Local wildlife photographer Susan Luther Kiesel has just released her first book, The Many Faces of Snowy Owls, a children’s book filled with photos, fun text and interesting facts about the beautiful and mysterious snowy owl.
Kiesel captured the many faces, moods and habits of the bird over a period of time that extended from December 26, 2013 through March 29 of this year, at field sites along Route 170 in the Town of Fairfield.
“In the winter of 2013 to 2014, there was an unusual migration, known as an irruption, of snowy owls in upstate New York. In the surprise visit, hundreds of snowy owls came down from the arctic tundra to winter across the northeastern U.S. and as far south as the Carolinas. I wrote the book to share their beauty with others,” Kiesel said.
Kiesel, a grandmother and retired teacher, took 3,000 photographs of the rare-to-the-area owls.
Many of the pictures were taken in sub-zero weather, but she has no complaints.
“It reallly got me through the winter,” she said.
The book is currently available locally at Dragonfly Cottage, the Goodsell Museum, Souvenir Village, Old Forge Hardware and Adirondack Reader.