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Boundary Bay Snowy Owls

Comments 11 by Rebecca Bollwitt

A few weeks ago, arctic-dwelling Snowy Owls migrated to Boundary Bay (bordered by Surrey to the East and Delta to the West). These birds are on BC’s Endangered Species list under a code “blue” which means they are “considered to be of Special Concern (formerly Vulnerable) in British Columbia. Blue-listed taxa are at risk, but are not Extirpated, Endangered or Threatened.”

Snowy Owl
Photo credit: neil.fisher on Flickr – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool

As expected, many photographers have setup their tri-pods at Boundary Bay to catch these beautiful creatures in action. Our friend John Biehler went out to document the snowy owls yesterday.

Snowy Owls at Boundary Bay
Photo credit: John Biehler on Flickr – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool

Snowy Owls at Boundary Bay
Photo credit: John Biehler on Flickr – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool

Snowy Owls at Boundary Bay Snowy Owls at Boundary Bay
View John Biehler’s Full Flickr Set

Snowy Owls at Boundary Bay
Photo credit: John Biehler on Flickr – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool

Snowy Owls at Boundary Bay
Photo credit: John Biehler on Flickr – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool

According to the Vancouver Sun: “They feed largely on lemmings on the tundra. The population fluctuations of these rodents dictate when we see owls. In most years, lemmings are numerous and the owls stay in the north feasting on the rodents. However, every few years the lemmings numbers crash and the owls need to go in search of food. When food is particularly scarce, the owls will appear far south of the arctic in places like Boundary Bay.”

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11 Comments  —  Comments Are Closed

  1. JennMonday, January 16th, 2012 — 11:00am PST

    Beautiful!

  2. VictoriaMonday, January 16th, 2012 — 11:38am PST

    Wow beautiful photos!!

  3. KristenMonday, January 16th, 2012 — 12:36pm PST

    Gorgeous photos! I live in San Francisco now but Vancouver will always be my home which is why I love following your blog so I still know what’s going on. And in case you were concerned I’m still a huge Canucks fan…no San Jose sharks love from me 🙂

  4. dseptFriday, January 20th, 2012 — 1:12pm PST

    Went out there this morning. What AMAZING birds!

    http://www.mylifeinimages.com/2012/01/20/snowy-owls-on-a-snowy-day-in-boundary-bay/

  5. NikkiMonday, February 6th, 2012 — 10:00am PST

    Are they still there?

  6. CameronTuesday, February 7th, 2012 — 8:43pm PST

    I hope that they are still out there. I think I’ll go check it out this weekend.

  7. Delta walkerWednesday, February 8th, 2012 — 8:27pm PST

    Yes they are still there! I went out today by the Boundary bay airport and the King of Links . I saw 16 Snowy’s and just as many photographer’s

  8. NikkiWednesday, February 8th, 2012 — 9:37pm PST

    I went today to Boundary Bay and they are still there. Go down 72nd to the end near Kings Links golf course. Really beautiful to see them!

  9. Tom StoreySaturday, February 11th, 2012 — 8:32am PST

    Finally got to see them yesterday. Awesome site. The photos you have here are terrific. John did a nice job. 🙂

  10. Tomas IbarraSaturday, March 24th, 2012 — 4:26pm PDT

    Hi, does anyone knows if they are still hanging around?

    Thanks.

  11. Christine LormerWednesday, April 25th, 2012 — 1:01pm PDT

    Saw one in my townhouse complex this morning (in Richmond).. Called the OWL Rehabilitation Centre who came out.. As it was on the ground hopping around. When we tried to approach it, it tried to fly but could only hop on one foot.. 🙁 Unfortunately, we lost it (as I had to leave to take my kids to school before they came out) but the crows are still circling around – so we think it’s still here hiding..

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