National Adult Literacy Database

August 31, 1998

This week, we have a story written by Gail Sharpe, from Kelowna, British Columbia. Gail has enjoyed being a part of the Project Literacy Kelowna tutoring program. She says that having lessons has encouraged her to read much more and to read a wider variety of materials. She now enjoys many books and magazines. She is a single mother of two small children, a girl aged seven and a boy of two. It has been difficult for her to attend lessons regularly because often the children have been ill and need their mother at home. However, Gail has made tremendous progress with writing and spelling, despite the domestic demands on her time and energy. Gail has a deep love and understanding for all wild creatures. Because of this special interest, she has chosen to write some articles about her favourite animals.

Snowy Owls

by Gail Sharpe

Snowy owls live in the arctic tundra because there is plenty of food for them to eat and they are very well camouflaged. There are no trees in the tundra so the snowy owl makes a shallow nest on the ground and lines it with moss and feathers.

Snowy owls are a lot heavier and stockier than any other owl in North America. With her wings fully extended, the female has a wingspan of up to 6 feet long. The snowy owl's hard outer feathers act like a ski suit against the wind and snow. Underneath, the snowy owl wears a wintervest of down feathers, which form a layer of warmth by trapping heat from its body.

Snowy owls are a real meat eating kind of bird and can see and hear really well. They do all their hunting at night. As they fly and look and listen for their prey, they swoop down to catch their food in their talons. The snowy owl's sharp curved beak is ideal for ripping up large prey such as fish, arctic hare, and other birds. They have great abilities to hunt and can turn their heads completely around their bodies. The young are soft and fluffy and all full of down. Young owls are all born in the spring and are not able to fly for a few months after. The female lays as many as 12 small white eggs in her nest, but the eggs don't all hatch at once. This means that the parents don't have as many mouths to feed at one time. When there are not so many lemmings for the owls to eat, the owls are forced to fly south to hunt for other food because the lemming is their main source of food in the Arctic.

I like snowy owls because they have interesting markings. I enjoy snowy owls because I like how they look in pictures and there are some exciting stories about these birds.

[This story was taken with permission, from a collection of stories and poems written by learners at Project Literacy Kelowna, entitled Our Words III, p. 65.]