Norman Spicher of New Hampshire got this photo of a snowy own in the Keene, N.H., in January 2018.
It looks like another good year to see snowy owls throughout New England.
The white, powerful Arctic visitors may not be as prolific as they were four winters ago, but it is another exceptionally strong year for sure.
A glimpse at Rare Bird Alerts throughout the region show they are being seen at both coastal and inland areas. They are more likely to be seen along the coast, but not exclusively. Keep your eyes open and you just may spot one of these magnificent creatures.
I have not spotted one this year yet. To be fair, I haven’t made much of an effort as work and family duties have kept me from visiting areas where they have been seen. Luckily, I heard from a reader of my bird column in New Hampshire who sent me a photo of a snowy owl that has been seen in the southwestern corner of that state.
That photo is above and also on the “reader submitted photos” page on this site.
It’s funny, that page also includes a photo of a snowy owl taken in southwestern New Hampshire a few years ago. As I said, snowy owls are most likely to be seen along the coast, but not always.
Good luck in your search. Let me know how you do.
Below are a few photos I took during the historic irruption of 2013, but first here are some links to interesting stories about these northern birds of prey.
From Audubon:
http://www.audubon.org/news/hold-your-bins-another-blizzard-snowy-owls-could-be-coming
How are the owls doing overall?
Well-done blog with maps:
https://bryanpfeiffer.com/snowy-owl-scoop/
Here’s where they are being seen:
http://ebird.org/ebird/alert/summary?sid=SN40647&sortBy=obsDt
Now here are some photo I took a few years ago.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A Snowy Owl flies across the beach at The Coastal Center at Milford Point in early March 2014.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A Snowy Owl sits on a sign at The Coastal Center at Milford Point in early March 2014.
Birds of New England.com 