Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Stunning images of snowy owl caught by Montreal traffic camera

The Canadian bird was captured in full flight while looking for a spot to perch

Jake Alden-Falconer
London
Friday 08 January 2016 04:17 EST
Comments
Snowy Owl appears on traffic camera

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A traffic camera has captured a spectacular image of a snowy owl in full flight.

The picture is one of a series taken by a CCTV camera on Highway 40 in the West Island of Montreal, on 3 January.

The Quebec Transport Minister, Robert Poetin, then shared the photos on Twitter, writing: “Magnificent snowy owl picked up by surveillance cameras of the road network on the A-40 in the West of MTL."

Barbara Frei, director of the McGill Bird Observatory, told the CBC that the bird was likely looking for somewhere to perch:

“I think they are attracted specifically to the highway because it has open, grassy fields nearby which is perfect for hunting their favourite prey, which is small rodents,” she said. “They like to get a good lay of the land and the high lamp posts or other posts that they can perch on while hunting just suits them perfectly.”

Although the bird breeds only in the arctic tundra of Quebec, in winter, they tend to migrate further south.

The snowy owl has special significance in Canada, where it has legal protection from hunters and is the official symbol of Quebec.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in