The Northeast, including New York and other Great Lakes states, is enjoying what could be the largest-ever influx of Arctic Snowy Owls. And more may be on the way.
The killing of some owls at New York City airports has provoked an outcry against the practice, which was deemed necessary to prevent owls from being sucked into plane engines and raising the risk of a crash. The Port Authority announced it would move toward non-lethal trap-and-release methods.
“We applaud the move by the Port Authority to pursue non-lethal methods of removing Snowy Owls from JFK and LaGuardia airports,” said Kevin McGowan, a biologist at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca. “This is essential to reduce risk to people, and it also preserves the lives of these magnificent raptors.
“The sudden influx of these birds, called an ‘irruption,’ may be the first wave. More Snowy Owls are poised to head south looking for food and will be attracted to wide-open expanses, such as airports, because they resemble their native tundra. Now that we know this is happening, airports can prepare for it by connecting with local wildlife removal experts. In most cases, we’ll be talking about a few birds per airport.”
More than likely these Snowy Owls are moving south from the Arctic because of a shortage of their favorite food up north—lemmings— or because of a bumper crop of young, McGowan said. “We can expect them to stick around through early spring before they head back to the Arctic again.”
“This year’s Snowy Owl irruption is the largest we’ve seen in decades in the Northeast and this is an awesome opportunity” to see them, he said. To see if large numbers of these owls are in your area, check out the live maps at www.eBird.org, which tracks reports of the Snowy Owls.
“Snowy Owls are one of the most impressive animals on the planet,” McGowan said. “You don’t have to be a bird watcher to appreciate how cool they are!”