Snowy Owl Irruption: Owls Spotted Thousands of Miles From Home in U.S. East Coast Cities
Posted on January 11, 2014
Snowy owls from the Arctic Circle have been spotted thousands of miles from home in U.S. East Coast cities, including Boston and Baltimore. The large 5-pound owls have a five-foot long wingspan. Harry Potter's owl, Hedwig, is a snowy owl. The snowy owl invasion is being called an irruption by bird experts. Experts don't know why so many of the owls have decided to visit the U.S. this winter. The owls have been spotted as far south as Florida this winter.
Norman Smith, a director at the Massachusetts Audubon Society, told CBS News that 53 snowy owls were removed from Logan Airport this winter. He says it is the biggest year for snowy owls he has ever seen.
A Tree Hugger story on the irruption gives foot shortages and a high breeding success rate as possible reasons for the larger number of owls in the U.S. this season. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's snow owl page says snowy owl irruptions "are believed to be related to the boom and bust cycles of lemmings, the Snowy Owl's main prey, and other factors such as weather."
Norman Smith has been weighing each snowy owl he catches and none of them are malnourished.
This is a video produced by the Maryland Park Service highlighting the Snowy Owl Mega-Irruption during the winter of 2013-2014. Take a look:
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