Snowy Owls

Muskegon Resource Recycling area, as interesting as that sounds, consists of two very large freshwater ponds, surrounded by large corn fields. It is home to a large variety of water fowl, and for several years a number of Snowy Owls have arrived in December. They are attracted to a stable food source and the bodies of water nearby. They are found in the fields, on the poles and sitting next to the water.

In a very small town near to home and for a few months, two or three owls hung out in fields and telephone poles. For a while in 2022 they were very reliable and it was unusual to not see at least one on their favourite poles.

Rudyard, MI is touted as the Snowy Owl Capital of Michigan. Located in the UP, straight north of the bridge, it is not uncommon to see as many 20 or more in fields, on the poles or in the trees. These owls are territorial so it is unusual to see them in groups. The picture with three owls in one spot was very surprising. In Feb of 2023, as I stood in one place, I could count 7 owls perched on the telephone poles around me.

And, owls have been found on the east side of the state, Gerald Ford Airport, Holland State Park, and a few other random spots. The owl on the building is just finishing lunch. They are raptors after all.

How to find and photograph Snowy Owls.

If you have gotten this far, you realise that Snowy Owls like high places and wide open fields. Spotting them is not easy as they blend with the snow. But, since they are somewhat habitual in their selection of winter homes, knowing where they have been can narrow the search to finding them year after year. Cornell University’s education website is ebirds.org is a great resource to help with the chase.

1. Once in the site, navigate to “Explore” in the top right hand side.

2. More ways to explore mid page, select Species Map.

3. Type in “Snowy Owl” in the Species selection box.

4. Next to the Species section, there is a selection labeled “DATE”. Ideally select something close to the current date. If I were searching today, I would look at Nov and Dec of the current year.

5. Purple on the map represents reports, zoom in until there are red dots. Select a dot to see reports. Note the time and date. The time is important as noted below, owls hunt during the day and are most active in the mornings and evenings.

Seems simple, just go to where they have been reported. But, just because they were there yesterday, it’s never a guarantee that they have remained. It is a good starting point to search around the area, looking the fields, and on any poles, buildings, trees, etc. Now, with the number of people out looking, if you see a few cars parked next to a field, you might want to stop to ask what they are seeing. My success rate at times is maybe 1 in 5. Other times, when the Owls stay around, they can be found almost daily.
Most importantly, as with any wildlife, be respective of their environment. With Snowy Owls, 50 to 75 yards is recommended. Interestingly enough, with birds on poles or buildings, they don’t react to cars. Many of my shots have been from the “car blind”. Snowy Owls are not very skittish as they are hardly ever around humans. Owls tend to be more active in the morning and evenings. It is more likely to find them on poles in higher places in the mornings, then out in the fields to hunt during the day, returning to a roost towards sunset. Unlike a lot of owls, they are dinural and hunt during the day.

If you are looking to photograph Owls, a long lens is needed. Most of my shots are 500 to 600mm and typically cropped a little bit after that. If at all possible, keep the sun in the owls face to get a glimpse of those incredible yellow eyes. Keeping some distance allows for more attractive angles of the owls rather than shooting straight up. For a couple of the pictures here, I walked out into the field, keeping good distance and laid down flat to capture less foreground and a much more distant background. It was 9 degrees for one of those pictures, but it turned out nice.

Wait, be patient. If the Owls are on poles in the morning, it is likely they will fly off to hunt soon giving a good opportunity for flight pictures. Owls like to clean themselves, which also creates interesting poses. I have seen them swoop off the pole, land, swallow a vole and return in a matter of minutes. As tempting as it may be it is considered very unethical to try to force an Owl to move or fly.

Feel free to contact me for any questions or advice. Hit one of the links below. Let me know if this was helpful.

Feb, 2019 Owl #1