The Winter Irruption of the Snowy Owl

Mind-blowing, beautiful, wild, stunning, can’t believe it, a life’s dream: these were just a few of the comments I heard as Cape May locals saw their first ever wild Snowy Owl. This was the year of the Snowy Owl, a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Few birds capture the imagination like the Snowy Owl. These birds seem to have a mythical “white ghost” quality, living their lives in the high Arctic. Hedwig, the owl from the Harry Potter series, only added to our fascination with them. Snowies only rarely venture this far south, usually onto remote beaches or windswept jetties.

Occasionally, an irruption year occurs and hundreds of Snowy Owls are spotted in the Lower 48. This was that year. It’s often impossible to truly work out what causes such an incredible invasion. We do know that this was a “Lemming Year.” Lemmings are fat, juicy, vole-like creatures that Snowies love to snack on in the summertime. Such plentiful food often results in a bumper breeding season. With an abundance of young owls and a shortage of winter food to meet such high demand, young owls often have to move further south en-masse. As for the Lemming, they don’t hibernate but disperse in all directions, even trying to cross bodies of water in search of better areas to survive. Given the big movement of the owls, it seems this abundant food supply must have dried up. While the myth of “mass suicide” of Lemmings has proven to be false, clearly the massive population fluctuations of these fat little creatures show that many die. So, the Snowy Owls must look elsewhere for food, and they did this year!

Recent research shows that many Snowy Owls, mostly adults, head north for the winter. There, they hunt for sea ducks like Eider as they get jammed into the few remaining open waters. Eider, with their eider-down feathers, have adapted to living in extreme cold temperatures, just like the Snowies. This explains the need for Snowy Owls’ massive feet and legs, designed for killing critters as big as themselves and standing on solid ice. Since this winter has also been exceptionally cold in many areas of the Arctic, resulting in a lack of open water, many Eider have also been forced south, possibly making the Owls follow suit.

In Cape May County, at least 15 Snowies have been found. The most recent was spotted on a rooftop on Beach Avenue in Cape May, perched between two chimney posts. At least 150 people were lucky enough to see this stunner, thanks to the wonders of quick, emergency tweets and Facebook posts. (Thank goodness I have my kids to keep me in the 21^st century!) Local naturalist extraordinaire Mark Garland kept vigil all day, allowing everybody to get crippling views through his scope. Even without a scope, the young male Snowy gave fantastic views, grooming its huge feet and back and performing those mind-bending head twists. It also spent an hour ripping a dead pigeon apart, much to everyone’s enjoyment (except the pigeon’s, of course).

Snowies feed mostly at night and roost in the daytime. They like a good vantage point whether on the tundra, beach, hotel, jetty or sign. They want to know what is going on while they sleep. That may seem at odds to humans, but birds can sleep with their eyes open. One half of their brain can sleep while the other half is working. This is why some birds can sleep while still flying. If only I could master that trick!

Like many birds that live far from people, they are often quite approachable. For those that were lucky enough to walk the beach early in the winter morn’ and come face to face, it is an experience they will never forget. Standing two feet tall, Snowies are broad and have a glare to kill. This powerful beauty leaves a lasting impact, and you don’t need binoculars to see it. The adult males are all white, and immature females are boldly barred and appear black and white. Adult females and immature males are somewhere in between.

While many birders encourage others to keep the location of owls under wraps, I believe the rewards for sharing the experience with others has a far greater positive impact. If you were fortunate enough to see a Snowy Owl this winter, I am sure you know what I mean. Remember: be respectful of the bird if you do see one. It’s temping to try and sneak closer for a photo, but to flush it is not good for the bird. It also takes away from the enjoyment of others. The impact on local communities that birds like this have is really crucial. Everyone is a closet birder, and this Snowy certainly outed quite a few of them!