Snowy winter in NS is pushing tiny saw-whet owls into more populated areas

Snow has blanketed much of Nova Scotia this winter, pushing some of the province’s smallest owls into more human-populated areas in search of food.

Randy Lough, a biology instructor at St. Francis

Lough says owls generally have good vision and exceptional hearing.

“So they come to hunting weapons with a background that doesn’t match anything else,” Lough says.

Particularly large owls are able to hear rodents moving around even under 30 or more centimeters of snow, and they can use their weight and strength to dive into deep snow to capture their prey with uncanny accuracy.

However, sawmills cannot do this to that level due to their smaller size.

Lough says their difficulty finding food means saw-whets are being seen more frequently in rural or urban yards with bird feeders this winter.

But this is not the seed they are looking for. It is mice or even small, sparrow-sized birds that are attracted to feeders that have the saw-whet’s interest.

While it may feel like deep and long-lasting snow has hit Nova Scotia this winter, CBC meteorologist Ryan Snowdon says so far, we’re mostly on par with winter — though that could change with the additional snowfall that hit the province on Monday.

Little Visitors at Hatfield Farm

Hatfield Farm in Hammonds Plains, NS, recently saw a saw-whet owl on their property for the first time.

The owl entered a barn and sat on the roof for a few days before moving on.

Owner Cheri Hatfield says she imagines she was looking for “little animals” hanging around the barn.

“There’s been a lot of snowfall and we know there are a lot of hunters looking for food these days,” Hatfield says. “I’m sure everyone is trying to avoid the cold.”

She says the staff didn’t want to stress the owl, so they kept the barn door open so it could fly away whenever it wanted.

‘Give the bird its place’

Lough urged Nova Scotians to leave alone those who see sawflies in their yards.

“Admire it for a minute or two. Take a picture if you want, but then… give the bird its place.”

At Lough’s suggestion, the Nova Scotia Bird Society recently stopped allowing members of its Facebook group to post photos of saw-whet owls to reduce the risk of birds harassing the owls.

“What they don’t realize is that this owl is stressed. It doesn’t want to be there,” Lough says. “It’s desperate to find food and the biggest source of food is unfortunately at our feeders at night.”

Lough says it is especially important to hunt after dusk because being nocturnal, they likely have not eaten since the previous night.

Any yard lights or interactions with humans can stress and distract the owl and take away valuable time from its hunting, says Lough.

Snow a blessing and a curse

Hope Swinmar, founder of wildlife rescue center Hope for Wildlife in Seaforth, NS, says snow cover can be both a blessing and a curse for birds of prey.

The dark color of rats or mice is easily visible on white snow, making them easy to identify, but if the snow is frozen solid, it may be difficult for them to reach prey below.

“If it’s a really harsh winter, starvation will be higher. They may get tired because they have to work harder for their food,” says Swinmar.

Swinmar says he hasn’t seen an increase in the number of saw-whet owls needing help at the center this year, but he has seen some barred owls – possibly because they hunt on roads at dusk and get hit by cars.

After all, most birds and animals can withstand the vagaries of the weather, she says.

“The wild world is probably much better at dealing with harsh winters than we humans are. They’ve got it all figured out. They’ve been doing it for a very long time.”

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