Some years ago I was deer hunting in northern Wisconsin. Fresh snow was on the ground and trees. A snowy owl flew directly overhead but under the tree tops and landed in a tree not 40 yards from me. What struck me was the absolute silence of it all. Eerily and absolutely silent. I’ll never forget it.
I found it strange that there was one in those woods - but I guess their range can at times extend even further south.
Snowy owls are common winter visitors to JFK airport and the adjacent bird sanctuary in NYC.
Years ago on a hunting trip, my brother and I were standing by a fire in otherwise pitch-black night. Suddenly, there was a sense (no sound) of something moving past us very close over our heads and very quickly. Had just enough time to think "what the heck was that?" when a rabbit let loose a death squeal as the owl grabbed it in the dark beyond the fire light. Took a little while for that adrenaline rush to die down.