The Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) is one of the Arctic's most magnificent and iconic residents. We don't even see them here in the Susitna Valley often, usually only in the depths of winter when their regular haunts north of the Arctic Circle are plunged into the deepest of deep freezes. Then, they drift south, competing with our local Great Gray and Great Horned Owls for mice and similar small prey. Like all owls, they can fly in near-silence, making their appearance almost ghostly.
Sometimes, they even drift farther south. I remember one very, very cold night in the Allamakee County stomping grounds of my youth, when my Dad and I were walking back home from my brother's house, and in the dark, clear night, there was a silent glimpse of white; one of these regal owls, gliding overhead.
Now, in Chicago, serious birders and other curious folks are heading to the shores of Lake Michigan to see a pair of these owls that has taken up temporary residence there.
A pair of snowy owls spotted along a Lake Michigan beach has drawn curious crowds and sparked happy speculation about how long the Arctic birds of prey will call Chicago home.
Word of the two owls has circulated on birder forums in the nation’s third-largest city for about a week, according to the Chicago Ornithological Society. While snowy owls aren’t rare in Chicago, their frequency varies widely each winter. Generally, a handful are reported around December, but sometimes there aren’t any.
“Their nomadic nature makes them hard to study or even figure out patterns,” Edward Warden, the society’s president, said Sunday. “Where they’re going is anybody’s guess.”
This year, two birds have been seen at a beach and pier near the Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary on the city’s North Side. A third one was briefly spotted at a beach a few miles (kilometers) south, according to the Chicago Ornithological Society
That's an uncommon treat for Illinois birders.
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These big Arctic owls don't really migrate, per se. They stay as far north as is comfortable, and they are admirably well-equipped for even Arctic winters, with a heavy coating of thick plumage right down to their toes. But when temperatures drop into the double-digits below zero, they will sometimes drift south to stay a little ahead of any oncoming cold fronts.
And sometimes they just drift south because, for whatever reason, it suits them to do so. That seems to be what is happening here.
The Cornell Labs page for these birds tells us where to look for them in winter:
In winter, look for Snowy Owls along shorelines of lakes and the ocean, as well as on agricultural fields and airport lands. Snowy Owls breed in the treeless arctic tundra.
The females have some dark feathers mixed in with the white, giving them a salt-and-pepper look. The males are almost pure white. Both sexes have brilliant yellow eyes. If you're in the area and have the chance, this is a bird sighting that doesn't come along all that often in the lower 48, and even then, only in winter; summer finds them in their breeding grounds, north of the Arctic Circle.
Owls are fascinating birds. We have several varieties here, from the big Great Horned Owl to the little, piping Saw-Whet Owl. We hear them more often than we see them, but it's a great thing to have them around.
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