SNOWY OWL IMAGES

Further to my posting on Saturday, here are the images which accompany the sighting. The bird was seen by Alastair and Jill Proud on Friday afternoon. They watched it for an hour and a quarter at close range, taking these photos and making some lovely sketches. The bird was still settled along Porthmelgan Valley when they left. Alastair and Jill were concerned that the bird might be disturbed by birdwatchers, hence the delay in posting these fantastic images. Difficult as it is to be certain in the field, the bird is likely a first winter female. The facial disc pattern is quite different to the Scilly/Cornwall bird/s and a bit different I think to the Norfolk bird, this one has a very pointed 'widow's peak'. The Papa Westray bird looks much too dark and the finder, a friend, suggests that was perhaps an adult female. This record constitutes the first record for Pembrokeshire.