Paul Pflanz

By David Figura l dfigura@NYup.com

Upstate New York is once again experiencing an “irruption “of snowy owls from the Arctic tundra.

Kevin McGowan, from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, said he’s been monitoring snowy owl migrations for some 30 years. In years past, it was a matter of “none, none, none – and then a whole bunch,” he said.

(The above photo was taken this week of a juvenile bird at Syracuse's Hancock International Airport.)

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That trend has changed the past couple of years, with snowy sightings occurring every year. This year, he added, “it’s still a higher than normal year.” Areas where they’re commonly seen in Upstate New York are lake shores, airports and wide-open agricultural fields – preferring areas that are low and flat, with short scruffy plants and grasses, and there's an abundance of small mammals and birds to eat,

McGowan pointed to the snowy owl sightings map on Cornell's E-bird website. "There are a good number of the birds being seen this year along the Great Lakes and east of there.-- down to Virginia.

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Greg Craybas

During the past couple of years, snowy owls have been spotted at the Syracuse's Hancock International Airport every year. This one was photographed in 2014.

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Why do the numbers of snowy owls that migrate south each year vary? Snowy owls are among the "irruptive species" of birds, meaning they move out of their natural range at irregular times. Ornithologists offer two main reasons.

The one theory is based on the fact that the owls primarily feed their young lemmings and other rodents found on the Arctic Tundra. The birds have the unique ability, McGowan said, to lay more eggs if food is plentiful – resulting in a boom of numbers.

If there is a population boom coupled with a sudden drop of lemming numbers, the snowy owls migrate southward in search of food.

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However, McGowan said recent research has shown that the older birds, particularly the females, stay put regardless of the lemming numbers and it’s the younger birds that migrate south during the winter – a trend that appears to be rising in recent years.

The new theory, McGowan concluded, is that increased migrations are merely reflective of increased numbers up north.

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Paul Pflanz

What do these migrating owls eat?

Current studies have shown they dine on waterfowl and other birds. These raptors are physically suited to do that, McGowan said, because of the large talons on their feet and the fact that they have long, pointed wings that are built for speed.

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Is there any reason to be concerned about the birds’ welfare with the current blast of Arctic-like cold hitting the Upstate area.

Not at all, McGowan said.

‘This bird is built to handle the cold weather. They are an incredibly well-insulated animal,” he said. “In fact, when things start to melt you’ll often find them sitting on piles of snow because they’re getting too hot.”

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