{"id":1264,"date":"2012-12-04T10:51:18","date_gmt":"2012-12-04T14:51:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.massaudubon.org\/blogs\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=1264"},"modified":"2013-12-02T13:39:02","modified_gmt":"2013-12-02T18:39:02","slug":"the-return-of-snowy-owls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/the-return-of-snowy-owls\/","title":{"rendered":"The Return of Snowy Owls"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Snowy owl season has officially begun. So far, three of these “white terrors of the north” have been spotted in Massachusetts, including one that was banded by Mass Audubon’s Norman Smith last year.<\/p>\n

Will this year by anything like last year’s invasion? Let’s consider the facts.<\/p>\n

A Look Back<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has put last year’s snowy owl event in\u00a0excellent perspective<\/a>.\u00a0By December 5, 2011 snowy owls had been spotted in\u00a0much of the northern half of the continental United States and as far south as Texas.<\/p>\n

Here\u00a0Massachusetts, they stuck mostly to the coast. Sightings came from Westport, New Bedford, Nantucket, Orleans, Duxbury Beach, and of course, Plum Island. One reporter even saw one in Central Massachusetts from atop Mt. Watatic.<\/p>\n

But while the winter of 2011-2012 was the best recorded event of its kind, it was probably not as large as any number of historic flights. Just recent history shows that the 2008-2009 irruption was larger, when eBird<\/a> input was at 44 percent of what it is today. In other words, fewer eyes reported more birds.<\/p>\n

So, What About This Year?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Such irruptions happen every 3 to 6 years in the northeast, and, taking into account Christmas Bird Count data analyzed for the purposes of the State of the Birds<\/a> report in 2011, it seems that the\u00a0snowy owl\u00a0population\u00a0is currently holding in a stable position. Therefore, should we not expect another snowy owl invasion any time soon?<\/p>\n

Well that gets down to the question of cause, which is currently unanswerable. It’s hard to get a grasp on the drivers that force irruptions.<\/p>\n

That said, we do have historic numbers to consider. In 2002-03, Christmas Bird Counters in Massachusetts found 28 snowy owls; the following year, they found 4. In 2008-09,\u00a0it was\u00a040 snowy owls. The following year, 7.\u00a0 While the pattern does not always hold true, and there are variables to consider (i.e. the number of counters and the affectations of the weather on the counts), there does seem to generally be a drop off in the number of snowy owls in the state the year after an irruption.<\/p>\n

Mass Audubon’s Work with Snowy Owls<\/strong><\/p>\n

With questions still unanswered, one can see how important Blue Hills Trailside Museum Director\u00a0Norman Smith’s work<\/a> on snowy owls at Logan Airport has been. Norman has captured and banded\u00a0nearly 500 birds at Logan\u2014saving them from the dangers of the runways\u2014and has tracked 14 of them <\/a>through satellite telemetry.<\/p>\n

Every year we learn a little more about these fascinating birds; perhaps someday we’ll\u00a0find the key to the secrets of their unexpected mass visitations to the state.<\/p>\n

Have you seen a snowy owl this year or in year’s past? Tell us about it in the comments. Interested in learning more? Join us for an upcoming program on snowy owls<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Photo copyright Richard Johnson<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Snowy owl season has officially begun. So far, three of these “white terrors of the north” have been spotted in Massachusetts, including one that was banded by Mass Audubon’s Norman Smith last year. Will this year by anything like last year’s invasion? Let’s consider the facts. A Look Back The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[29,80],"class_list":["post-1264","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nature-notes","tag-blue-hills","tag-owls"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-ko","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14922,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-superb-snowy-owls\/","url_meta":{"origin":1264,"position":0},"title":"Take 5: Superb Snowy Owls","author":"Ryan D.","date":"November 16, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"They're here! Snowy Owls have arrived from their breeding grounds in the Arctic and can be spotted at Plum Island, Duxbury Beach, and other open, treeless areas near the coast through March\u2014if you make the trip to see Snowy Owls this winter, please protect these beautiful raptors by viewing them\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Snowy Owl \u00a9 Paul Malenfant","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/11\/3843Paul_Malenfant28380.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/11\/3843Paul_Malenfant28380.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/11\/3843Paul_Malenfant28380.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/11\/3843Paul_Malenfant28380.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3016,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/snowy-owl-update\/","url_meta":{"origin":1264,"position":1},"title":"Snowy Owl Update","author":"Mass Audubon","date":"December 7, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Currently New England is hosting a major incursion of snowy owls, many of which will likely spend the winter in our area. Typically these Arctic visitors tend to appear most frequently near the coast, but the first report this year was inland at Mount Wachusett in Princeton on November 17.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Snowy Owl copyright David Larson","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2013\/12\/snowyowldavelarson-1024x787.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3167,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/january-2014-snowy-owl-update\/","url_meta":{"origin":1264,"position":2},"title":"January 2014 Snowy Owl Update","author":"Hillary T.","date":"January 29, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"In case you haven't heard, this is the winter of snowy owls. And no one knows this better than Norman Smith, snowy owl expert and sanctuary directory of Mass Audubon's Blue Hills Trailside Museum in Milton. For more than 30 years, Smith has been trapping snowy owls at Boston's Logan\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Project Updates"","block_context":{"text":"Project Updates","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/project-updates\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.massaudubon.org\/var\/ezdemo_site\/storage\/images\/media\/departments\/lww\/birds\/snowy-owl-quick-guide\/170305-1-eng-US\/snowy-owl-quick-guide.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3043,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/snowy-owls-airports-how-you-can-help\/","url_meta":{"origin":1264,"position":3},"title":"Snowy Owls & Airports: How You Can Help","author":"Hillary T.","date":"December 10, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"There has been a lot of news coverage in regards to snowy owls at airports, highlighting the fact that Norman Smith (of Mass Audubon's Blue Hills Trailside Museum) has been\u00a0safely trapping and releasing snowy owls\u00a0at Boston Logan Airport for more than 30 years. Norman was featured on\u00a0CBS Boston, the\u00a0Today Show,\u00a0NY\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Project Updates"","block_context":{"text":"Project Updates","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/project-updates\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"NormanSmithSnowyOwl","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2013\/12\/NormanSmithSnowyOwl-768x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10464,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/releasing-snowy-owl-no-26\/","url_meta":{"origin":1264,"position":4},"title":"Releasing Snowy Owl no. 26","author":"Hillary T.","date":"February 1, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"On Monday, January 29, Norman Smith (director at Blue Hills Trailside Museum) carefully captured a snowy owl at Logan Airport (for the safety of the owl and the planes). The next day, he released it on Duxbury Beach. Snowy owls are attracted to Logan because the landscape resembles the Arctic\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/01\/NormanwithSnowy600.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/01\/NormanwithSnowy600.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/01\/NormanwithSnowy600.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8591,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/snowy-owl-release-in-duxbury-video\/","url_meta":{"origin":1264,"position":5},"title":"Snowy Owl Release in Duxbury Video","author":"Hillary T.","date":"January 26, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Watch Norman Smith of Blue Hills Trailside Museum talk about this snowy owl, which he safely rescued from Logan Airport on Monday, January 23, and released at Duxbury Beach. Norman has been safely rescuing snowy owls from Logan Airport for more than 30 years. This was the 12th snowy owl\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1264","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1264"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1264\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3002,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1264\/revisions\/3002"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}