Seen a snowy owl lately? You're not alone

Photo by Sandy Milliken, Post Falls, Idaho

The U.S. has a snow shortage this winter, but a surplus of snowy owls. Thousands of the white birds have migrated from the Arctic into the lower 48 states this winter in what some specialists are calling "the most significant wildlife event in decades," reports Laura Zuckerman of Reuters. They've been seen as far west as Montana, as far east as Massachusetts and as far south as Oklahoma, and the phenomenon is likely linked to a boom in lemmings, small rodents that are 90 percent of the bird's food supply. Large lemming populations last season probably led to an owl population boom in which breeding pairs hatched up to seven chicks, compared to two in normal seasons.

The exact reason for the mass migration is unknown, but some think greater competition for food and climate change could be factors. Owl Research Institute director Denver Holt said snowy owl populations are in decline because of lower lemming populations, which have shrunk because climate change is limiting growth of grasses they eat. Owls could be flying south in great numbers to look for more food. Bird enthusiasts from across the U.S. are traveling to view the owls, "pouring tourist dollars into local economies and crowding parks and wildlife areas." (Read more)