The Winners of the Great Snowy Owl Observation Contest of 2014

Donna Johnson Buckley’s photograph of an injured Snowy Owl that she helped rescue and release back into the wild.

The last Snowy Owls from the winter’s historic influx have migrated north, leaving bird lovers throughout Connecticut with months of great birding memories.

Connecticut Audubon Society is marking the end of this memorable season by announcing the winners of its Great Snowy Owl Observation Contest of 2014.

The winners are Donna Johnson Buckley, of Clinton, and Michael LaBossiere, of Tariffville. Donna submitted photos she took while volunteering to help rescue injured owls; Michael submitted an entry about a Snowy Owl encounter that helped forge a personal bond. Each will receive a $250 prize.

Connecticut Audubon Society announced the contest in January as a way to celebrate the extraordinary influx of Snowy Owls from the Arctic in 2013-14, and to raise awareness of these beautiful birds.

The rules were simple: we asked people to share their experiences of this winter’s Snowy Owl irruption by submitting a photo, video or written anecdote of what they saw and heard. Residents of Connecticut and beyond submitted scores of entries via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and email. You can see many of the entries here, and we also compiled a slide show of many of the photo submissions (we tried to include at least one shot from everyone who submitted a photo).

“We received dozens of great photos and stories but theirs stood out as examples of how birding and bird conservation can be a moving, personal experience,” said Connecticut Audubon President Alexander Brash. “Birds are charismatic creatures, perhaps none more so than Snowy Owls. We’re confident that by getting out and seeing the owls, photographing them, and sharing the experience, Connecticut residents will be more aware of the importance of conservation.”

Michael LaBossiere’s photo of a Snowy Owl at Hammonasset. “In 1987 I observed and photographed a Snowy Owl in Westport, Massachusetts, with a girl I was very fond of. That day and the “Owl” we shared was a special bond, for we went our separate ways in life. Life is strange, and after 25 years we reunited. The original Snowy Owl photograph hangs on the wall we now share. We had made several trips to “renew” our Snowy Owl experience with no luck, until this winter when we saw a Snowy at Hammonasset State Park. Though it was exciting for many around us who saw the owl that day, no one could know the very special meaning for the two of us.”

Donna Johnson Buckley submitted several portraits of Snowy Owls that she took while volunteering for A Place Called Hope, a Killington organization that rescues injured birds, and rehabilitates and releases them. Her most striking portrait was of an owl rescued in December from a backyard in the middle of Connecticut.

She wrote of A Place Called Hope: “Being a part of their family allowed me to be included in a few of their releases, a fantastic experience to say the least! This particular Snowy soared into the air and flew like a champ!”

Michael LaBossiere submitted a reminiscence of a Snowy Owl he saw in Westport, Mass., in 1987, while walking with a young woman who, as he put it, “I was fond of.” They went their separate ways until meeting again two years ago. The 1987 sighting was their touchstone until they saw another this year at Hammonassett.

He wrote, “The Snowy Owl was and is a symbol of something very special. The day we saw the ‘first’ Snowy in ‘87 was so random it was crazy, but that day, a simple single day, was literally unforgettable, pardon the phrase. So when we saw the Snowy Owl at Hammonasett on January 4th, it was very special.

“The Snowy owl photograph hangs on the wall of the house we now share.”

Snowy Owls live most of their lives on the tundra but when their food – lemmings and other rodents – becomes scarce in winter, or when they’ve had successful breeding seasons, many fly south in search of more productive hunting grounds. These so-called irruptions happen every few years, the most recent being in the winter of 2011-2012.

But the irruption of 2013-14 was historically big. Snowy Owls began arriving in late November, not just in Connecticut but across the country.

Because they are tundra birds, Snowy Owls chose flat, open areas, especially beaches, for their winter roosting and hunting grounds. In Connecticut they were most common at Hammonasset Beach State Park, Connecticut Audubon Society’s Milford Point Coastal Center, and in the marshes and beaches of Stratford and Bridgeport.