Snowy Owl news

http://www.timescoloni​st.com …h+food/7620403/​story.html

We don't need BIF shots that bad.

This is sad and alarming. Thanks for posting this Chuck.

I will never understand why any nature photographer would so aggressively alter the behavior of a wild animal for the sake of a photo under any circumstances. Some of my most treasured photos are those taken while approaching with extreme caution and patience to preserve natural behavior. Only then do you experience the true essence of the animal. It's inevitable that some wildlife will be startled from time to time but using fear to gain a photograph is unethical.

Great article! The same situation in our local area. A bander told me two weeks ago that he found two underweight Snowy Owls. One of them had to be put down because it suffered severe injuries possibly from a car collision. The other one was being taken care of, and I think it was released recently.

Nighthound wrote in post #15308040
This is sad and alarming. Thanks for posting this Chuck.

I will never understand why any nature photographer would so aggressively alter the behavior of a wild animal for the sake of a photo under any circumstances.

I wouldn't classify them as a nature photographer or a photographer for that matter.

I agree with your statement 100% though. I feel as if I failed if I scare something off even though it was unintentional on my part.

Thanks for the info Chuck. Sad to see them having to fly a lot further than normal to find food. Last year when a Snowy showed up in Texas a couple miles from where I live, there were several people there that showed absolutely no restraint and tried to approach her. Looks like we might have another Snowy irruption in the lower 48 again this year. There was one spotted in Georgia just a couple days ago.