Arctic Cycle Turning Wheels Close to Home: A Blizzard of Snowy Owls Lands in Great Lakes Region

Snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) from the Quebec Government website

While most of us in Southeast Michigan are still awaiting the arrival winter snow, another kind of "snow" has arrived in the meantime to hold us over -- snowy owls. This bird, which hails from the northernmost reaches of Canada, has been spotted all over the state, including at locations within an hour of Detroit. There is even one unconfirmed report of a sighting downtown.

This event is more than just the arrival of an interesting and beautiful bird of prey -- it is a great chance to understand the workings of nature and how cycles happening far away can affect us close to home.

The appearance of so many snowy owls usually indicates a severe food shortage in the regions of Canada where they are typically found. These daytime hunters, which are impressively sized birds with a wingspan of about five feet, rely on lemmings, voles, and other small mammals to survive in the Arctic. When competition for their food increases (either due to a lack of prey or an overabundance of fellow predators), the snowy owls are forced to go south to find food -- as far down as the Great Lakes and beyond. Here they will hunt for voles, mice, and other small mammals, competing with local birds of prey to survive.

"We haven't had a good Snowy Owl Winter in years," recalls Rick Simek, naturalist at the Environmental Interpretive Center. "I remember a winter a long time ago when I worked at the [Metro Beach] metropark; I think I remember Snowy Owls picking off and eating injured ducks."

(There are no reports yet of snowy owls picking off housepets.)

Scientists usually refer to these dramatic mass migrations as "irruptions". They will stay in the region hunting and resting until March, when they return to the Arctic to breed.

Although this season's blizzard of snowies has been bliss for birders, the long trip south takes a toll on the owls, who must spend an enormous amount of energy to get here. It is usually the youngest and most inexperienced birds that are driven south, and many do not survive. If you go looking for one, try not to disturb it -- every movement it makes wastes calories, and the owl needs every bit of energy it can get. Be respectful and observe them from a distance, or from a blind where they can't see you (like behind some bushes, or inside your car).

If you are interested in knowing where snowy owls have been spotted, or submitting a sighting of your own, check out the Snowy Owl Maps on eBird. While you're there, check out their article, too -- lots of great information about this season's irruption, as well as some commentary on the importance of citizen science.

Let's keep our your eyes to the skies this year! Cheers to 2012!

P.S. A special treat, courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: