Distant Snowy Owl, low light and windy.

Friday, 27 January 2023: our temperature just after noon is -2°C (FEELS LIKE -7°C). Heavy, blowing snow with almost white-out conditions! SO glad that I am lucky enough to be able to stay home. Driving conditions must be grim.

Yesterday, 25 January 2023, I had no choice but to move my car from the parking lot for a few hours. This was because the parking lot and stalls were going to be cleared of snow and ice. Not that there was much still on the ground except between some of the cars when they were parked. It always becomes treacherous to walk along by the side of my car in the winter months. I don't have permission for street parking, so, for me, the only way to kill these hours was to drive out of the city. Usually, I plan a day's drive, but this time, I really didn't feel like leaving home at all.

The weather was miserable and snow was in the forecast. Not the kind of weather that I drive in, either on the highway or the back roads. The light was poor and it was windy and, as I discovered, one road was quite slippery.

I knew which area I would drive to, keeping my fingers crossed that I might just be lucky enough to find a Snowy Owl. Luck was on my side, when I spotted a female way down one of the roads. This was only the third Snowy I have seen this winter. At first, she was perched on a fence near the road, but was actively looking around her. Then off she flew, disappearing out over a huge field. I made a U-turn and hoped I might just be able to find where she landed. She was so far away, I almost missed her. Thank goodness for zoom! She stayed put for quite a while, shifting position by maybe a foot or two, still on the hunt for prey. I loved this encounter.

Eventually, i returned home, only to find that the parking stalls had not been touched and that the workers had done a really bad job. I thought that they hadn't even been, but apparently they did come. Fortunately, the weather has been mild (for winter), so melting has continued. Back to more snow tonight and tomorrow.

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