If you live in the northern half of the US, grab your binoculars and spotting scope and head out to an open field near you! Since November, an impressive number of Snowy Owls have been making an appearance further south than usual. When this occurs, once every 4 to 5 years, it is typically called an irruption or invasion of Snowy Owls. Usually, this is due to a crash in the population of the owl’s favored natural prey up north, the lemming. This year, however, arctic ornithologists are speculating that the unusual behavior is the consequence of the Snowy Owl having a banner year for nest success due to exceptionally high numbers of lemmings this year. The sheer number of owls competing for prey up north have driven some of the younger ones south to look for food.
Snowy Owls are large, mostly white, and very different in appearance from any other owl that you might see during the day. There is a wide amount of natural variation in the amount of dark barring on each owl. Some appear entirely white, while others show a white face and chest with darker barring on the rest of the body. Luckily for us, the Snowy Owl is one of the few owls that prefer to hunt during the day. The owl sits still on a prominent lookout for much of the day, watching for any signs of movement by its prey. The best tactic for finding one is to spend some time scanning fence lines, posts, and tall rocks in any nearby fields with your binoculars.
The year has been good for other raptors breeding in northern latitudes as well, such as Rough-legged Hawks, so be on the lookout for unusual numbers of those this winter. Check out the locations for this spectacular owl that have been showing up here. And remember to report all of your sightings to the e-bird site.
by: Your Bird Oasis
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