420mm (digital crop=1300mm) | 1/2000s | f/7.1 | ISO 400

It’s already the end of February 2025 and we have just finished a month of cold weather (-15C to -30C). The chinook wind finally blew in a few days ago with temperatures above zero Celsius and the snow is now melting quickly. Snow levels this winter have been very low, so I thought I better head out to the region southeast from my place before the snow melts and the Snowy Owls start their migration north for the summer.

Using the Audubon bird tracking app, I saw the area east of Beiseker, Alberta was still a good spot to search for Snowy Owls again this year. A few sightings had been reported in the last few days, so the chances were good. Not guaranteed, but if luck was on our side, maybe just maybe, would see this mighty owl.

The day was a beautiful one, sunny, plus 6 Celsius and just a slight breeze. Not enough to spin this windmill.

420mm | 1/2000s | f/6.3 | ISO 160

Now this shed has seen some strong winds attempt to push it over, but it is still holding on!

420mm | 1/2000s | f/6.3 | ISO 200

While driving slowly along the gravel and muddy grid roads where Snowy Owls had been observed in the past month, several smaller birds were also seen along the road. They often were on the road and would take flight as I approached them. They then would escort me down the road for a bit before veering off and landing in the adjacent fields.

Horned Lark | 420mm (cropped) | 1/2000s | f/6.3 | ISO 180

Snow Bunting | 420mm (cropped) | 1/2000s | f/6.3 | ISO 280

Came across this herd of white tail deer, which didn’t stick around and bounced away, with one seeming to ensure the others followed.

420mm | 1/2000s | f/6.3 | ISO 250

After approximately an hour and a half, I encountered a tractor and a truck along with a trailer traveling towards me. They startled a Snowy Owl by the roadside, causing it to take flight. I had pulled over to allow the tractor to pass and tracked the owl as it landed in the adjacent field. Though I was at a considerable distance, I managed to watch it through my binoculars and captured a photograph to document the sighting. This marks my first sighting of a Snowy Owl in 2025.

420mm (DX crop=630mm) | 1/2000s | f/6.3 | ISO 180

I attempted to move my car along the roads to see if I could get closer, but it had landed at an equal distance from the connected roads. I waited for a while to see if it would take flight, but it was content sitting in the field and enjoying the sunshine. Therefore after some time, I decided to continue exploring.

420mm | 1/2000s | f/6.3 | ISO 180

After an hour and a half of driving along roads documented in the bird spotting app, I was unable to locate any Snowy Owls. I then returned to the area where I had initially seen the owl but could no longer see it in the field. Hmmm where did it fly off to? As I was in the easternmost region where most owl sightings had been recorded on the bird tracking app, I decided to move westward. Only a few kilometers west I noticed a car far along the grid road heading south that was either stopped or was moving slowly.  I wasn’t the only one out here searching for Snowy Owls and pondered if they had spotted something or were just traveling along slowly. After a few seconds of pondering, I turned south. The car ahead appeared to keep moving slowly and then disappeared over a small hill. As I arrived at the approach of the hill, I spotted a Snowy Owl take off from the grain silos and gracefully soared a few feet above the field a short distance to the fence posts.  I quickly stopped the car and snapped a photo.

420mm (cropped) | 1/2000s | f/6.3 | ISO 200

In the late afternoon, the sun was positioned south of the Snowy Owl, while I observed it from the north side, looking at its shadowed side. I then drove slightly south of the fence line to take these photos. Although the owl was still far away, the fence posts created a nice leading line to the owl, which was sitting upright and alert.

420mm (cropped) | 1/2000s | f/7.1 | ISO 400

420mm (cropped) | 1/2000s | f/7.1 | ISO 400

420mm (cropped) | 1/2000s | f/7.1 | ISO 400

Some camera gear nerd info. My camera lens is only 420mm (300mm with 1.4 teleconverter), so I’ve cropped the high-resolution image (36mp), to create these images. Calculating the output image size compared to focal length, these cropped images are like using a 1300mm lens with a Nikon D1 camera (Nikon’s first DSLR camera that had only 3 megapixels).

This was the closest I got to the Snowy Owl this time. It was a successful day searching for Snowy Owls, but not as much for photography. Here is a short video clip of the owl.

As the sun began to get lower in the sky and clouds along the western horizon obscured the light, I continued my journey home via some backroads. During the journey, I encountered a solitary tree…

23mm | 1/250s | f/8 | ISO 100

As well as an abandon farmhouse…

420mm | 1/2000s | f/7.1 | ISO 1600

And finally, an old barn and abandoned farmyard.

420mm | 1/2000s | f/7.1 | ISO 1600

121mm | 1/250s | f/13 | ISO 100

As I headed home, I was happy that I had an enjoyable day out exploring the countryside, spotting a Snowy Owl and finding some other photographic gems along the way. Now I have a very muddy car, but that is okay, as that is a sign that spring is on its way. Hope you enjoyed this, and until next time…