Snowy Owl, Great Blasket Island, 3rd July 2019 (John Murdock).
Better photos from Great Blasket of the Snowy Owl, the third sighting now as it moved from Great Blasket to near Brandon Mountain on the mainland, and back.
With these images it is possible to say that, with the dense barring on the underparts and what looks like four distinct tail bars, that it is a female (three or fewer tail bars on most males). There appears to be no mottling on the secondaries and outer primary tips (a juvenile trait) so is most likely an adult female, but the quality of the images is such that it isn't quite possible to make out the finest detail. Who knows, it might pop up again for some lucky hill walker and let's hope they are armed with at least a 500mm lens. What a bird!
Snowy Owl, Great Blasket Island, 3rd July 2019 (John Murdock).
