Snowy Owl Irruption!
Posted on January 21, 2022
Your chances of spotting a snowy owl—those striking winter visitors from the Canadian Arctic with the bright white plumage and golden eyes—are better than average this year. Why? Because, while there are always a handful of snowy owls that venture down into this neck of the woods in the winter, every four or five years, we’ll see quite a few more than normal- what’s called an “irruption.” This means that there are a lot more snowy owls migrating a lot further south than usual, for reasons that aren’t fully understood. What we do know is that irruptions are typically driven by a summer breeding season in which their prey of lemmings, voles, and other small mammals is very plentiful on the tundra up north. Abundant food equals larger clutches of snowy owl eggs, which means there will be a lot more young owls migrating south the following winter.
Unlike most owls, they are not nocturnal, preferring to hunt during the day. This makes sense if you think about it... they spend their summers in a place where there is continuous daylight for a period of time. This also increases you chance of actually seeing one! Look along the shoreline, on beaches, or in large open areas, like agricultural or airport fields. Think places that look like the Arctic.
Other fun facts:
- Snowy owls are the largest North American owl species by weight, due to the abundance of thick feathers they need for insulation. An adult typically weighs about 4 lbs.
- Male snowy owls are almost totally white, while females are white with dark bars in their plumage.
- Lemmings make up the majority of a snowy owl's diet on the tundra. They can eat up to 5 lemmings per day, or 1,600 per year. They typically swallow their prey whole.
Zoom into this map to see where snowy owls have been spotted nearby! Have you seen one? Post a photo on social media and tag us: @ChikamingOpenLands.