2014 Connecticut Snowy Owl Observation Contest

Michael LaBossiere, right, with Anabela Goroff at Hammonasset. We take his word for it that there’s a Snowy Owl on the roof in the background.

First Place for a photograph and story about his encounters with a Snowy Owl years ago and this winter at Hammonasset Beach State Park:

Michael LaBossiere
Tarriffville, Connecticut

Michael’s photograph was simple and well-composed, and his account of seeing a Snowy Owl this winter struck us for its connection to both the world of animals and the world of humans.

Here is what Michael wrote with the photograph he submitted:

“In 1987 I observed and photographed a Snowy Owl in Westport, Massachusetts, with a girl I was very fond of. That day and the “Owl” we shared was a special bond, for we went our separate ways in life. Life is strange, and after 25 years we reunited. The original Snowy Owl photograph hangs on the wall we now share. We had made several trips to “renew” our Snowy Owl experience with no luck, until this winter when we saw a Snowy at Hammonasset State Park. Though it was exciting for many around us who saw the owl that day, no one could know the very special meaning for the two of us.”

Michael LaBossiere’s photo of a Snowy Owl at Hammonasset

Here’s more from Michael:
“I have been a birder since 10 years old, 47 years now. I have also been a photographer of nature. My interest in birds at times in my life has been from very involved to not as much, like the flow of the tides, but always birding.

“I have banded at Manomet Bird Observatory, I have received a certificate from Cornell in Bird Biology, I founded a bird club in my former home town of Mattapoisett and was president for six years, led many walks and field trips to Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts and others, til I moved to Tariffville two years ago. I am now a member of the Hartford Audubon Society. I have been a Landscaper and worked outdoors almost my entire life so i have had ample opportunity to observe nature.

“However, the Snowy Owl is not about birding at all … it was and is a symbol of something very special. The day we saw the “first” Snowy in 1987, at Gooseberry in Westport, Mass., was so random it was crazy, but that day, a simple single day, was literally unforgettable, pardon the phrase. So when we saw the Snowy Owl at Hammonasett on January 4th, it was very special.”