85
WINTER
2015
|
ESCARPMENT
®
COMMUNITY
|
sun peaks, british columbia
Certainly one of the more challenging
forms of photography, capturing owls in
the wild requires sound technical skills,
suchas beingable toexpose correctly, in
addition,wildlifephotographersgenerally
needgood field craft skills. Knowledgeof
theanimal'sbehavior isneeded inorder to
beable topredict itsactions.
Unlike other owls, SnowyOwls are diur-
nal;adapted to the24-hourdaylightof the
Arctic, theyareactiveandhunt during the
day,whichmakesspotting themsomewhat
easier. “White on white is tricky, so it’s
moreof a sizeand shape,”explainsCam.
“Theymight beona silo, theymight beon
a fencepost,orabell line. It’s really justall
about drivinga fewconcession roadsand
seeing what I can find.” Although they
perch in the relative open, SnowyOwls
live inhollowed-out holes in theground.
A large, mostlywhitebirdwitha rounded
head, yellow eyes and a black bill, the
male Snowy Owl’s plumage is almost
purelywhite.
Adult females and youngbirds havedark
scalloping or bars. Young owlets are
brown. Snowy Owls are the only owl
species tohave featheredankles,anadap-
tation to their cold environment. “Snowy
owls are sort of a snapshot of theArctic,”
remarksCam. “Last year therewasahuge
population jump because of the food
sourceupnorth. Thesurvival ratewashigh,
so thisyearwewillprobablyseeabumper
of that.”
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