Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus)

    A beautiful and extremely rare visitor from the Arctic made a stop in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle. My family spotted a crowd of a birdwatchers on a walk to the bakery last Sunday. We were drawn to the crowd of onlookers and followed their upturned gazes to the top of a derelict house, where this majestic creature had chosen to perch.

    

    The graininess of the pictures deserves explanation. I had to take these pictures with my smartphone, as I hadn't gone out intending to see one of the most widely-sought birds in North America! 

    The snowy owl spends most of the year in the polar north, across all the world's longitudes. Unlike most owls, the snowy owl prefers to hunt during the daytime. Unfortunately conservationists believe the world's population of snowy owls is in decline, and may number only 100,000. Here's to hoping that this species makes a comeback and that there will be many more sightings of this glorious animal.