Home»SnowyOwl_Dec2013

Snowy Owls are the largest owls and breed in the Arctic, where their major prey are lemmings. (This is the species of Hedwig, Harry Potter's owl!) The populations of lemmings and owls are in sync. When the lemmings boom so do the owls; when the lemmings bust, the owls head south in "irruption". A major irruption of Snowy Owls into southern Canada and the northern US began in late November 2013. Sightings of Snowy Owls in the triple digits were seen in Newfoundland, and in the dozens across New England. Many have made it down to the mid-Atlantic states (MD, DE, VA and NC). We saw this one, a juvenile male, in Frederick, MD, 40 miles north of Washington, DC.