Snowy Owls: They're moving south. If you check your local listerv, you've probably enjoyed (cough) a steady stream of reports.
So what's the deal? Well I don't know. You probably don't read this blog if you're looking for answers. You're probably looking for crazy. And that's what I can deliver.
Let's take a look at the last "big" Snowy Owl invasion: specifically, 2008-2009.
--- I don't know about you, but I saw a belly-button load of Snowy Owls this winter. Everywhere I traveled (usually work) I was seeing them. Some high counts included 21+ at a work site (1 day) and 14 at the Metz area north of Guelph (1 day).
--- a huge number of these birds were the expected "first winter male" category. I did see some girls and adult dudes, but word from the north was a spectacular breeding season resulted in a bumper crop of babies that graced our shores.
--- the X factor that year was a general lack of "invasion" beyond our shores. I was pretty excited to find a Snowy that winter, just north of the Point Pelee circle (north of Wheatley). Talk about far south right?
--- I'm working some excellent "winter raptor" locations, and there are some Snowy Owls around. But that's just it, there's some "around". My high count so far this year is a solid 7 in a day. Not really the same numbers, and they aren't really turning up in the same spots. I'm seeing a lot more on the "edges" - lakeshores, gravel bars, and other people's sightings seem to be similar (harbours, etc).
--- there also seems to be a lot of "white adult males" kicking about. We had a lot at Netitishi Point, and it has continued here. (I've seen several, and have seen others); See: http://joshvandermeulen.blogspot.com/2011/12/another-run-around-county.html ... I'm guessing that there must be a different dynamic involved. Maybe it wasn't a good breeding season, but trouble on the home front (eg,/ low food in the arctic?)
--- the X factor of this years invasion: is how far these freakin things are moving. Hawaii had it's first record, numbers are moving south down the west coast. And birds are really moving through Ontario. I know the Pelee CBC had 3, Ohio has already had multiple birds, and they're also moving down the east coast (New Jersey)?
Obviously the season is young, considering things are a bit on the mild side in southern Ontario. So maybe some totally different patterns will emerge before too long, but i'm finding it very interesting how these birds are really "pushing through" ... Time will tell, but I was also hurting for blog material now, soo.....
As I am sure you know, lemmings typically go through drastic population fluctuations on a 2-3 year cycle. In good years, there are lots for nesting Snowy Owls and they can raise a large brood, in bad years, they will not breed at all and wander around, sometimes travelling great distances. Typically a good year followed by a bad year is what prompts the larger irruptions - especially of immature birds. The thing that makes it more difficult to correlate lemmings cycles with irruptions is that lemming populations are fairly distinct in the sense that lemmings in one area can be absolutely swarming all summer, and 200 miles away they are almost absent. It seems to be a good year for Snowies all across NA, from BC to NL in Canada and all across the northern states as well. This would suggest that food is running short or conditions are unfavourable over much of the arctic right now, and it could very well be that if the overall owl population was running 'high' after a few good years, there would be that many more birds getting pushed south. Interesting that this irruption is not necessarily correlated with the movement of other northern owls which seem to be no more common or uncommon than in an average year.
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Could it be those first year males from a couple of years ago returning? Would be interesting to know.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments guys (or guy and gal?) - should be fun to continue to monitor this winters movement. Maybe today's arrival of some snow (Dec 28) will induce a fresh movement. There was a bird at Whitby Harbour today while watching the Smew!
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Anonymous said...
Could it be those first year males from a couple of years ago returning? Would be interesting to know.
I just came back from Long Point and was buzzed by two snowys gliding out onto the ice - they were spectacular. They were waiting for the dark so they could invade the flock of coots floating nearby. What a wonderful treat it was - my first time!
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