A few facts on snowy owls to start this column.
• North America’s northernmost and heaviest owl. White with brown barring and yellow eyes.
• Breeds in the Arctic.
• “Fiercely defends nests against predators, even wolves.” (Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology.)
• Eats three to five lemmings (a small rodent) each day.
• Also eats hares, foxes and waterfowl, which they are fast enough to catch on the wing. (Source: Hinterland Who’s Who.)
• They are totally cool. (Source: me.)
Finally, perhaps the most important fact.
• There are a few in New England, with sightings coming from New Hampshire (Hampton Falls), Connecticut, Massachusetts and Maine.
As I write this column on a recent afternoon, I have just returned from seeing an owl on a beach in southern Connecticut. I saw it with my two-year-old son Will this morning. Will was more interested in the gulls flying around — kids want action — but he still acknowledged the owl and I’m sure on some level appreciated the sighting. Snowy owls are largely silent during the winter, but Will and I were lucky enough to hear it hiss at a crow that approached too closely.
So just what is an Arctic predator like the snowy owl doing in parts of New England? Especially one that eats foxes and fights off wolves?
Well, it depends on whom you ask. Conventional wisdom says that snowy owls head south — keeping in mind that New England is pretty far south for an Arctic bird — when the lemming population crashes up north. With their major food source limited, snowy owls turn south to find food.
Others say that the lemming population in the Arctic has little to do with it and their occurrence in New England is sporadic and unpredictable.
At any rate, snowy owls show up throughout New England nearly every year in varying, but always small, numbers. Usually it is one or two birds a year and only a few fortunate birdwatchers get to see it. The only previous time I’ve seen a snowy owl was about seven years ago on another Connecticut beach. This owl was about 500 yards away and appeared as little more than a dot, even through a spotting scope.
My recent sighting, in Norwalk, Conn., offered long, close looks. It was also in New England much earlier than snowy owls are usually found here. Usually the dead of winter is when a few show up, but this was still in the first week of November. Not only that, but another snowy owl has been spotted a little farther north along the Connecticut coast.
Is it a sign of a banner year for snowy owls in New England? Maybe. It could also be that these birds will disappear and we won’t seen another one until next winter. Stay tuned. We all have to wait for the answer on that one.
Most snowy owls that do end up in New England are immature birds. Young birds show more brown banding and the owl Will and I saw was certainly heavily streaked. It’s probably a first-year male owl. Mature males are nearly pure white, while mature females retain some brown banding.
In addition to my sighting with Will, I also took advantage of an opportunity to take a short boat ride on Long Island Sound. We saw a lot of different birds, including many ducks and shorebirds that will remain in New England throughout the winter, but obviously nothing compared to the snowy owl.
To check rare bird alerts throughout New England (and snowy owls are certainly considered rare), visit www.virtualbirder.com

Return to archives