After lifting off, a strong downstroke of its wings pushed the Snowy Owl forward, with this image showing the pattern of brown markings on its dorsal side and the longest flight feathers bending under the force of the wingbeat.

I often suggest spending extra time with a bird or flock of birds when the opportunity is afforded to us. We never know what might happen next. Action, reaction, or another change in the bird’s behavior or setting may provide progressively better and better images. This is important when you have the trust of a bird you rarely encounter, especially if you are already in position to photograph the bird, and you have taken a few initial photos – why not stay a while. Appreciate the chance to share an extended observation period with the potential of another photo angle on the bird if it repositions, or stretches, or preens – or takes flight! And that’s what transpired on a cold winter afternoon about 25 miles southwest of home a few years ago.

The winter of 2015 provided a memorable opportunity to find up to a dozen Snowy Owls during a given sunny afternoon drive that accessed both sides of the border that divides the Dakotas. The situation started out pretty simply, and seemed unlikely to become more than a mundane repetition of a number of similar sightings during previous weeks and days. As I drove westward about 6 miles north of the border, I sighted a Snowy Owl perched on a tall wooden powerline pole. I slowed as I approached the structure north of the road, watching for the best location to pull over to take advantage of the winter sunlight with the sun at my back and the owl before me.

The Arctic owl stood out against the deep blue sky as it lifted upward and began to turn in Paul’s direction. Luckily, the shadows that show on the underside of the owl were not pronounced in the afternoon light.

Leveling off, with its wings outstretched overhead and its attention focused on the photographer, this might be the best photo in the flight series. What an impressive bird as it shows its long broad wings.

As I stopped, I didn’t expect to get anything more than a documentary photo of the grand white owl. I had encountered many owls in similar settings, and although I was on a mission to get to Snowy Owl hotspots farther west and southwest of this location, I lingered a while. The wind notably blew some of the feathers up on the owl’s back and against the side of its face as I watched through my camera fitted with a 400mm telephoto lens. I preset my camera with an aperture of f9, which resulted in a shutter speed of 1/2000 using an ISO of 400. The aperture would ensure a fairly broad area of focus, and the shutter speed would stop the motion of a Snowy Owl in flight, “just in case” it lifted upward.

Without obvious reason to wait, aside from “just in case,” I watched and waited, spending some extra time with the owl after taking a couple photos. After 5 minutes, I perceived a change and tensed up a bit in anticipation – and then it happened: The Snowy Owl took flight, slowly lifting off into the wind with its wings over its back, then pumping down with a strong movement forward. My excitement allowed me to keep a level frame of mind as I took each photo – click, click, click – as I followed the slow steady flight of the majestic white owl.

Gaining speed, the shutter speed of 1/2000 of a second provided sharp feather edges. Note that some feathers have a slightly yellow tone, suggesting that this is a second-year bird that has molted some feathers.

The owl tipped to one side a bit, showing its ventral side, which again shows no harsh contrast in the shadowed underside. The wide f9 aperture provided a fairly sharp focus wingtip to wingtip with a point of focus on the face.

As it raised its wings a second time, it began turning its head in my direction, and I continued taking photographs as it passed parallel to my position, and ever-closer – click, click, click. The wingbeats of the Snowy Owl were not hurried, and the long feathers and wing structure of the mega-owl were pronounced as it made each fluid motion up and down. The owl began to turn away to focus its attention ahead as it pushed its wings down, then raised them high above its back in an especially strong upstroke before it moved beyond my ability to follow it through my camera lens.

I took a deep breath after holding my breath for the duration of the Snowy flight, which only lasted for 3 up-and-down wingbeats. Obviously, I was excited by the experience that unfolded before me, and I had no idea how successful I was in getting at least one nice flight photo (maybe more). But the photo sequence seemed very promising, especially considering that the spectacular owl had taken a simple flight parallel to my position and ever closer, rather than flying away from me, or at an angle away to one side or another. The potential for a good image or 2 seemed possible, and that impression was underlined when I took a quick look at the series of photos on the small LCD screen on the back of the camera.

Turning its attention forward, the stream-lined torpedo shape of the body is evident and you can see the black talons on the end of the feet near the tail. By this time the grand Snowy Owl was sailing pretty quickly.

The full upreach of the wings provide a dramatic final image in this memorable series of flight photographs. The sequence was enhanced by perfect sunlight, a uniform background, and the Snowy Owl’s flight path parallel to Paul’s choice position after his patient wait.

It wasn’t until I returned home and had a chance to view the photo series on my computer monitor that my jaw dropped in near disbelief at how dramatic each photo in the series turned out! Overall, I took 15 photos of which 10 were really good, and I share the 7 best images in that memorable Snowy Owl photo series with you in this article with great excitement. I know not everyone gets to see a Snowy Owl, and I don’t know of anyone who has seen a Snowy at relatively close quarters who isn’t immediately impressed by them. I have always had a strong interest in Snowy Owls, and an attraction to them, so to review this photo series in its entirety again in 2022, 7 years to the day after I took them, provided a real jolt as to how everything came together in all the right ways for me to get these photographs of such a stately ambassador of the Arctic during a frigid winter spent on the northern plains.

I have had the pleasure and excitement to see many Snowy Owls before and after taking this series of photos of this interesting individual, but it still stands alone in my mind as the most exceptional Snowy Owl I have encountered – and I have the photos to prove it! After taking the photos, I caught my breath and regained my composure; then noticed the Snowy had merely flown westward to perch on another wooden tower, likely to reposition with an interest in finding afternoon prey. I drove slowly past the impressive owl and waved as I voiced a Lakota salute: Hoka Hey, thank you.

Article and photographs by Paul Konrad

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