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Tag: snowy owls

  • Snowy Owl Sightings Are Nothing to Worry About

    There has been an unusual number of snowy owl sightings in the United States of late, but experts say the sightings are nothing to be alarmed about.

    “The reason we are seeing so many snowy owls this year has everything to do with their food,” said Larry Clarfeld from the North Branch Nature Center. “So in the Arctic breeding ground, snowy owls like to eat lemmings and this past summer of 2013, there were so many lemmings in the Arctic that many young snowy owls were born but once winter came there wasn’t enough food for them to stay in the Arctic so we had them moving south in record numbers.”

    Many birdwatchers have flocked to the Edwin B. Forsythe Wildlife Refuge just outside Atlantic City, New Jersey to observe the magnificent birds.

    “Oh he was turning his head so you could see his eyes looking right at us,” one woman said.

    “It’s actually pretty special to have snow owls in New Jersey,” said Donald Freiday with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. “We normally in a given winter will have between none and three. This year, the whole state there are as many as 30.

    “It’s certainly a special big year for snowy owls. We think that the reason there are so many snowy owls in New Jersey… is because they had a really good year this year up in the Arctic where they breed. And when that happens, they produce lots of offspring. There’s competition for food among them and they come south as a result.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Snowy Owls Flying South: Effects Of Cold Weather

    If you are a bird enthusiast, you may be excited to learn that snowy owls are making their way South due to cold weather. With many of the Northern great lakes frozen and their usual habitats becoming harder to hunt, the owls are traveling to warmer areas hoping for better conditions.

    According to the Great Backyard Bird Count, more than 2,500 snowy owls have being reported in 25 states and seven Canadian provinces. The Great Backyard Bird Count allows the public to have a hand in determining where birds are migrating, and can even teach scientists more about bird populations. The event takes place every year and last for four days.

    “When tens of thousands of participants around the world share what they’re seeing during the Great Backyard Bird Count, they help scientists achieve something that would otherwise be impossible — documenting where vast numbers of birds are, all across the world, in a very short period of time,” said Janis Dickinson, director of citizen science at the Cornell Lab in Ithaca.

    These birds usually live in the Arctic tundra, but with bird populations on the rise, the competition for food has become stronger than ever. The cold weather has caused the owls to move south in large numbers, but it is likely even more will be on their way soon.

    Snowy owls aren’t the only birds that were recorded during the count. Black birds, geese, ducks, and starlings were also reported in great numbers during the event. The migrating owl populations are so large that scientists think the owls may be on the verge of an invasion.

    Although the invasion will likely only last for a few weeks or until the owls’ natural habitat returns to a condition that better fits their needs, it is possible that the owls could adapt to a new environment and make their new southern home permanent.

    What do you think about the snowy owl invasion and the Great Backyard Bird Count?

    Image via Wikimedia Commons