A snowy owl provided a great photo opportunity for those who spotted it at Ocean Point, Boothbay on Sunday, Jan. 3.

Local photographer Bruce Burnham managed to get dozens of photos of the bird, which was hanging around Ocean Point Inn.

“I was there for about an hour and a half and it was on the ground and on a rooftop,” said Burnham. “While on the ground, it ate a mouse or a mole. I missed the opportunity of getting a shot while it was in flight as I was looking down at the time.”

The snowy owl was either a female or immature, according to allaboutbirds.org. Females or immature snowy owls are white with darker barring thoughout except the face, which is always white, according to the website.

“This largest (by weight) North American owl shows up irregularly in winter to hunt in windswept fields or dunes, or shorelines. a pale shape with catlike yellow eyes. They spend summers far north of the Arctic Circle hunting lemmings, ptarmigan and other prey in 24-hour daylight. Thick feathers for insulation from Arctic cold make snowy owls North America’s heaviest owl, typically weighing about 4 pounds – one pound heavier than a great horned owl and twice the weight of a great gray owl (North America’s tallest owl),” according to the website.