Owls are amazing birds and are animals that are often sought after by wildlife photographers. We have quite a few species of owls here in Maine, but I had never been fortunate enough to even hear one, let alone see or photograph one. I had seen and photographed a few owls in a national park when I was in India and saw one flying across the road in Utah. But, other than at the Maine Wildlife Park, or Gray Animal Farm as it was called when I was young, I’d never seen any here in Maine.

      As I had spent most of my camera time in 2019 and 2020 working on bird photography, I started to wonder if I might try searching for some owls. I had joined a group on Facebook specifically for birds in Maine, and lots of folks were posting images of various types of owls they’d taken in their own backyards. The problem was I didn’t really know where to start.

      The months passed, and I continued to see photos on Facebook and sightings listed on my birding apps, but I was lost. Even if I went to the general area where someone had seen an owl, I just had no idea what to look for, where to go, how to possibly find them, assuming they were even still in the area. It was becoming pretty clear that I needed more training and/or to be able to accompany someone with knowledge and experience. With a worldwide pandemic raging, however, that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. So, I figured it and the owls would have to wait.

      Then, in early December, I started seeing photos and reports of snowy owls. These beautiful birds live in the Canadian Arctic, but they migrate south for the winter in search of food. I’d seen photos in the past of snowy owls taken in New York, as well as a few photos from Acadia National Park, but I didn’t think too much about it at the time. It was more awe at the stunning beauty of the birds and the images and a passing hope that maybe one day I’d be able to see one for myself than a thought that they might be regular visitors to Maine.

      When I started seeing photos and posts about sightings in southern Maine, I got excited. I had no idea how long the owl or owls might be in the area, whether this was normal every winter or a fluke, but this was my chance to try to see one. The group on Facebook had very clear rules in regards to posts about snowy owls. No location information was allowed in order to protect the owls. So, I could not get any help there. Instead, I just had to go out on my own.

      With it being December, the sunrise was quite late in the morning, so I didn’t have enough time to search before work. Likewise, the sun set each day a few hours before I got off work, so that left me with only the weekends to look. Additionally, I’d read conflicting information about snowy owls, so I wasn’t sure if they were active during the day or nocturnal like many other owl species. So, I had limited time to search with no idea where to go or where they might be – perched asleep or actively hunting – high on a tree or rooftop or down on a rock, on the beach, in the grass.

      In all reality, it was an almost impossible task and highly unlikely I’d succeed. But, I had to try. Given the possibility that this was a rare occurrence, I’d regret it if I didn’t at least give it a go. I grabbed my gear and headed out in the jeep. I decided to go out to some of the locations I’d been having luck with bird sightings in general. I’d gotten a bit more familiar with those areas and figured that if I didn’t see the snowy owl, I might still get lucky and see some other birds.

      My first attempt ended up essentially just being a nice drive. I didn’t see or photograph anything. I was only able to get out the one time that weekend. There were still reports of sightings, so the following weekend, I was able to try again, getting out early on the Sunday morning. I went along to the same places. This time, I had more success, but still no snowy owls. I did manage to see and photograph three different birds of prey, however.

      It was a really exciting day for me. I had often spied various hawks as I’d drive around the state, but it was always when I didn’t have my camera or needed to get somewhere by a set time. This was the first time I’d been able to stop and attempt some photos, despite the conditions not being the best. And, to make it even better, I had three different birds, all in different locales, all on the same day.

      The first one I came across was a Red-Shouldered Hawk, I believe. It was perched high up in a tree next to the road, scanning for its next meal. I was able to pull over and spend several minutes snapping photos out my window. I didn’t dare exit the vehicle to try for better images. There wasn’t really a good spot to leave the vehicle, and I didn’t want to disturb the hawk, potentially stressing it and causing it to lose a meal.

I believe this is a Red-Shouldered Hawk, my first bird of prey of the day. Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Maine

      The second one I came across was in a tree on a branch just above someone’s porch. I believe it may have been a juvenile Sharp-Shinned Hawk. I pulled over and once again spent several minutes snapping photos out my window. This hawk was much lower and closer, so my photos were better. But, it meant even more that I could not exit my vehicle to try and get better photos from the tripod. It too appeared to be hunting, and though it may be ok with humans since it was so close to someone’s porch, I didn’t want to risk it. Not to mention not wanting to trespass or disturb the homeowner. Just as I put my camera away, it flew down into the bushes beyond my car, caught a snack, and flew back across my hood. I was very glad to witness that before moving on.

I believe this is a Sharp-Shinned Hawk, my second bird of prey of the day. Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Maine

      My final sighting of the day was a Red-Tailed Hawk, I believe. It was in a tree on the other side of a small meadow quite a distance from me. I had just turned onto a small road when I spotted it, and there was nowhere to pull over. I simply stopped and snapped a few photos out my window before needing to move on. Its back was to me, though it did turn its head to look towards me a few times. A vehicle turned onto the road behind me, and after it safely passed me, I looked back, and the hawk was gone. I drove on and didn’t see anything else for the day.

I believe this is a Red-Tailed Hawk, my last bird of prey of the day. Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Maine

      The following weekend was Christmas. There had been more and more photos posted on the Facebook group, so I felt I still had a chance. With the pandemic, I would not be spending Christmas with my family this year. It was supposed to be raining all day. All our snow had already been melted and washed away by the rain. But, we had a small window where the rain had stopped.

      My boyfriend and I decided to see if we might have any luck with less traffic on the roads. Even though there were no locations listed with the posts, I had a suspicion where some of the photos had been taken. So, we headed out. It was nice having someone to help scan for birds. It’s very difficult to scan trees, ground, rooftops, lightposts, everywhere on both sides of the car while also driving said car and needing to scan for humans, pets, and other vehicles too, all while staying in your lane.

      As we drove along, scanning in all directions, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I thought it was a stray white plastic shopping bag, but I looked closer anyway. When the head turned, I realized I had done it. I had found the snowy owl! There was no one else on the road, so I was able to back up a bit until the owl was directly out my window. I was super lucky that it was perched on the ground on my side of the road. I was able to pull over to get photos out my window.

I believe this is a female Snowy Owl. Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Maine

The Snowy Owl had turned her head, scanning the area, allowing for a better view of her face. Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Maine

      It still wasn’t raining, but the wind was ferocious! It was coming from the passenger side and was shaking the entire vehicle. The owl was hunkered down in the grass trying to shelter from the wind as much as possible. It was probably more than 100 feet from the road, but I’m terrible at guessing distances, so I can’t say for sure. It knew we were there, but it didn’t seem bothered by us at all. It spent more time looking around, reacting to other vehicles and people on the road, and only occasionally glancing our way.     

      I really didn’t think any of my photos would turn out. With the storm, my ISO was quite high. I had the shutter speed as high as I could go, but with the constant shaking of the vehicle, I expected them all to have some blur. And, of course, the owl was very small in the frame, so I expected not to be able to crop in much before the grain from the high ISO became too distracting.

      But, honestly, I didn’t care. I was just so happy to have found it, to see a snowy owl with my own eyes and to be able to get some photos, no matter how bad they might be. Even better, Bobby was with me to share the experience, and it was on Christmas day. It was so amazing and one of the best presents I could have had.

The Snowy Owl was watching a woman walking her dog along the road who were about to pass by us. Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Maine

This photo is less cropped than the others to give a better idea of how far away the Snowy Owl actually was from the road. It is still cropped, however, to remove any identifying features of the landscape. Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Maine

      Part of me wishes I could end the story here with the happy revelation back at home that I did indeed have some really great images in the batch. However, there are some important things that need to be said, so I will continue with the story. I had been partially correct in my guess about how the images would come out. They did require some heavy cropping due to how far away the owl was. And, at a certain point, the resolution and high ISO just made further cropping untenable. I hoped I might be able to go out again on a bright sunny day that would allow me to use my teleconverter and lower ISOs for better image quality.

      The following morning, the day after Christmas, was a Saturday, and I got my wish. The storm had passed, and the sun was shining. It was still quite windy and very cold, but it was very bright. I packed up my gear and headed back to the location where I’d found the owl before. The difference was drastic; it was very busy with lots of traffic. I kept pulling over to allow vehicles to pass so I could drive slowly while scanning for the owl. Each time, I wondered if the vehicle belonged to a local or to someone else searching for the owl.

      I searched the area and had no luck spotting the owl. I got lucky with a parking spot and got out to walk some of the trails to see if I might spot it away from the road. Still no luck. So, I packed up and headed out, trying to get away from the crowds. On the way home, I spotted a few folks with big lenses on the side of the road. I pulled over to chat. They hadn’t seen the owl but were instead looking at a mockingbird in a tree. I wished them luck and continued on.

      A few minutes later, I came across a couple with a spotting scope on the side of the road. I glanced across the pond in the direction they were facing and spied a snowy owl. I turned around and drove back up the road to a parking area. I grabbed my gear and walked back to take a seat on my little stool about a dozen feet further away from them.

      I set up my camera on the tripod with my extender. The owl was perched at the end of a dock on the other side of the pond. Even though it was really bright out, it was even further away than the previous day and was backlit by the sun with a dark row of bushes and trees behind. There was no way I was going to be able to get photos as good as the previous day’s. But, I stayed and snapped away anyway simply for the experience and the hope I might get something interesting.

The Snowy Owl perched on the end of the dock at the edge of a small frozen pond. Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Maine

      The owl’s back was to us, and it appeared to be dozing. Occasionally, it would look around, swiveling its head towards us or others on the road or up into the sky. It seemed relatively relaxed and unbothered by us. Unfortunately, I could not say the same for myself. There was a lot of traffic, and more and more people gathered alongside the road. Some decided they wanted to see if they could get a better angle. I had toyed with the idea myself, but there were a lot of homes in the area, and I didn’t want to trespass, and that would probably have been the only way to see the owl from a different location.

      As time passed, more and more people showed up, then started walking down the road to circle the pond. With my big lens trained on the owl, I could sometimes see a car pass on the road behind it. Soon, I started seeing people walking behind it as well. I looked up and watched as a couple of people crossed into someone’s yard on the other side of the owl, then started to make their way down to the water, closer and closer to the owl. There were several photographers standing around. I mentioned that if they got much closer, they’d be liable to flush the owl. One of the guys to my left responded that at least I’d be ready for an awesome photo then.

      I can’t tell you how disappointed I was to hear that response and to see how all these people, photographers and observers alike, were acting. He was missing the point. It’s important to remember a few things when it comes to wildlife, whether you’re a professional photographer or just someone excited to see a special species.

      First is respect. You need to respect people, property, rules, and the animals themselves. You shouldn’t trespass onto private property to get a better look or photo of an animal. If you’re on public or private property, respect and obey the rules set forth by the landowner. Walk softly, don’t tread on sensitive vegetation, don’t go into areas they’ve requested you leave alone. Be nice and courteous to others also trying to experience the wildlife as well as to the landowners / authorities. Don’t stay too long if there are many people waiting for a chance to view the animal. Step back and let others have a turn.

      Second, the welfare of the animal must come first. You should not be causing the animal stress or interfering with its activities in order to get a better view or photo. Don’t attempt to get a bird to fly or an animal to run. This reaction is due to the animal sensing danger, so stress levels will be elevated, which is not healthy for them. Additionally, flying or running away expends energy that they may not have. Not to mention the fact that you may have caused them to leave / lose a meal or possibly their young, who are defenseless and now in danger.

      Your goal should always be to observe / photograph an animal doing its natural behavior, unaffected by your presence. Every species and animal is different with how closely they’ll allow you to approach and still feel comfortable. If you’re alone, quiet, and still, animals will tolerate your presence closer. But, even the most tolerant will leave as crowds gather. So, even if you’re at a good distance and the animal is comfortable with you, if a crowd gathers, that will stress them, so don’t contribute to that. Go ahead and take your leave and be content with the time and photos you did get.

      Lastly, remember that these are wild animals, not pets. No matter how cute they may be or how close they may get to you, you need to still try to give them their space. This is for your safety as well as theirs. Their lives are hard and a fight for survival every day. They are all equipped with some form of self-defense that could seriously hurt you. Animals are not evil and out to get you. But, you don’t know what they’re thinking and what might trigger a sense of alarm in them. So, even if one approaches you and appears friendly, try to maintain your distance to keep yourself safe, and to keep the animals safe, too.

      So, back to the snowy owl. I was glad when the people stopped inching closer and turned to leave. The owl did not fly off and continued sitting on the end of the dock. It had changed positions slightly, but then settled back down. I decided at that point it was time for me to leave. There were just too many people, and I couldn’t be part of it any longer. As I drove off, I spied quite a few photographers near the dock in someone’s yard, trespassing and far too close to the owl. I went home feeling pretty disheartened, wishing I hadn’t gone out after all. This was not the kind of experience I had wanted with a snowy owl.

One of the last photos I took of the Snowy Owl before leaving that day. You can see that the light had changed during the time I was there, but I never changed positions, never gave into temptation to try to get closer. Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Maine

      I believe the situation probably had gotten worse after that. I saw photos posted on the Facebook group from that day and location showing how close they must have been and of the owl flying off. Within a few days, the admins of the group announced that they would no longer allow anyone to even post a photo of a snowy owl any longer. The crowds were getting out of hand and endangering the owls (there are several throughout the state), and they felt that they were contributing by feeding the frenzy by allowing images to be posted. Part of me was sad because I loved seeing some of the amazing images, but a larger part of me was happy. Not knowing how the photos were taken made me worried they were done unethically. But, also, I hoped that with no photos anymore, folks might forget about the owls or believe they’d moved on and leave them in peace.

      New Year’s Day rolled around, and it was once again a beautiful sunny day. I had no idea if the owl was still around or not. But, I wanted to try one more time. I didn’t want to leave it that way, to have that second experience overshadow my Christmas day time with the owl or to taint my overall memory of seeing a snowy owl. I grabbed my gear and headed back out. Like on Christmas, it wasn’t as busy as the regular weekend. It was also early in the morning, after sunrise but still early enough that not a lot of people would be out.

      I slowly drove along, scanning everywhere, and before long, I spied the owl. It was sitting on top of a bird feeder on the other side of a fence at the far end of someone’s driveway. I continued driving and pulled into a public parking area not too far away. I packed up all my gear, and headed out.

      I walked down the road with my camera and tripod over my shoulder. I stopped a lot to look around at the area and for other birds, trying not to make it obvious that I had a destination. When I got to the spot, I put my tripod down just off the pavement where the driveway met the road. I did not want to trespass, but it wouldn’t be safe to be in the road itself.

      I made it appear that I was just taking a rest while looking around to see if there was any traffic coming or any walkers / runners along the road. When it was clear, I knelt down and took a few photos. When a car came by, I pretended to be doing something with my shoe till they moved out of sight. In total, I think I was there maybe 5 minutes, 10 at the most. I took approximately 30 photos and 1 video clip. Then, I packed up.

This Snowy Owl was perched on the roof of a homemade bird feeder in someone's yard. It was comfortably dozing in the sunshine. Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Maine

I believe this is a male Snowy Owl. I did not change position for this image, simply cropped more into the photograph. Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Maine

      I slowly worked my way back to the car, pausing and gazing off into the surroundings occasionally just as I had before. I felt jittery and bad about leaving so soon, but I desperately didn’t want to be the one to draw attention to the owl. I made it back to my car and packed everything away. I had done it. I had seen and photographed the owl again, and no one else was around. If anyone else showed up, it wouldn’t be because of me. I was also excited about the photos. I’d had the extender on, and the owl was much closer this time. Plus, it was bright, so my ISO was low, and the owl had been dozing in the soft golden light. They were just what I wanted.

      I headed out, continuing in the same direction I’d been going before. I just wanted to see what other birds I might find. As I drove, I spied a few folks in the distance with cameras. As I got closer, I spotted a snowy owl perched on the roof of a house! There were two in this area! I’m pretty sure this was the one from Christmas Day, whereas the other was the one from Boxing Day. I slowed down but continued driving.

      I turned around and came back through. I didn’t stop but took one last look. I think this was a female. I continued on and drove back the way I’d come. When I got to the driveway once more, I glanced over, and that snowy owl was still dozing on its perch. No one was about. I think that one was a male. I left him behind and continued home. This was a much better way to end the snowy owl saga. I had seen two different owls minutes apart and hadn’t done anything to disturb them or make others aware of their presence.

      I have posted some of the owl photos on my website, but like with the images and words in this blog, there is no location information. I’ve made the decision that from now on, any endangered bird species I photograph in Maine will have the location listed simply as “Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Maine” no matter where in the state they were actually photographed. This is the best way I can protect them while still sharing images to be able to promote knowledge, understanding, caring, and conservation of these wonderful birds.

      As for the snowy owls, it’s been a few weeks, and I haven’t been back. I have no idea if they’re still in the area or not. I’d love to see them again, and maybe I will, but I have no plans to go looking for them right at the moment. I want to give them their space, allow them to do their thing without the interference of yet another person. I’m content with the experience I had and photos I captured. Some day, I may have another opportunity, but for now, I’m satisfied with what I had.

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Final Note – I wrote this post in January of 2021 but intentionally waited to post it to my blog until April to ensure that I would not be contributing in any way to providing folks with information on their whereabouts. I don’t know for sure, but I assume all of the snowy owls have returned to the Arctic by now, thus making it safer to share this story. Also, all photographs were taken with a 450mm lens on a crop-sensor body, some with an additional 1.4x teleconverter, all cropped heavily from the original images.