Snowy Owl - Bird of 2012?

gcampbellphoto has added a photo to the pool:

Taken in February 2012 at Altikeeragh Nature Reserve, Co L/derry. My last images of this amazing bird which made an all too brief stay near the north coast of Northern Ireland. The bird was reported to have left amid allegations of undue disturbance from birders and photographers. I did not witness this behaviour and hope it isn't true.

For the record these shots were obtained by lying on a peat bank for several hours from before first light and waiting for the bird to appear on a favoured perch (unfortunately this perch was old pallets). When I arrived the sky was clear and sun rose to give a beautiful blue sky. Unfortunately the owl waited for snow shower to come before landing in front of me. It was amazing to watching it come into to land (see below). It was only a brief visit as a man with several dogs approached along a nearby track and flushed a grouse which flew past the owl. The owl instantly flew of in the direction of the grouse, landing on a ridge close to where the grouse landed.

Brilliant to be so close to such a fantastic bird, though I did end with the flu the next day.