Saturday, December 24, 2011

Great Grey Owl Still in Kingsville


***Update: To my knowledge, the owl has not been seen in Kingsville since Jan 8, 2012***

Not satisfied with last night's views of the Great Grey Owl, I drove up to Kingsville again this morning and tried my luck at finding the owl again. As I was driving to yesterday's location, I noted a Snowy Owl on top of a telephone post. I pulled over and took some photos. Nobody was around and it dawned on me that I had discovered my first snowy owl! I've seen others, but they were pointed out to me by other birders.

Anyway, I quickly left, in hopes of finding the Great Grey Owl. I drove around for 30 or so minutes and then gave up. I had to go out this morning for breakfast with some friends so as I drove away, I noticed a mob of birders (& mobbing crows!) on Concession Rd 2 and knew something special was happening.

Check out this magnificent owl species below!

Incredible Camouflage!!!


Please treat owls ethically. Do not disturb them or play calls or use baits for them.  View them from a distance and respect their space as well as private property. Check out this excellent article (regarding owl ethics) from Ebird.org entitled: Got Snowies?

Good birding, and Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to all that celebrate!
Dwaynejava

Almost forgot: My first self discovered Snowy Owl!

9 comments:

  1. Excellent!! I don't recall hearing of Great Gray in your area before this year.

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  2. Awesome! I'm hoping to get out there this afternoon or tomorrow morning if it sticks around.

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  3. You must be pretty pleased! Nice shots of two beautiful birds!! Thanks for sharing.
    Merry Christmas.

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  4. Wow, wow... you're having a great season. The GG is an amazing bird. The photos are magnificent, too-- well done!

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  5. Good to see you this morning!
    This owl is a nice Christmas present!

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  6. Dwayne,
    I was finally able to talk Sylvain into a trip to Kingsville now that the festivities are over. Thank goodness the Great Gray Owl was still around. What a gorgeous bird! We also saw three snowies at the onion fields, one of which was on top of an antenna right by the road. So we got a wonderful view even if it was a bit back-lit. That's two lifebirds for both of us. Now I just have to see the darned Sandhill Cranes!!!

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  7. Thanks for the kind comments guys! It was surreal to see this owl. On boxing day morning, I was so happy, I almost could not speak. All these shots were from the side of the road. The flight shot is full frame and un-cropped. It was only about 15ft from me. Kelly & Sylvain, congrats on the lifers!

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  8. Nice shots Dwayne. Are you still using the sigma?

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  9. WS, Thanks for the comment. Yes 7D with Sigma 150-500mm. I'm not happy with the white balance on the first photo. The light was weird on that day!

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