Snowy Owl Visits Canadian Traffic Camera

Birds don’t smile but they photograph well.  In Montreal a traffic camera picked up a snowy owl.  The bird was soaring well above ground when it roared past the camera.  It was over in the blink of an eye but the traffic department then collected still shots from the video. 

The provincial Transport Minister then released the stills.  “Magnifique” is what he said in the release.  Translation:  “Magnificent”.

The birds like the cameras.  They can rest atop the poles and look for mice in nearby fields.

A friend from Florida saw the pictures and told me it reminded him of a plane taking off.

There is at least one owl in my neighborhood and I’ve never seen it flying.  I only hear it hooting in the wee hours of the morning.  I’m not even sure what kind of owl it is but another friend has asked me to record the sound.  She can identify it by the signature, however.  It’s not like I walk around in the darkness with an audio recorder.  I suppose I could but on a Saturday morning my mind is often somewhere else.

There is also an owl that sometimes appears at the radio studios.  Again, I’ve heard the call but haven’t caught a glimpse.  One of my coworkers has seen the bird in a tree next to the building but usually it’s off in some trees closer to the ballfields and horse pasture.  Where an owl would get a much better view of rodents or other small creatures stirring in the dark.