Photo Gallery
This individual was seen at approximately 8:30 am, where it was perched in a large cottonwood tree on Golf Course Road in the southwest corner of Paradise Pointe Golf Course. Photograph by Michael Andersen.
At about 8am, this snowy owl flew north across the face of the Smithville Lake dam, where Jon King and Michael Anderson spotted it once again on the road to "Shelter 1 & 2" in the park south of the Paradise Pointe Golf Course. Photograph by Michael Andersen.
Snowy Owl in flight. Photograph by Michael Andersen.
Snowy owls aren't often seen as far south as Kansas and Missouri, but in 2011 a few, such as this one at Smithville Lake in Missouri, have been observed. Photograph by Michael Andersen.
This is one of three snowy owls seen at Smithville Lake, in Clay County, MO, on 10 December 2011. This individual was seen at dawn sitting near the south end of the dam. Photograph by Michael Andersen.
One of the three snowy owls observed on 10 December at Smithville Lake appeared on the lake dam. Photograph by Michael Andersen.
Snowy Owls Observed in Missouri
Snowy owls usually range across the Canadian tundra, but periodic fluctuations in their main food supply, lemmings, can cause them to venture south into the United States to look for food. In 2011, the birds have been spotted in several states, including Kansas and Missouri.
