49.6

Here's one from a winter owl workshop. Find out more @ www.NaturePhotographyBlog.com
A Great Gray Owl during a snow storm, or blizzard, over its hunting grounds during the great irruption of 2004-2005 Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada. The Great Gray Owl was first described by Johann Reinhold Forster in 1772. They have also been called the phantom of the north, Spectral Owl; Lapland Owl;Spruce Owl; Bearded Owl; and Sooty Owl. These birds wait, listen, and watch for prey, then swoop down; they also may fly low through open areas in search of prey. Their large facial disks, also known as "ruffs", focus sound, and the asymmetrical placement of their ears assists them in locating prey, because of the lack of light during the late and early hours in which they hunt. On the nesting grounds, they mainly hunt at night and near dawn and dusk; at other times, they are active mostly during the night. They have excellent hearing, and may locate (and then capture) prey moving beneath 60 cm (2 feet) of snow in a series of tunnels solely with that sense. These owls can crash through snow that could support the weight of a 180-pound person. When hot they will pant and droop their wings, exposing an unfeathered area called the apterid. They have been known to drive off predators as large as black bears when defending their nest.