So many thanks to Joey and Tom Ring for the wonderful tip. The Snowy is gorgeous!!! My right arm is a little unsteady with robo-cast but still managed to get a few moments. Notice how the Snowy Owl rotates its head, giving him nearly a 360 degree viewing vantage. The crows and a hawk* were noisily dive-bombing the Snowy, but he held his ground. I hope we see him again soon.
*Chris Anderson reports that the perching and diving bird is a Peregrine Falcon.
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Documentary filmmaker, photographer, landscape designer, author, and illustrator. "Beauty on the Wing: Life Story of the Monarch Butterfly" currently airing on PBS. Current film projects include Piping Plovers, Gloucester's Feast of St. Joseph, and Saint Peter's Fiesta. Visit my websites for more information about film and design projects at kimsmithdesigns.com, monarchbutterflyfilm.com, and pipingploverproject.org. Author/illustrator "Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities! Notes from a Gloucester Garden."
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29 thoughts on “NEW VIDEO: SNOWY OWL AT CAPTAIN JOES!”
Please remember to keep your distance from these amazing animals.
Most are here because they are desperately trying to survive.
They are diurnal hunters and rely on not being seen.
Please keep away and use your zoom lense.
Awesome! She’s magnificent! The females have those light brown feathers to camouflage them on the nests. The males are pure white. (I’m so smart because I saw a PBS on snowy owls a few days ago.) I don’t usually watch nature vids but these birds drew me right in so I’m THRILLED to see one so near.Thank you very much!
I love that movie too! Snowies are one of those birds that draw people in, whether or not you are a “birder”.
Adult male Snowy Owls are nearly all white while the adult females have more barring although, the most lightly barred female and the most heavily barred male will look very similar. That being said, what we most likely are seeing in our community are juvenile males, which look very similar to the females at this stage of development.
It is believed that about fifty percent of Snowies migrate to Canada during the winter and about 24 percent to the U.S. The juvenile males travel the furthest because they are the lightest in weight as both juveniles and and as adults. As we are the in the “further away” range, I think it is reasonable to assume that most of the Snowies we are seeing on Cape Ann and Plum Island are juvenile males.
Excellent! Why do other birds take objection to the owl? Is it a territorial thing? I few weeks ago one of those falcons chased a pigeon into the window directly behind my living room couch at ground level. I looked out after the commotion to see the falcon sitting on top of the pigeon then later feasting on it.
Oh Kim. Thanks for this wonderful New Year’s gift. Fabulous video – such a magnificent and spiritual animal (at least I think so). Thank you for all the wondrous videos, photos and information you share with us all the time. You are the best.
Terry I don’t know what to say other than thank you for your kindest of words. I am grateful that we live in such an inspiringly beautiful place. Happiest of New Years to you and yours.
Hi Joanne, The Arctic tundra is a vast treeless landscape. It is too cold for trees to grow there and the ground is covered by a thin layer of permafrost. Only grasses and some mosses can grow in the tundra. Snowies find a familiar terrain in our sandy beaches and dunes.
BEEEAutiful!!!! I wonder if this Snowy owl is a mom or dad maybe with a next nearby and thus shooing away that other bird ohhhh? Cuz this Snowy owl has been seen before there I thought.
Thank you for this video beautiful huge talons on this one too as he/she flew off
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for writing. I thought its feet and talons huge too!
Snowies don’t breed in our region; they build their nests and raise their young in the Arctic tundra during the summer months.
Most likely, what we see in our region are juvenile male Snowy Owls because they are the lightest in weight and can therefore travel the furthest. It is thought that about 75 percent of Snowies migrate south for the winter. Roughly fifty percent migrate to Canada and another twenty five percent continue further to the United States. Juvenile male and female Snowies look very similar. The males don’t gain their nearly all white plumage until the second year.
The Peregrine Falcon that was threatening the Snowy was probably trying to guard its food territory. Mark Ring, Captain of the lobster boat The Stanley Thomas, reports that their are many small sparrows feeding around the lobster traps. The falcons eat sparrows, as do the Snowies.
So many thanks to Joey and Tom Ring for the wonderful tip. The Snowy is gorgeous!!! My right arm is a little unsteady with robo-cast but still managed to get a few moments. Notice how the Snowy Owl rotates its head, giving him nearly a 360 degree viewing vantage. The crows and a hawk* were noisily dive-bombing the Snowy, but he held his ground. I hope we see him again soon.
Good Morning Gloucester 
Amazing!! So gorgeous!
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Wonderfully captivating creature Nichole!! Hope your boys get to see.
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Wow that was awesome! Loved seeing him all puffed up to look big and tough for the hawk. Really amazing video.
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Thanks so much Jenn, very cool to see.
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Please remember to keep your distance from these amazing animals.
Most are here because they are desperately trying to survive.
They are diurnal hunters and rely on not being seen.
Please keep away and use your zoom lense.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Would love to see that beautiful creature.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh my ~ beautiful! No reports of sightings in Annapolis. Thanks for braving the day to bring the shots 😉
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Keep us posted re Annapolis Mary!
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great work! thanks for sharing.
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Thanks for sharing. Great work
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Thanks so much Anonymous and Dan P, so grateful to Joey and Tom for the tip!!!
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That was amazing. What a beautiful bird, what a great treat!
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Aren’t we blessed E.J.!
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Wow! WOW! I did not expect the peregrine falcon to show up. What a great catch, Kim! So damn cool!
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Thanks to Joey and Tom! Thank you for the bird id. I think the only reason the falcon gave up is because it liked my presence even less!
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Awesome! She’s magnificent! The females have those light brown feathers to camouflage them on the nests. The males are pure white. (I’m so smart because I saw a PBS on snowy owls a few days ago.) I don’t usually watch nature vids but these birds drew me right in so I’m THRILLED to see one so near.Thank you very much!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I love that movie too! Snowies are one of those birds that draw people in, whether or not you are a “birder”.
Adult male Snowy Owls are nearly all white while the adult females have more barring although, the most lightly barred female and the most heavily barred male will look very similar. That being said, what we most likely are seeing in our community are juvenile males, which look very similar to the females at this stage of development.
It is believed that about fifty percent of Snowies migrate to Canada during the winter and about 24 percent to the U.S. The juvenile males travel the furthest because they are the lightest in weight as both juveniles and and as adults. As we are the in the “further away” range, I think it is reasonable to assume that most of the Snowies we are seeing on Cape Ann and Plum Island are juvenile males.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just beautiful.. been looking for this beautiful bird
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent! Why do other birds take objection to the owl? Is it a territorial thing? I few weeks ago one of those falcons chased a pigeon into the window directly behind my living room couch at ground level. I looked out after the commotion to see the falcon sitting on top of the pigeon then later feasting on it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think its all about competition for food. A Peregrine Falcon’s diet is mostly birds and Snowies eat birds as well.
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Happy New Year’s. Thank you for your wonderful pictures.
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Thank you Anitia. And thank you for all your kind comments throughout the year, so very much appreciated. Happiest of New Years to You!
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Oh Kim. Thanks for this wonderful New Year’s gift. Fabulous video – such a magnificent and spiritual animal (at least I think so). Thank you for all the wondrous videos, photos and information you share with us all the time. You are the best.
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Terry I don’t know what to say other than thank you for your kindest of words. I am grateful that we live in such an inspiringly beautiful place. Happiest of New Years to you and yours.
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This is what happens when we kept cutting down the wood , trees were there homes ! They are beautiful, but we need to stop cutting down the “WOODS”
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Hi Joanne, The Arctic tundra is a vast treeless landscape. It is too cold for trees to grow there and the ground is covered by a thin layer of permafrost. Only grasses and some mosses can grow in the tundra. Snowies find a familiar terrain in our sandy beaches and dunes.
LikeLike
BEEEAutiful!!!! I wonder if this Snowy owl is a mom or dad maybe with a next nearby and thus shooing away that other bird ohhhh? Cuz this Snowy owl has been seen before there I thought.
Thank you for this video beautiful huge talons on this one too as he/she flew off
LikeLike
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for writing. I thought its feet and talons huge too!
Snowies don’t breed in our region; they build their nests and raise their young in the Arctic tundra during the summer months.
Most likely, what we see in our region are juvenile male Snowy Owls because they are the lightest in weight and can therefore travel the furthest. It is thought that about 75 percent of Snowies migrate south for the winter. Roughly fifty percent migrate to Canada and another twenty five percent continue further to the United States. Juvenile male and female Snowies look very similar. The males don’t gain their nearly all white plumage until the second year.
The Peregrine Falcon that was threatening the Snowy was probably trying to guard its food territory. Mark Ring, Captain of the lobster boat The Stanley Thomas, reports that their are many small sparrows feeding around the lobster traps. The falcons eat sparrows, as do the Snowies.
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Thank you for the wonderful response Kim. I see I did a typo yes I meant type nest of course… Interesting bit of information on this.
Thank you so much
Sarah
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