Want to see a snowy owl? This could be your winter

This could be an unusually good year for seeing snowy owls in southern Canada.

Last weekend, the Owl Foundation, an owl rehabilitation center based in the Niagara region of Ontario, reported in a Facebook post thatIt has recruited two young snowy owls so far this year, suggesting it is “shaping up to be a snowy owl explosion year!”

An explosion is an increase in the local population of a species, for example, unusual numbers of snowy owls moving south from the Arctic. So far this year, more young snowy owls have been reported earlier than usual in southern Canada and North America, and researchers say that could mean an opportunity to see a relatively rare visitor from the north. Was recently labeled threatening By the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.

Brian Hayhoe, wildlife biologist and rehabilitator with the Owl Foundation, wrote the post. He says that for the past few winters, the center has received zero to two snowy owls each year, often not until December or January.

He’s heard from other wildlife centers in other parts of Ontario that are reporting higher numbers earlier than usual, and said they’re often the first to notice trends like this: “Rehabilitation people are like the canaries in the coal mine.”

During this time, Two snowy owls recently drew crowds near ChicagoAlso inspiring suggestions of a disruptive year.

Scott Weidensoll, a researcher with Project Snowstorm, a snowy owl GPS tracking program, says most southern snowy owls have been spotted so far in the central and western Great Lakes and Prairies. But some have also been seen As far west as BCWhere he has rarely been seen in recent years.

“It’s probably going to be a good year there, too,” Weidensaul said.

what is behind a possible snowy owl ‘disintegration’

Disturbance is a large movement of birds that occurs periodically – in contrast to migration, which occurs regularly, such as from northern region to northern region.Northern Territory every autumn.

With snowy owls, an eruption often brings them south in large numbers every six years, says Guy Fitzgerald, a herpetologist who specializes in wild game birds.He is a member of the veterinary faculty at the Université de Montréal and part of the Project Snowstorm team.

There are reports of disruption in 2017-2018 And 2020-2021But Weidensaul says the largest event in recent history occurred in 2013-2014 when “there were literally thousands of snowy owls that came down from the suburban area,”

Fitzgerald says that in the past decade, peaks in snowy owl numbers have not been as pronounced as before. “This could be a sign that something is wrong in their breeding area in the north.”

Nicolas Lecomte is a professor at the Université de Moncton, part of a team that has been tracking and studying snowy owls for 25 years and collaborates with Project Snowstorm.

He says the disruptions tend to occur in years when lemmings – an important food for snowy owls – are abundant in the Arctic. In those years, snowy owls produce many more chicks than usual and may have hundreds of nests in a very small area.

“It’s pretty amazing to see,” LeComte said.

In the fall, those owls disperse in search of food and often head south in large numbers.

Some snowy owls come south each winter in search of food – not that many.

For most of the winter, they can be found consistently in tundra-like landscapes, prairies with relatively shallow snow cover, and agricultural fields, where voles, rats, and other prey are abundant.

Jody Allaire, who lives in Drumheller, Alta., says there are some snowy owls near her home Now, and he often sees them in his travels.

“I can, you know, drive up to Calgary and come back and you’re almost guaranteed to see a snowy owl in months like December, January, which is amazing,” said Allaire, communications director for Birds Canada.

They are also found in the Great Lakes region and along the coastline further east, where they prey on waterfowl trapped in the ice – something Allaire says he observed while living in Long Point, Ontario, on Lake Erie.

Fitzgerald says the owls are often found at airports, including both airports in the Montreal area — one of their jobs is to relocate them so they don’t interfere with aircraft.

In a typical year, both adult and juvenile snowy owls are found in low numbers in southeastern Canada. But in the disruptive years, a much higher proportion are teenagers, Lecomte said.

So is this year a disruptive year?

Lecomte says researchers weren’t aware of any particularly good snowy owl breeding areas in the Arctic this year, though Fitzgerald says the owls might have been somewhere in a location that wasn’t surveyed.

Higher numbers of snowy owls have been seen this year early in the season, but Lecomte says they won’t know if it’s a real explosion until January, when most of the birds will head south.

How to see a snowy owl

Snowy owls are mostly found in agricultural areas and coastal areas.

Allaire advises people to visit snowy owls if they are nearby. “Go see it, take the family…it’s a great experience to see.”

He believes it’s a great way to connect with nature, but he recommends watching the birds from a distance and being careful not to linger too long. “If the bird changes its behavior because of your proximity, it’s time to leave,” he said.

Birds Canada has one list of recommendations So that the chances of disturbing the owls while watching them can be reduced. Fitzgerald recommends contacting bird observers who are knowledgeable about where to find birds and bird-watching etiquette.

He also noted that snowy owls are nocturnal, and need to rest during the day. “If you disrupt this resting behavior, the bird’s health may suffer.”

He says he gets calls every winter from people who believe they have seen an injured snowy owl as it sits on the ground with its eyes closed. Sometimes, by the time he explains that snowy owls rest that way because there are no trees to perch on in the Arctic tundra, they have already come upon the bird and flushed it away.

Another issue is that of photographers Feed owls with rats they have purchased from pet storesA practice condemned by conservationists. Fitzgerald says this causes birds to associate cars and humans with food, causing snowy owls to fly toward cars and collide with them.

He says that with all the technology now available, including telescopes and long camera lenses, there is no reason to go near the birds, especially given all the challenges they already face.

snowy owls are becoming extinct

Birds Canada monitors bird populations through an annual citizen science project Christmas Bird CountThe number of snowy owls has declined by 56 percent since 1970,

Allaire says climate change is probably a big factor. snowy Owls are adapted to hunting rodents in soft snow, ice and warm temperatures.”Create really, really difficult conditions,” he said.

He says that in more southern areas where the birds winter, habitat loss as well as collisions with vehicles are to blame.

Due to the species’ steep decline, scientists at the Canadian Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada recommended in May that snowy owls also be included. List of threatened species of CanadaThe governments of Canada and Quebec have not yet officially recognized this status,

Weidensaul hopes seeing snowy owls will connect people with the Arctic and make them think about the threats facing the animals that live there.

“You won’t see a polar bear walking down the streets of Chicago,” he said. “But these snowy owls bring with them a piece of the Arctic south.”