Outdoors
THE SNOWY OWL Martin Ballam, Xtreme Falconry
S
ome people pray for a white Christmas whilst others certainly do not. Will we get a white Christmas here in Dorset? Somehow I doubt it, although my children most definitely hope so. The bird that immediately springs to mind over the festive period, while people are ever-hopeful of the infamous white stuff, is, of course, Mr Robin ‘Red Breast’. However, the robin is not quite a bird full of ‘festive spirit’. It’s a very tough little character whose life is full of theft, adultery and fighting, sometimes to the death - and everyone thinks it is such a sweet little bird! 42 | Bridport Times | December 2018
So, let’s talk about another bird of the winter, the mighty snowy owl. You may wonder why I have chosen the snowy owl for an article as it is clearly not a bird to be seen in Dorset or have we just not spotted one yet? Why would a snowy owl frequent our wonderful county and is the reality of seeing one here beyond the realms of possibility? I believe quite strongly that they have frequented our local area in some winters and I am sure an official sighting is on the cards at some stage. Here’s why. The snowy owl is a bird of the far northern tundra.