This is a Snowy Owl video that covers the 2022-2023 overwintering season here in southwest rural Ottawa.I have been planning for and hoping to create this kind of Snowy Owl video for years, and especially since last October when I bought a new Canon R5 mirrorless camera for the sole purpose of doing short wildlife videos. I went out to see the Snowies with my video gear almost 20 times this year in good and bad weather, not counting the dozen or so times I went before they actually settled down here for the Winter.After having been an active Nikon DSLR shooter for 12 years it was a huge and challenging transition for me to move to a Canon mirrorless camera cold turkey. In fact, I sold my Nikon D500 soon afterwards just so I wouldn't be tempted in difficult times to fall back on familiar things (...burning the boats to preclude retreat, as it were).In addition to learning a whole new camera brand (Canon), and a whole new camera system (mirrorless), my biggest problem was and continues to be not being able to see very well through the electronic viewfinder, especially on bright sunny days, because of a medical issue with my eyes. Thankfully, my trusty old "portable darkroom" helps a lot, which is a black mini-blanket draped over my head just like landscape photographers generations ago used to use.I have been captivated by the beauty and majesty of Snowy Owls, especially in flight, ever since first seeing one years ago in this very same location in rural Ottawa. My wife and I have had an extra large print of one hanging in our kitchen for over 10 years now, and we still love it and have no plans to replace it.Anyways, regarding this video, there are still many flaws and shortcomings with it as I'm just now starting to get the hang of all this. But for the most part I'm happy with it and looking forward to what's next.Hope you enjoy it. Rudy

This is clearly a baited owl. What you're doing is despicable.

Wonderful work, very beautiful images and footage.  Thanks for sharing.

OSP2017 wrote:This is clearly a baited owl. What you're doing is despicable.I have no idea what you are talking about.  The video was a wonderful collection of footage and images very clearly taken in the wild.  What the OP is doing is wonderful in sharing it with us.

Bryan Conner wrote:OSP2017 wrote:This is clearly a baited owl. What you're doing is despicable.I have no idea what you are talking about. The video was a wonderful collection of footage and images very clearly taken in the wild. What the OP is doing is wonderful in sharing it with us.They reduce this wonderful wild bird to being a circus animal that starts expecting humans to bring it food. This is an unscrupulous way for so-called "workshop" organizers to make money off unethical photographers who will do anything for a nice shot. In a nutshell, these photos/videos are equivalent to those taken in a zoo.

OSP2017 wrote:This is clearly a baited owl. What you're doing is despicable.Yes, you are correct, these Owls were indeed baited.Unfortunately, in the Ottawa area which is a city of over a million people, every single Snowy Owl gets baited almost on the day it arrives here until the day it leaves. We have several people who have been baiting these Owls for as long as anyone can remember despite any protests against them. And if a Snowy is not being baited at the very time it is being photographed, it has nevertheless been completely habituated through baiting already. The people who do this drive up and down country roads at sunrise in mid-December and as soon as they see a Snowy they try to feed it live mice and ususally succeed. By day 2 or 3 the Owls are habituated.So, what photographers like me have to decide for ourselves is this: are we going to completely abandon the field and give up photographing Snowy Owls altogether because they are being actively baited almost every day, or are we going to make our peace with it as best we can? After years of struggle I have chosen the later option.Let me give you a recent example. I went out one blustery morning in January before sunrise to try to get some video footage of a female on a fencepost with a nice colourful sunrise in the background. I snowshoed out into the field, but just before I got into position a whole crew of photographers with mice showed up in the adjacent field. I knew that this Owl had been completely habituated and knew this group well and that within minutes she would fly over to them, which she did. My planned outing and sunrise footage went out the window.So now I had a choice to make. I could trudge back to my car, pack up my gear and go home since there were only 2 Snowies in the whole area and both were actively baited daily. Or I could follow behind the baiters and try to snatch whatever shots and video footage I could under the circumstances. I did the later because I simply refused to abandon the playing field and give up spending time with and photographing/videoing my favourite birds because of other people's behavior and selfishness.Eight years ago I was so outraged at the Snowy Owl baiting that was going on in this very location that I posted a major vitriolic rant on my Flickr gallery, my Facebook page and my dedicated wildlife photography website and started world war three here in Ottawa's photography circles. To this day some people still won't talk to me. So I've paid my dues on this issue. And what did it change? Not a thing, except now I have a few more enemies.I have a couple of friends who are so disgusted at the Snowy Owl baiting that they refuse to even go and see the Owls. That's their choice and I respect that, but as I wrote, I refuse to abandon the field and give up Snowy Owls in our area because of other people's selfishness. If that means my behavior seems despicable in the eyes of some, then so be it. I understand... no hard feelings.Just as a final word, we had a beautiful Great Gray Owl take up short term residence in a local Ottawa park about a month ago and I like others went to see it. Within days of my first visit to see this Owl I heard that some bozo had brought and used a mouse a few days before. I never went back. I do not support or encourage Owl baiting, but when the Owls get baited on a daily basis from the moment of their arrival to the day of their departure like the Snowies here do, well I have to somehow work with the realities as they are.I hope that this gives you a little more context regarding the situation.Cheers, Rudy

While I simply appreciated your efforts and the results you presented in your video, thank you for the information and background concerning the Snowy Owl situation in your part of the world.  It is very sad that some people don't respect the other creatures with which we share our little rock floating around our sun.  But, even knowing that the owls were baited by someone else, that still doesn't take anything away from your video and the beauty of the owls that you so pleasingly captured.

All I can say is the effort was worth it. Your videos are excellent. Well filmed and well edited.Having only just started wearing glasses I don’t really know your problems. I’ve been lucky to have good eyesight up until now, and I am only having the normal age related need for longer arms. I do have a couple of friends who struggle with the viewfinder though. One of them has been forced to use a screen on top of the camera for video as his eyes are really bad. Like you though, he is still making great videos.

Distinctly Average wrote:All I can say is the effort was worth it. Your videos are excellent. Well filmed and well edited.Having only just started wearing glasses I don’t really know your problems. I’ve been lucky to have good eyesight up until now, and I am only having the normal age related need for longer arms. I do have a couple of friends who struggle with the viewfinder though. One of them has been forced to use a screen on top of the camera for video as his eyes are really bad. Like you though, he is still making great videos.Hi Phill,Thanks very much for your encouraging words.... much appreciated.Unfortunately, I have degenerative corneal condition with cornea transplants in my future. It's not a big deal, many people live with this condition. In the meantime, I'm enjoying every day out with my camera.Cheers, Rudy

Rudy;  Your snowy owl videos are beautiful and I really appreciate you posting them.  Thank-you and good luck.Bramble9

Bramble9 wrote:Rudy; Your snowy owl videos are beautiful and I really appreciate you posting them. Thank-you and good luck.Bramble9Thanks very much for your encouraging words, Bramble.Best regards, Rudy

It is an interesting ethical dilemma. While I appreciate wild animals that are truly wild, I might ask how different is it from a bird feeder?Fortunately, whichever side of the debate you fall on, the owls are well fed and suffer no harm.