Some days, you just get lucky. After several days of searching all the likely snowy owl spots, without sighting a single bird, this owl turned up 10 feet off Beach Road, between big bridge and little bridge.
The owl was having a tough day. First a woman with an iPhone jumped out of her car and scared him off. He landed in the dunes across Beach Road, near State Beach. Then four crows began to harass him, dive bombing and creating a cackling racket.
He flew off once again, and landed in some tall grass, where he found some peace, until this photographer crept a little too close. He lifted off, banked, and flew right in front of me.
Here are the specifics for photographers.
Camera: Nikon D7000
Lens: Nikkor 70-300 zoom
ISO: 200
Shutter speed: 1/800 second
Aperture: f/5.6
Some days, you just get lucky.