Some beautiful out-of-town visitors has been spotted frequently along the roads in between Wallaceburg and Chatham this winter… and a Wallaceburg photographer has been busy documenting their stay.
Butch Dompierre has captured an assortment of photos of snowy owls, which have been seen by many motorists along Highway 40 this year.
“I’ve been pretty lucky just finding them around the area,” Dompierre told the Sydenham Current.
“One of the biggest things about photographing them is to be respectful of their ‘space’ and don’t get too close. We’re very fortunate to have some in our area again this year.”
Dompierre said they are generally not easy to spot.
“I believe they head out on to the lake ice or stay in the middle of fields, so they are quite hard to spot,” he said.
“They’re beautiful animals and I have been privileged and very lucky to see and record them.”
The snowy owl is typically found in the northern Arctic region, however they do relocate to more southern regions in search of prey.
Dompierre managed to snap some photos of the bird in flight this past week, on a road east of Highway 40.
He has also spotted the bird close to Mitchell’s Bay.
Check out these photos, and others he has snapped below:
These pictures are gorgeous. I drove out last Sunday afternoon to see it, but had no luck. I am guessing early morning is best? Aren’t owls usually nocturnal?