Chirps and Cheeps

I took a long lunch this afternoon and drove to the Batavia Airport to see the Snowy Owl that was found there today. I found the young owl sitting out on the airfield in the snow.

The only other time I saw a Snowy Owl was at the Niagara Falls Airport on the BOS Owl Field Trip led by Chuck Rosenberg this past March. That was a much more distant view. Today's view was quite wonderful! I never even pulled out my scope as binoculars were more than enough.

There have been many Snowy Owl sightings in the last week. Snowys are being found up on in farm fields, on beaches, and and at airports all up and down the northeast - even into the midwest. It's being called an "invasion" and even veteran birders are saying they can't remember a year where there's been such a confluence of the Arctic birds like this year.  Jeff Gordon of the American Birding Association said this year could perhaps become the biggest invasion year ever for Snowy Owls.

Snowy Owls will often come south from the Arctic when their normal food supply, lemmings, is in scarce supply - or when the breeding season was so successful there are so many Snowys that they're forced to go south in search of food. Whatever the reason, the Snowys we're seeing are hungry and looking for food.  If you happen to see one, give it some space as it's probably experiencing some form of hunger or stress.

The long days of the Arctic have adapted the Snowy to becoming a daytime hunter, unlike most owls. And another difference from the other owls is that they have feathers on their feet. This gives them some extra insulation from the Arctic cold.