We recently had tremendous amounts of snow (by Vancouver standards). So much snow fell that my office shut down for the day. Unfortunately, I only learned of this upon my arrival to the workplace. Instead of going home, I decided to transit down to Boundary Bay, a commute that lasted 3 hours one way due to some transit disruptions. Once I got there, I wandered over to where I had previously seen a few owls, and I waited. I waited some more, until snow started to accumulate on me too. And finally, after sitting motionless in the snow for over an hour, the owl pictured below came right towards me. I didn’t move until I knew it would be close enough to fill the frame, waiting until the last second to fire off a quick burst - the images shown are the result of that. Just look at those eyes! Short-eared Owls (Asio flammeus) have one of the most expansive ranges of any owls, and can be found hunting in open areas such as fields. Here in Vancouver, we're lucky enough to have them year-round! Fun fact: Short-eared Owls can travel long distances over vast expanses of ocean. Witnesses have reported seeing these owls descending on ships hundreds of miles from land. Information provided by e-bird (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Short-eared_Owl/overview)
