RSVP Required Join Chicago Ornithological Society for an in person program as we explore and take a deep dive into everything we know about Snowy Owl irruptions!
Hope this is kosher. Its not a picture but I saw it and figured I would share for folks in the chicago metro but also I assume this time period would apply to many places that far north or more in the US.
This is really neat, wish it was closer to me!
even just knowing the time. going to keep an eye out near the forest preserves although with the snow I have a feeling it would be hard to actually notice one.
Look for all the photographers! 😂
Every year there are numerous postings and articles asking people to please not harass the Snowies, the locals, or park in random places on the road fighting for a spot.
Photographing a Snowy is a bucket list item for many, so there is always a frenzy during Snowy season and people suddenly forget all kinds of rules and basic manners.
Here’s a brief article about what an irruption is. I don’t think it’s a term many of us are familiar with.
Here’s what amounts to a TL;DR from the article, but it has some better details if you read the rest, and it touches on some of the irruptive owl species as well as some other irruptive birds.
While many people think of migration as a north-south or south-north phenomenon, irruptive species are nomadic with their movements linked to food supplies. Their migration can as likely be east or west. As a result the details of these nomadic movements vary from species to species and from year to year.
In some cases they involve nearly all the immature birds leaving the poorest territories, while in other cases virtually the entire population of a species may move. If they did not move they would suffer very high mortality rates. This may still occur if their travels bring them to areas which also lack sufficient food sources
