We have several hardcore (in a good way!) birders in the trail maintainer group. I know a couple of them are closely following the Snowy Owl "irruption" that is currently taking place. Per the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, "an irruption, in birding, is when a species of bird moves into an area where it doesn’t normally winter". The very informative article at the link above is also the source of the feature video, which has some stunning pictures of the beautiful Snowy Owl.
During this current irruption, the USFWS mentions owls being seen as far south as North Carolina, but there has also been a recent report of a 'Snowie" seen in Florida (Little Talbot Island State Park)! As for Snowy Owls in Virginia, one of our birding maintainers reported that "There were four in Chincoteague, one in Yorktown. I understand that there is one at Dulles, but not easily
seen – last seen on the wing of a plane at gate A-6 J - also one sitting on the I-81 exit 240 sign".
So what are these birders so excited about seeing? Here are some links to pictures of Snowy Owls that the USFWS has been posting on Facebook:
(Note on coloring: Females and young owls have a sprinkling of darker feathers that form spots or bars over their wings)
Update (1-13-2014): Chincoteague sighting this weekend:
If you are interested in more information regarding Snowy Owls, here are some links:
Keep a sharp eye out ... if you see a Snowy Owl (and perhaps get lucky enough to take some pictures), please let us know and we'll be glad to post the info on the blog!
♦ ♦ ♦
No comments:
Post a Comment