In January, when wildlife photographer Julie Maggert heard about an orange-tinted snowy owl near Lake Huron, she knew she had to see it for herself. And in early February, after driving 900 miles over four days and spending nearly 29 hours sitting and waiting, she was rewarded handsomely with the images that she was looking for.
Though Maggert spotted the owl several times, she wasn't able to get the clean shot that she was after. Determined to meet the owl one more time before other obligations would tie her up for several weeks, she and her husband made one last trip and spent the day waiting to make the photograph happen.
“There she was, on a pole. They usually get on poles overseeing fields for mice, voles, and other prey. I parked and shut my truck off to not disturb her,” she tells My Modern Met. “She was on a less than attractive utility pole with a bunch of lines running through it. My dream shots of this snowy diminished as fast as it came on.
“She finally flew off that pole onto a more ‘clean' pole, and once again, all this time and hard work paid off. I got the shots of her I had been envisioning. It is always a bittersweet moment when your hard work and planning pays off. Now, it's time to focus on a different photography goal. What a dream come true to finally capture this uniquely rare snowy owl in all her beauty.”
Maggert's photographs of “Creamsicle,” as she calls the owl, have been making the rounds online. They've even earned her publication in The New York Times, as people try to understand the reason behind the owl's unusual coloration. Just how rare is it? Denver Holt, director of the Owl Research Institute, said that the organization had “never seen any plumage aberration, or anything like what is in the photos of the owl” in its 35 years of study.
While some have speculated that the snowy owl may have been hit with de-icing fluid at an airport, which has a similar tint, others believe that it could be a genetic aberration. But without further testing of its feathers, there is no way to know for certain.
For Maggert, no matter what the case, Creamsicle’s portrait remains a once-in-a-lifetime photograph. And she hopes that, for others, the images serve as a reminder of the power of persistence and the willingness to be patient with wildlife.
Wildlife photographer Julie Maggert drove 900 miles over 4 days to get incredible shots of an unusual orange snowy owl near Lake Huron.
Julie Maggert: Instagram | Facebook
My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Julie Maggert.
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