Tag Archives: Snowy Owl

Still More Snowy Owls

Snowy Owl

Snowy Owl (click to see a larger version)

The Snowy Owl extravaganza continues at Montrose. Two birds were seen there over the weekend of December 10-11. I saw and photographed the bird at right on Sunday, December 11. Based on the heavy barring and complete tail bands I think this individual is a female. I’ve been birding for 34 years and this is one of the best years I can remember for Snowy Owls. To date, about 8 different Snowies have been seen at Montrose this fall and winter. The last major invasion of Snowy Owls into Illinois occurred in 1996-97.

An interesting little tidbit about Snowy Owl taxonomy. For a long time the scientific name of Snowy Owl was Nyctea scandiaca. The generic name was changed recently to Bubo, which is the “eagle owl” genus and includes our Great Horned Owl. The thinking is that Snowy Owls are really derived eagle owls, adapted for life on the tundra.

More Snowy Owls!

Snowy Owls

Snowy Owls (click to see a larger version)

This continues to be an exceptional year for Snowy Owls in Illinois. I saw these 2 birds at Montrose this morning, December 7. Both birds were initially on the fishing pier but flew south into the native planting area at the southeast corner of the point and perched together on a sign there. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen 2 Snowy Owls so close to each other before. Both birds appear to be immature males.

Snowy Owls, November 19, 2011

Snowy Owl

Snowy Owl (click to see a larger version)

Two Snowy Owls were at Montrose this morning. I was at the end of the fishhook pier doing a lake watch when Andy Sigler alerted me to the first bird, which from what I understand was initially inside the native planting area (of Sage Thrasher and Lark Bunting fame) at the southeast end of Montrose. As we were walking back on the pier we saw the bird flying low over the dunes at the east end of the beach. It eventually landed on the plastic boardwalk just west of the protected area and stayed there until flushed by an unleashed canine. The bird flew back to the east and landed on the pier about 200 hundred yards in front of me. Eventually, the bird flushed and flew south over the lake. We were able to relocate it on some rocks near Belmont Harbor, which is about a mile south of Montrose. The bird flushed once again after a few minutes and re-landed along the lake near Fullerton Avenue, about 3 miles south of Montrose. After a few minutes it flushed yet again and we lost sight of it. The second Snowy Owl flew in from the north and landed on the fishhook pier a few minutes after the first bird left. This bird stayed longer and was seen by many people.

The photo above is of the first Snowy Owl. Based on the extensive white bib, white nape, and limited tail barring I believe this individual is an immature male. Adult male Snowy Owls are nearly completely white while females are more heavily marked. The second Snowy Owl was similar in plumage to the first bird. These are the first Snowy Owls for Montrose in about 5 years.