Snowy Owl

Kind of looks like a giant cotton ball, all fluffy and soft! I found this one in the wintertime at Salisbury Beach State Reservation in Salisbury, Massachusetts. Most years you will be able to see one there or at the neighboring Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.

A large and powerful owl. They nest in the Arctic and may breed during the years that lemmings are abundant and not at all when they are scarce.

Their diet consists mostly of lemmings, other mammals and birds. In the Arctic they do prefer the lemmings, but will eat voles, rabbits and squirrels if they have to. For those Owls living in coastal areas, they may fed on ducks, grebes, geese and even songbirds!

Unlike most Owls the Snowy hunts during the day, especially during dawn and dusk. They cruise low to the ground and once they spot their prey, they will snatch it up with their talons. In the winterr the Owl may not see their prey under the snow, but they have a great hearing and can find food just by listening!

Snowy owls have excellent eyesight, but they obviously can’t see their prey when it’s underneath snow or a thick layer of plants. To capture those meals, the owl relies on its other keen sense: hearing.

In flight, snowy owls generally cruise low to the ground. Once they spot their prey, they approach it from the air, and snatch it up using the large, sharp talons, or claws, on their feet.