Audubon Magazine: With So Many Snowies to Study, Scientists Are Discovering How Little We Know About This Bird

"We won't live long enough to see something like this again." That statement is probably true, what's happening this winter is a once in a lifetime type of event. It's no secret that the snowy owl irruption has been nothing short of astounding. Snowies have shown up across the country in record breaking numbers, even as far south as Bermuda and Florida. Audubon Magazine has posted a fantastic article about the invasion, which you can read on the Audubon Magazine website. So what's so different about this year, why have so many of these mystical birds descended from the Arctic for the winter?

Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus), Gratiot County, MI

We know that snowy owls are nomadic, often traveling thousands of miles across the arctic to areas where lemming populations are booming. These booms in lemming populations are cyclical, often happening every three to five years. Good years for lemmings in turn are good years for snowies, allowing nesting pairs to raise several youngsters to young adulthood. According to scientists who study snow owls, the summer of 2013 was a banner year for lemmings, leading to huge colonies of breeding snowy owls. This, coupled with early, deep snow in the arctic has created a "perfect storm" which hasn't been seen in more than half a century.

A snowy rests in the agricultural tundra of Isabella County, MI.

Being a newbie birder, I remember reading about snowy owls back in November and remember thinking, "I really hope I get to see one this winter!" I guess I couldn't have chose a better winter to become interesting in birding, particularly with owls. There is something striking about these birds, something I can't quite describe. The way they slowly observe their surroundings and then take off with powerful, yet silent wing beats is something one must see for themselves. If you haven't done so already, bundle up, grab your binoculars and make an effort to go out and find one of these owls while they're still around. Many people I've talked to believe they will stick around until mid-March, but it all depends on how quickly things warm up. Check out local birding lists or eBird for local sightings and be sure to report any sightings you have to either one of these resources. That's all for now, I'll leave you with a few more snowy shots from the past month or so.

February 3-4th: Waterfowl & Snowies

The days are getting longer, slowly...Part of me dies a little bit during the winter here. But birding has been able to alleviate some of the pain and get me behind the lens more than I would in the past. This past weekend, I spent some time birding with my dad for his birthday. We decided to check out the Huron River for stretches of open water in hopes of photographing some waterfowl. We arrived at a city park in Ann Arbor and immediately saw a wealth of ducks. We spent some time there and also spent some time just below a dam on the river.

Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula), Island Park, Washtenaw County, MI

Redhead (Aythya americana), Island Park, Washtenaw County, MI

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), Island Park, Washtenaw County, MI

The Guy Who Inspired Me about Nature

Mute Swan (Cygnus olor), Barton Dam, Washtenaw County, MI

Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) Island Park, Washtenaw County, MI

It was a fantastic day, anytime my dad and I can get out and shoot is great. The next morning I arose early and headed north. I swung through a state game area in hopes of seeing some shrikes and hopefully eagles. I however, spotted a completely different bird which had been hanging around the spot for a few weeks.

Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus), Immature Female, Gratiot County, MI

It was a pleasant surprise, making this the fourth county I've seen snowies in this winter. She looked half asleep, squinting from the bright morning sun reflecting off a fresh blanket of snow. I moved on around the area, trying to get close enough to a shrike to get a decent photo, I did not succeed. Shrikes are skittish little birds which quickly flee when approached. I did see one individual along a road, as well as a few skittish Rough-legged Hawks. I also managed to catch a glimpse of a male Northern Harrier perched at ground level before it flew off.

Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus), Adult Male, Gratiot County, MI

It was a decent haul for a 20 minute swing through the area. Later on in the afternoon, I decided to drive out to some farm country because of the fantastic light to try and get some nicely lit photos of snowies. There is one particular agricultural area that is 1-2 square miles in size which has at least two snowies visiting. As I came up to a good road around 4:00 PM, I noticed a large white bird top a low utility pole.

Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus), Immature Female, Isabella County, MI

I wish I wouldn't have been as tight as I was when she flushed, as this photo would have been truly wonderful had I been zoomed out a bit, but the result is still nice I think. She flew over the horizon I disappeared, I would see her about an hour later but didn't stop to bother her. I drove a little further down the road, and spotted another owl sitting atop the same antenna I saw one utilizing back on January 21st, which you can read about in the blog post Sunset in Snowy Country.

Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus), Immature Male, Isabella County, MI

It's amazing how much of a difference good lighting can make when photographing these birds. At first I was pretty sure this was the same bird I saw a few weeks ago, but less then 100 yards down the road I spotted another owl sitting atop a large silo.

Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus), Immature Male, Isabella County, MI

I was pretty astounded to see three snowies utilizing a fairly small area, food must be abundant. It was a fantastic way to close an awesome two day stretch and to get behind the lens. February usually marks the last majorly harsh winter weather we have, as I've seen tiger salamanders in the first week of March the past two years. Though that doesn't mean the same will go for this year. Here's to the approaching warmer weather, though these owls are pretty awesome for now. Until next time...

Snowy Owl Photoshoot

Got out this evening just before sunset and ran into this beautiful immature female Snowy Owl. The lighting was perfect and the owl was more than obliging for a short photo shoot.

Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus), Isabella County, MI

Sunset in Snowy Country

Temperatures were downright freezing today with highs only reaching the high single digits. Though it was cold we did get to see the sun a bit today, which is a fairly uncommon thing during Michigan winters. I decided to take a drive in the last hour of daylight to the agricultural lands of Isabella County to see if any snowy owls were to be found. With this being a probable record breaking irruption year, owls have been all over open areas like this.

Sunset in Snowy Country, Isabella County, MI

While driving the area through the area I was particularly attentive to power poles, fence lines, and hay bails as these are favorite perching spots for snowies. As I was passing one of the few houses in the area, I noticed a large white bird atop the house's old school antenna. Sure enough, it was a snowy owl.

Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus), Isabella County, MI

This is one of at least two different owls that has been spotted in this area, the other being a much larger and heavily barred immature female most likely. Two other birders had seen the bird as well and we spent a few minutes admiring the owl from the road. After a few minutes the owl decided to fly off over the horizon. Snowy owls may stick around through the month of February, so if you can, get out and see them while you can!

The Right Place at the Right Time

Had some spare time today and was able to convince my herping buddy Chris Boguslawski to come out of winter hibernation for an afternoon of birding. We rendezvoused around two in the afternoon and set off. Conditions were overcast and with some light snow flurries. We quickly tallied a handful of raptors including Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, American Kestrel, Northern Harrier, and a Merlin. I was hoping to snag a shot of the merlin but it was much too quick for me to get my camera up in time. As we were about the leave the area, we spotted a Short-eared Owl perched atop a telephone wire.

Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus), Washtenaw County, MI

We drove a short distance from our first location to look for snowy owls. We came around a tight corner when I noticed this snowy right along the road, it was quite cooperative for some nice shots from the car before eventually flying off.

Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus), Wayne County, MI

It was getting late in the day and Chris was hoping to see Short-eared Owl up close, so we headed back to our first stop in the day just before dark. Almost immediately upon our arrival, we noticed two individuals flying along the edges of the field. One ended up perching on a small fencepost and allowed us to get really close for some killer shots.

Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus), Washtenaw County, MI

It was awesome to finally get some really nice shots of these owls, particularly the snowy. I told Chris he needs to come along with me more often as I have never gotten as close to the birds as I did today.