boundary Bay Regional Park and walked along the dike trail and it didn't take long to start spotting snowies perched in the marshy areas among the driftwood that lines the bay.

These magnificent circumpolar birds mate, nest and rear their young on the Arctic tundra. Their main food source is lemmings. The lemming population can fluctuate radically from year to year and so sometimes, when their preferred food is scarce, like this year, they migrate farther south to spend the winter. Occasionally they can even be observed as far south as central California. They are diurnal birds, meaning they hunt both during the day and at night. They are opportunistic hunters and besides lemmings, they will also feed on other small rodents, mice, rabbits, songbirds and even fish. The bird in my picture is most likely a juvenile (the females are also spotted or barred, but I don't think as much as this one). Mature males are all white.