We had good looks at the head patterning of the Snowy Owl seen in
Bridport from Route 125 this morning. There was a distinctive stippled
"Y" on the back of the head, noticeable "mutton chop sideburns", and an
especially dark spot on the left end of the uni-brow line across the
forehead.
I compared these features with the photos of the bird seen at the
DeVries Farm adjacent to Dead Creek WMA in Addison. The straight line
distance between the two locations is 4.4 miles.
The DeVries bird photos show no distinctive "Y" on the back of the head;
the stippling is much more scattered and disjointed. The face has no
"sideburns". There is no dark spot on the left end of the uni-brow,
although that left end is slightly exaggerated.
Thus, I don't believe the birds seen in those two locations are the same
bird.
