Winter Wonderland

Even though this winter was the least wintery winter we've seen in Iowa for quite awhile, that didn't stop us from seeing the most snowy owls here on record. We experienced what's called an irruption. All that means is that the population of a certain kind of bird (in this case the snowy owl) grew so much that they're forced to migrate out of their normal hunting grounds to find food. The snowys irrupt every 3-5 years (woaw- that conjures up an image of birds vomiting lava), so snowy owls in Iowa are nothing new. But this years irruption was a doozie! Missouri's record for snowy owl sightings in a year was 8, this year they've already blown that number out of the water with 40 sightings. And we're not even two months into the year yet.

Experts say that thousands  these 2 ft tall, white birds crossed the border from Canada to the U.S. this year. One even ended up in Hawaii (the first one ever!) where they shot it because they were scared it would interfere with airplane landings and take offs. =/

The mass migration was so huge that Denver Holt, the head of the Owl Research Institute, has called it "the most significant wildlife event in decades." I think he might be alittle bit biased. I'd call the fact that, according to  the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), one quarter of all the mammals on Earth are at risk of extinction is marginally more significant. But that's another story for another time.

The irruption started late in the fall and it's expected to end by March or April. So there's still a chance for you to see these magnificent birds for yourself! Since snowy owls are used to living in the arctic tundra, look for them in open spaces like plowed fields, airfields, golf courses, lake shores, and parks. Rough-legged hawks also live in the tundra and have similar prey choices to the snowy owls, so look for them as well.

I was lucky enough to get to treat a snowy owl this year at the clinic. It wasn't only my first snowy, it was also my first amputation, and (not coincidentally) the first surgery I've thought I might pass out during. But that's also another story for another time. So I'll leave you with a few interesting facts about snowy owls.

They are the only owls that hunt both during the day and at night, which makes sense considering that they live in an area where the sun doesn't set until after midnight during the summer and doesn't come up until after noon during the winter. They have spots (like the picture above) until they are sexually mature (approx. 2 years old) at which point the males lose all of their spots and the females lose most of their spots. The snowy owl is also known as the arctic owl or the great white owl. A group of owls can be called a bazaar, a glaring, a parliament, a stooping, or a wisdom of owls.