Snow

Snow... Winter has finally arrived. The last few months of 2014 have passed by with very few bright sunny days. Hiking opportunities were few and far between.

Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens)
Ross's Goose (Chen rossii)
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) - Bradford, Ontario - 2014 December 5

Travelling south in early December, I stopped near Bradford at a pond reported to be the resting place for a few arctic geese. In the shallows among slush and thin morning ice I took a few photographs of the geese. Among the Canada Geese were three white geese. Looking carefully one can see the two closer to the camera are Snow Geese and the third one is a Ross's Goose. The Snow Geese have their telltale black "smile" which is not present on the Ross's Goose. Instead it has a smaller triangular pink bill, shorter neck and rounder head than the Snow Goose.

Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) - Sunnidale Township, Ontario - 2014 December 29

Several times this month I observed Snowy Owls on my travels, but it was always on dark rainy or snowy days. Finally after Christmas I had a chance to photograph this owl on a hydro pole. It turned its head every direction but would not look at me. Maybe hoping that if it ignored me I would leave. That brings an end to another year of birdwatching, hoping 2015 brings many new opportunities.