Perched Snowy Owl by Jim Salge
This winter has brought a beloved visitor to parts of New England — the snowy owl. Some members of the New England Photography Guild have been quite fortunate and already crossed a snowy owl’s path. Better yet, these photographers have captured stunning images of these magnificent creatures. I can only hope to be as fortunate as we get deeper into the winter season.
Jeff Folger - Vistaphotography
Where Snowy Owls Come From…
Snowy owls – the official bird of Quebec, Canada – breed on the northern margins of the Arctic tundra and spend winter in fields and on beaches. The snowy owl moves south out of its normal range to hunt for food during low prey winters. This is known as irruption.
Their Distinctive Coloring…
Despite what their name implies, snowy owls are rarely completely white. Typically, male snowy owls are barred with dark brown, and gradually get whiter with age. Female snowy owls, in addition to white plumage, also feature spots on their wings. Interestingly, the darkest male snowy owls and the palest female snowy owls are very similar in color. The whitest birds, however, are always male and the most heavily barred snowy owls are always female. Snowy owl chicks are dark and spotted. Snowy owl toes and claws are covered with thick feathers, and their golden eyes are rather small for such a large owl.
How They Hunt…
Butch Lombardi - East Bay Images
The snowy owl is a patient hunter possessing keen eyesight and great hearing. These traits make it possible for the snowy to detect prey concealed by thick vegetation or snow cover.
Known to remain perched still and silent on prominent lookouts, the snowy owl will swoop down on their prey and snatch them using their sharp talons. Diurnal by nature, snowy owls hunt both night and day.
What They Eat…
The meal of choice for the snowy owl is lemmings — lots of lemmings. An adult snowy owl eats 3-5 every day. If lemmings are in short supply (their populations are cyclic), snowy owls add rodents, other birds and fish to their diet. It is believed that lemming availability determines just how far south the snowy owl will migrate in search of food.
John Vose - Jericho Hills Photography
Other Snowy Owl Facts
Names: Snowy Owls are also known as Arctic Owls or Great White Owls.
Average Lifespan: 9.5 years in the wild
Height: 20 – 28 inches
Wingspan: 4.5 – 5.5 feet
Weight: 3.5 – 6 pounds
Snowy Owl Range Map
Per the Defenders.org website:
“In North America, snowy owls are found during the breeding season from the western Aleutians in Alaska to northeastern Manitoba (Churchill), northern Quebec and northern Labrador in Canada. In the winter, they can regularly be found in the northern United States. Sporadically they can be found as far south as central California as well as in Texas and Florida.”
This Year’s New England Snowy Owl Sightings Include:
- Plum Island, Newburyport, Massachusetts
- Crane Beach, Ipswich, Massachusetts
- Salisbury Beach, Salisbury, Massachusetts
- Duxbury Beach, Duxbury, Massachusetts
- Hampton Beach, Hampton, New Hampshire
- Cape Neddick (“Nubble”) Lighthouse, York, Maine
Note: Popular areas for the snowy owl are those with barrier beaches or dunes. One particular hot spot in previous years has been Boston’s Logan Airport!
Breaking News!
1/17/2012 – NEPGuild President Jeff Folger writes about finding a snowy in Hampton, NH, on his Scenic New England travels blog. Check it out!
Our NEPGuild Facebook Fans Love Snowy Owls Too!
Even some fans of our Facebook page have been rewarded with Snowy Owl encounters of their own. We are proud to showcase their Snowy Owl shots here.
Courtesy of Photographer Joseph DePasquale
Courtesy of Photographer Jim Fenton
Courtesy of Photographer Katharine Langenberg
Courtesy of Photographer Jon Winslow
So, in a nutshell, as winter descends and you walk the New England coastline, keep your eyes open. There could very well be two golden eyes watching you!
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4 Comments
Liz, I love your article and just want to add some information from ebird.
It’s interesting to note that a vast majority of birds in the eastern portion of the US have been occurring along shorelines such as the Great Lakes, the Saint Lawrence River, and the Atlantic Ocean, whereas birds in the upper Midwest are more evenly spread out across the landscape.
An important word of caution about this striking and photogenic species–the birds we see in the states are already stressed, since they moved from locations in the north due to a lack of food. One of the southeast Wisconsin Snowy Owls in Ozaukee County was seen for a few days and then found dead by a farmer. Apparently the bird was extremely emaciated, so it likely starved to death. While very beautiful and often approachable, life for them can at times be very difficult, and keeping a good distance so as not to disturb them is the best approach. Please don’t use live mice to lure them in to roadsides for photography. Flushing a large raptor, especially a white one can catch the attention of nearby crows causing unnecessary mobbing. We want these birds to successfully over-winter and then return back to the tundra to breed next spring.
eBird encourages all birders to submit Snowy Owl observations so we can adequately track their movements this year. eBird has become in popular in many birding circles, but still has a lot of room to grow! It’s never too late to submit observations and contribute your piece of the puzzle to citizen-science. Your observations can go a long way toward painting a beautiful mosaic of observations from all corners of the United States and beyond.
Contributed by Sam Galick, eBird Data Reviewer, New Jersey
Thanks very much Jane for both your compliment and eBird information. I hope everyone respects the needs of this wonderful gift of nature.
Excellent post Liz. I hope to be adding some images of my own of these majestic birds in the coming weeks.
Thanks Jeff! That makes two of us!
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