Winter in Alberta’s boreal forest reveals a dynamic beauty that constantly shifts with the weather. While snow often blankets the landscape, there are moments when the forest floor peeks through in shades of brown and green, adding contrast to the towering spruce and pines that stand like steadfast sentinels. Frost clings delicately to branches of balsam poplar and quaking aspen, and the crisp air carries a peaceful stillness. Wildlife thrives amidst this frozen beauty and its presence is revealed by the numerous animal tracks that appear after a night of snowfall.
Some animals typically don’t leave tracks and are a challenge to find. Among them are great gray owls, the target species for our two photography trips to Alberta in March. With that challenge accepted, our two trips combined, found ten individual great gray owls and three unexpected northern hawk owls, plus several coyotes and a quick glimpse of a lynx as it ran across the road on our second trip—a sighting of an animal new to most trip members.
Our twice daily photo shoots never failed to produce fantastic owl shots as we commuted to secluded forest tracts from our cozy guest ranch. We returned to the ranch at midday to warm up, have lunch, and download images before heading out again until dusk. Even in winter, away from their nesting territories, the owls hunting territories are highly predictable after they are first found. One great gray and one hawk owl could be found virtually every time we looked for them. But we always searched for others to vary the backgrounds and tree species to feature in our images.
With its huge facial disc, the great gray owl is known for its striking appearance and piercing stare. With exceptional hearing, this owl can detect prey hidden beneath snow or dense vegetation, aided by that disc funneling sound to its asymmetrical ears which enhances sound localization. Its broad, silent wings allow it to glide stealthily while hunting, usually targeting small mammals such as voles and mice. Seasonal movements of great gray owls are influenced by food availability rather than temperature, making them winter nomads in their search for sustenance. During “invasion years” of prey scarcity, they may migrate southward arriving to unusual locations where they are seen by many birders and photographers, although they typically remain in secluded boreal forests where our tour groups search for them.
Northern Hawk Owls are remarkable creatures, especially in the depths of winter, when their unique adaptations are very apparent. They are much smaller and more agile than the great gray (arguably the world’s largest owl by length). Unlike most owl species, they are diurnal, hunting during the day even in the short winter days in frigid tundra and boreal forests. Their sharp vision is key to their hunting success and allows them to spot prey like voles and mice from their typical treetop perch. Hawk owls can detect prey by sight up to half a mile away. They lack the asymmetrical ears that great grays have, and their hearing is not as acute, but it still plays an important role in their hunting strategy. With their streamlined bodies and long tails, hawk owls can dart through the icy air with precision, resembling hawks in flight more than their owl relatives.
Both of our groups had wonderful snowstorms to enhance our owl images with the second group experiencing an almost total whiteout that made driving conditions difficult for a short time.
I hope you enjoy the images I created on these two amazing and fun photo shoots, and I invite you to join me in 2026 for an incredible journey in our search for winter owls in the wilds of Alberta, Canada.
