People Catch Rare Glimpse Of Snowy Owl When It Decides To Take A Selfie

With all the concrete and busy highways, it can easy to see sprawling urban areas as a world apart from the natural environment. But as books like Suburban Safari will tell you, the two worlds will intertwine a lot more than you might think.

Usually this kind of overlap comes in the form of common park animals like squirrels or pigeons – but every now and then, something a little more majestic will show up in your neighborhood.

Depending on where you are, you might see a deer or a bear wander past your mailbox. 

But now thanks to some well-placed traffic cameras, everyone can get a glimpse of a rarer specimen: a snowy owl.

1. On an average winter day in Montreal, Canada, a new friend suddenly appeared on this traffic camera's live feed.

After traffic workers were made aware of the surprise appearance, Quebec transport minister Robert Poëti posted the owl's photos on Facebook to the delight of many.

2. Sure, technically it's not a selfie.

The owl would have to operate the camera for this photo to count as one, but this is as close as anyone can reasonably expect from something without opposable thumbs.

So, whatever, we're calling it a selfie.

3. Joking aside, the owl likely had no intention of getting on camera.

Instead, she was looking for a place to perch. High places like the post this camera was mounted on would give her a great view of rodents scurrying around in the nearby fields.

4. You can sometimes spot snowy owls in southern Canada or the Northern United States,

but most of the time they live a lot closer to the arctic circle, where they breed. And once they do, even wolves won't scare these territorial birds away from their nests.

It's pretty lucky to get such a great picture of this beautiful bird, especially since these cameras will usually only capture cars going by.

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