The Great Grey Owl is the largest owl in the world. The length of his tail is what helps him achieve this status. An adult GG Owl has a wingspan of 5 to 5 1/2 feet. They are the official provincial bird of Manitoba, Canada. I read somewhere that the GG Owl is in the top six of the list of fifty desired sightings by bird-watchers. They have very acute hearing that is aided by the shape of their face. They can hear mice and voles under the snow and will dive hard into sometimes very hard, crusty snow to snatch their prey.
I originally saw this owl about a week ago. I was sitting on my couch facing the opposite window that looks out towards the trees and I saw him swoop in and land. I got a good look at him before he left so I went on-line and figured out what he (or she) was. Last evening I was again on my couch and saw him come in and perch on a fence post out by my forest patio. I had my binoculars handy so I sat there on the couch for a good five minutes watching him. Head turning all round, watching and listening intently. I thought it would be cool to get some pictures but I thought he would fly away. Anyways I grabbed my camera and exited the coach quietly. I poked my head around the front of the coach and waited for him to look the other way. Then I would move up about five paces and stop motionless. His head would spin around in my direction to scope out his surroundings and then he would turn away again. Up another few paces. I kept doing this until I was only about 40 or 50 feet away! I was taking pictures the whole way. It was quite exciting and I got to a point that I didn't want to get closer. You can tell in the last picture that he finally spotted me. Now I know what "looks a little "owly" means, LOL!