Snowy owls are moving south into our region again this winter and can be a joy to watch and photograph.
There has been one spotted recently near Elmvale in a farmer's field.
And for every photographer, luck is the most valuable tool in your camera bag.
I have been on the lookout for owls for many years and have faced far more failure than success.
Only a few times have I been fortunate enough to find myself up close and face-to-face with these impressive birds of prey.
The first experience was more than a decade ago when great grey owls migrated south from the far reaches of northern Ontario during a season where their main prey’s population crashed.
So they set off south to hunt for their voles.
Grey owls are wonderful to photograph, as they generally have no fear of humans due to their limited contact with our species in their normal northern habitat.
Apparently the cycle of vole population crashes occurs about once every 20 years or so.
But it was a winter to remember for wildlife photographers.
I found that, if I was quiet and slow, I could walk up to within about 20 feet of them, which was an unbelievable experience for me.
They stuck around for most of that winter before migrating back home when the snow began to melt.
My second, and by far most favourite, encounter was with three different female snowy owls that were camped out not far from each other in a farmer's field east of Angus.
Female snowy owls are known for their dark markings on their feathers that distinguish them from the solid white males of the species.
They were easy to spot and stuck around for at least a month during January and February 2015.
They, too, showed little fear of humansm but were slightly more skittish than the great grey owls.
The backdrop of the farmers' fields and trees were perfect for the photos, but the temperature was a frigid minus-20 Celsius along with howling winds. Needless to say, not very comfortable for a photographer or photography gear.
During my weekends spent with these beautiful birds, I captured images that I will treasure forever.
I've since returned to the same areas to try and find them again over the past few winters, but to no avail.
I was lucky enough to capture a few images of a snowy owl as it stayed for a couple of weeks last December in a tree alongside Innisfil Beach Road, just south of Barrie. It soon moved on to another area.
I’m hoping that the all-important photographer’s luck will make its return this season.
Fingers crossed.
Barrie resident Kevin Lamb is a freelance photojournalist with BarrieToday.
