I’ve never really been
one to chase local reports of rare birds.
I guess it’s more fun for me to happen upon a bird by my own dumb luck. Someone spotted (and photographed!) the first
record of a Mountain Bluebird in Maine a few weeks ago. But it never even occurred to me to try and
go see it for myself. The warm fuzzies I
felt for the stranger who documented it were enough for me. I’m not saying that I’ve never sought out a
bird from an email report, but it pretty much takes an owl sighting to get me going.
Like this Northern Hawk Owl that hung out in Maine a few winters ago...
Recent reports have
been cropping up across Maine of one of my Bucket List Birds, a total Golden
Lifer – the Snowy Owl. The number of
local sightings has me dreaming of these magical, mythical white fluffernutters. I’m waking up feeling disappointed because my
‘sighting’ was only a dream. I did get
to experience a rehabbed Snowy at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science a
few years ago, but no matter how cool, it’s just not the same as seeing one in
the wild…
Snowy Owls
are reliably reported in Maine each winter according to Christmas Bird Count data. Though it is generally known that they
tend to irrupt in greater numbers in the southern parts of their range every 3 years. And 2008 was the last big year for them which
means these 2011 Snowies are pretty much right on ‘schedule’. We’ve also had an exceptionally warm November
and December here in Maine. I’m talking
50 degree days for weeks and the ground isn’t even frozen yet. The local rodents appear to be taking
advantage of the extended summer as well - the gray squirrels have big bellies
and the chipmunks and red squirrels are fat and shiny. I can only imagine the mice and voles are
equally as plump. If I were a Snowy, I’d
be coming down here to help myself to the pickens too! Just look at the gullet on this guy at my sister's house...
I think it’s cool
that Snowies are among the few owls that are active during the day and nest on
the ground. But I guess if you live in
the arctic you wouldn’t get by in the summer very well if you relied on the
cover of darkness and vertical nesting structures to survive...
When I think of ground nesting owls I usually picture Short-eared Owls or these guys, Burrowing Owls...
I think it’s awesome that the species of collared lemmings that Snowy Owls gorge on
are the only North American rodent that turns white in winter. And that the 3-4
year population fluctuations of these lemmings can influence the Snowy
irruptions down here. I wonder what the local year-round Great Horned Owls would do if they crossed paths with a big ol' white owl...
I will continue to scan the marshes, fields, and coast for a glimpse at one of these albus beauties. I really hope to see a Snowy Owl this winter - be it by luck or by lead!
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