Owl on the wire

I had the feeling I was being watched early this morning. Lo and behold there was an owl (never seen one before in these parts) looking over at me. The owl looked somewhat bedraggled in the damp wet snow, but happy to warm his feet on the electric train cables. I wanted to sit there all morning admiring it.
Sadly I don't think I got any wiser though. Anyone tell me what sort of owl it is?