 |
Snowy Owl
Resulting field sketch to commemorate a great day.
See Gallery tab above.
|
 |
Snowy Owl
1st winter female happily on the deck in dunes for over 10mins....
|
 |
Snowy Owl
Flushed by the twitch arriving on dune top behind bird...
|
 |
Snowy Owl
Rain early morning causing underparts to look rather bedraggled.
|
 |
Snowy Owl
Flew over our position and out onto the beach.
|
 |
Snowy Owl
|
Following
on from last month's article further research on the Snowy Owl has sadly highlighted
its declining status, this fantastic species now faces a high risk of
extinction.
The
Iconic Snowy Owl has recently been classed as vulnerable and moved onto the Red
List by the IUCN. Following work by BirdLife International this nomadic and
patchy breeder is less numerous and widespread than previously thought. The
global population could be as low as 5,000 pairs. Illegal hunting as ever and
collisions with vehicles are cited as reasons for the decline along with the
effects of climate change in the high Arctic. Snow melt can affect the
availability and distribution of lemmings their primary prey species during the
breeding period. Its breeding distribution is in the tundra climatic zone and
circumpolar so you would think well away from any unhelpful attention from humanoids.
Unfortunately the Owl prefers an exposed dry hummock on which to nest and to
also act as a lookout post with all-round views. Being a nomadic breeder nest
sites are not usually reused in successive years.
The
Snowy Owl is adapted to the severities of its habitat in having dense and downy
plumage with the feathers also concealing its bill and legs. This adaptation to
tundra is reflected in habitat preferences of winter vagrants occurring on
sparsely vegetated islands, as at Scolt Head, coasts with extensive salt marsh,
and inland moors. The bird that turned up on the North Norfolk Coast was
considered to be a first winter female due to extensive dark brown barring.
First winter males are less contrasted the barring is lighter brown and less
distinct. From a distance young males have a pale brown appearance, whereas
young females look grey. This female on the morning of 10th March looked even
darker as it rain heavily overnight and into the early hours, her underparts
looking bedraggled and black as water logged. Females are even larger than
males by about 20%, and almost the size of the Eurasian Eagle Owl, the biggest
of all owls.
 |
Snowy Owl
Found the only post out on Thornham Point
|
 |
| Snowy Owl |
No comments:
Post a Comment