Snowies of the North

Unlike most birds of prey, I typically migrate to the north to my Michigan roots during the winter holidays to visit my family.  My most recent visit yielded a most unexpected and joyous surprise....I glimpsed my first wild Snowy Owl!

The Snowy Owl was perched high above the farm fields looking for prey. (Photo by Connie Bunke)

The Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) is a large, white owl with striking yellow eyes and a black beak.  Females are typically larger and have a brown bar pattern mixed with the white of their plumage.  Snowy males will also have the brown coloration to a lesser degree and will become more white as they age.

These majestic owls live solitary lives in the harsh arctic tundra, following the population movements of lemmings, a type of rodent.  Lemmings are the primary food source for Snowy Owls.  A single Snowy Owl can eat 1,500 to 1,600 lemmings in one year.

A lemming is a tasty meal for Snowy Owls (photo: The wikipedia files)

Sightings of Snowy Owls in the thumb of Michigan was once a really rare occurrence.  My mother could only recall seeing a Snowy Owl out in the countryside once in the thirty-five plus years she’s lived there.  Now, neighbors and friends talk as though seeing two or three snowies in a single day is a normal event!

My family and I took a drive one afternoon to go looking for the Snowy Owls.  In the span of an hour, we came across six snowies perched on telephone poles overlooking the fields.

We almost didn’t spot this fellow.  At a distance, he simply looked like an extension of the telephone pole (photo by Connie Bunke)

In recent years the explosion of Snowy Owls appearing across the northern United States is likely due to an unusually high abundance of lemming populations across Quebec, Canada, according to an article by the Cornell Lab of Orinthology BirdCast.  The high population levels of lemmings allow Snowy Owl pairs to rear larger clutches of chicks.  With the current Snowy Owl baby boom, we’re likely to have more frequent sightings of Snowy Owls for recurring years.

If you wish to learn more about Snowy Owls, come visit the World Bird Sanctuary to meet Tundra, the Snowy Owl, at our Education Department, as well as Ookpik and Crystal, our Snowy Owl pair, living on the sanctuary’s display line. 

Submitted by Jessica Bunke, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist/Trainer

Photo Project - Year 3: Spring Things & Fun In The Snow

March has been a good month for taking photos of the birds I get to work with on a regular basis at the World Bird Sanctuary, as well as a start to the flower season outside. 

I think I will start with a little sign of spring.  March has been an up and down month for weather.  On one of the nice, warm, sunny days I was luckily off from work for my birthday, and I took a nice walk at the Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis. 

Crocuses - the first sign of spring (photo:  Cathy Spahn)

One of the first signs of spring, flower-wise, is when you see crocuses coming up.  These small flowers can easily be missed, but if you know to look for them they are very pretty.  I just love the purple and yellow ones.  The sun that day just made them stand out.

The next series of photos were taken on a work trip to Hastings, MN at Carpenter Nature Center.  We presented shows there early in the month.  On this trip we took our Snowy Owl, Tundra, on her first travelling trip.  Since they had lots of snow and it was cold up there we took advantage of this, and placed her in the snow to see what she would do.

Is that a birdy smile--or what?  (photo:  Cathy Spahn)

First off I think if a bird could have smiled she would have been grinning from ear to ear.  She sat in the snow and made her happy/excited sounds (we trainers get to know the sounds our birds make and what they mean). 

This is one happy bird (photo: Cathy Spahn)

Then she started looking at the snow.  All of a sudden she stuck her face into the snow.  She came up with a face full of snow, and she even ate some!  Several times over the weekend we took her outside to sit in the snow.  Tundra had a ball!

She stuck her whole face in the snow (photo:  Cathy Spahn)

Sometimes when photographing the birds we do it to capture the beauty of the birds.  Other times it is to capture the action of what a bird may be doing, like a few of these photos of Tundra and the snow.  This experience with her was such an amazing and fun moment of watching a bird in a natural moment.

The bird version of the kid who just got into the cookie jar (photo:  Cathy Spahn)

The next time you visit the World Bird Sanctuary be sure to look for Tundra in the weathering area behind the Office of Wildlife  Learning  Nature Center.  This is where she spends most of her days—unless she’s traveling with our staff  to do an educational presentation.

Submitted by Cathy Spahn, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

365 Photo Project - November Photos

My November photos are from two different parts of the month; two photos from the beginning of the month and two from the end of the month. 

The beginning of the month started off with World Bird Sanctuary’s Camera Day.  The fall colors were beautiful this year and attendance was great.  I had the opportunity, while working the event, to take a few photos.  Two of those photos stand out in my mind. 

 Tundra, WBS's beautiful female Snowy Owl

The first shot from Camera Day was of Tundra, a Snowy Owl.  This was her first Camera Day and she did amazingly well.  Tundra has very quickly become one of my favorite birds.  Because she is such a visual bird she loves being out and getting to see things.  This photo became my favorite because I love this bird so much, and the fall colors and her eyes just make for a beautiful combination.

Jersey, the Barred Owl

The second photo from Camera Day that I really like is one of Jersey, the Barred Owl.  This year I tried to use birds that were new to the event, or have not been used in several years.  It has been several years since Jersey made an appearance.  Because she was set on a log on the ground this photo appears to be of a wild bird.  She was very popular with the photographers.

During the latter part of the month I participated in World Bird Sanctuary’s Project Owlnet.  I have been helping the World Bird Sanctuary’s bird banding team with this project.  We are working on a banding project to determine if Saw-whet Owls are migrating through the area and how our site compares with 2 other banding stations in the state.  Watch for a blog coming in the future with more details on this fun project.

Our first Saw-whet Owl of the night

The nights I had attended had been slow, but recently we had a night that produced two Saw-whet owls!  They are just so much fun to see, since they are difficult to find in the wild.  Also, this is something I have always loved.  I had the opportunity when I was young to band Saw-whet Owls, but at that time I could only help release them. This time, however, I had the opportunity to band one of the owls. 

I got to band this one!

This first photo is the first owl we captured that night.  The second photo was taken by Colleen Crank, banding team member, of me with the Saw-whet Owl.  I was allowed to put the band on this bird.

All in all I consider November to have been a very productive month for my 365 Photo Project.

Submitted by Cathy Spahn, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist