Starting a new sketchbook is always a somewhat ceremonial occasion for me.  That first filled page sets the tone for the coming months ahead, and once I get down to the last few blank sheets in my previous book I’ll arrange a small field trip.  Today it was out to the Metz area east of Arthur, to ward off the January blahs with some winter specialities.

Snow Buntings, feeding on cracked corn.

Snow Buntings are colloquially known as ’snowflakes,’ and watching them it’s easy to see why.  Nomadic winter flocks stream down from the high arctic and bounce about the open countryside in search of food, flashing their bold, bi-coloured wings as they swirl down to the ground.  The spectacle has a purpose: predators find it difficult to single out any one bird amidst the confusion.  The tactic also applies well to those wielding binoculars.

Their behaviour also tends to make them terrible subjects.  Flighty and wide-ranging, they can be quite a challenge to get close to.  Fortunately a local bander has been attracting them to the roadside with scattered corn, and I was able to observe hundreds of noisy, hungry snowflakes from the relative comfort of my vehicle.

Of course, the real reason anyone birds the Metz in winter is to find Snowy Owls.  Unfortunately today was blindingly sunny, making it difficult to the spot their distant forms against the glare.  Almost immediately after I had given up and turned to head home, I came upon an adult female perched atop a utility pole right next to the road.  She blinked at me for a few moments, then resumed scanning the surrounding fields for voles.

Hmph.