The snowy owl is one of the most fascinating birds to me. It has the ability to hear a mouse beneath two feet of snow. It can also turn its head up to 270 degrees. It can also fly silently through the air due to special feathers that act to silence wind noise as air moves over the wings. The stealth bomber even incorporated designs based from this unique feature that is only found in owls.
While driving down a prairie back road in Southern Alberta, my daughter noticed this little Short-tailed Weasel running along the side of the road. After he spotted us, he took off and dove into the snow. After a short while we were able to find him again. He would pop his head up out of the snow from time to time to check on us. With us both standing at the side of the road as still as possible, he became more comfortable and hung around long enough for me to take a few shots before he took off into the snow again.