Snowy Owl
William Leigh posted the sighting of a Snowy Owl in Mt. Crawford near the White Waves Food factory (thank you, William). Walt Childs and I went out this morning to look for it. We arrived at 9:45 a.m., but could not locate it, so we drove around the area for about two hours looking for it. We were unsuccessful, and decided to head for home. On the return, we stopped near the factory when we saw three other birders scanning the nearby fields. They hadn't seen it, either, but as we were getting ready to leave, the local land owner drove up to us and told us where to see it (and a big thank you to him). It was fairly far away, but I was able to get some photos. With its dark barring, it appeared to be a first-year bird.
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl
Once we knew where it was perched, we were able to move to a closer vantage point, and with my long telephoto lens, was able to get some better photos. We could see factory trucks driving right next to the pole where it was perched, but these trucks didn't bother it at all.
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl
At one point, it started preening its feathers.
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl