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Doug Gross isn’t surprised by the recent appearance of a snowy owl in Leraysville, Bradford County.

He was tipped off.

When snowy owls turned up throughout the state during the winter of 2014, a mass movement called an irruption, it was big news. The arctic birds seldom moved this far south, and to have numerous snowy owls appear at once was a once-in-a-lifetime event, according to Gross, a biologist with the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

And this year, snowy owls have returned from their desolate, arctic range in Quebec and are appearing in Pennsylvania once again. But this time Gross isn’t as surprised as he was in 2014.

He had a hunch the owls would appear.

“We heard from researchers in eastern Canada that the snowy owl population was above average this year, so we expected to get a few,” Gross said.

According to Gross, there have been sightings of snowy owls this winter in eastern Lycoming County, Presque Isle State Park, Lancaster County and Washington County. But the snowy owl in Leraysville is the only one known to have remained so far.

“It’s a young male and it’s feeding pretty well, eating a lot of meadow voles,” Gross said.

A plentiful prey source is only part of the equation as to what causes snowy owls to wind up so far south. A snowy owl irruption occurs when lemmings, the owls’ primary food source in the arctic, experience a population boom during the summer. High numbers of lemmings lead to a successful summer nesting season for snowy owls, so more young birds are hatched and survive.

With more owls on the landscape in the arctic, movement is inevitable, Gross said.

“They’re leaving their parents nesting territory and they’re seeking more food,” he said. “When they show up here it always generates attention. People were driving for hours to see the owl in Leraysville.”

Jeff Stratford, an assistant professor of biology at Wilkes University, said there were reports of a snowy owl in Kingston in 2015 and he found pellets indicating one stopped by state game lands 119 near the Francis Walter Dam as well.

The appearance of snowy owls in the state in consecutive years is unusual, Stratford said, and he suspects it may be a result of climate change.

A warmer spring in the arctic aids the lemming population which boosts snowy owl numbers leading to an irruption, he said.

Stratford added that he’s noticed unusual movements with other bird species that could be the result of climate change as well. Northern species are moving farther south, he said, and more southern species are appearing in northern ranges.

“It’s broad and not a local event,” Stratford said. “Things just seem to be different.”

Ravens are one example of a northern species appearing farther south, Stratford said, but he has noticed changes more with southern species moving north.

The Carolina chickadee is one example, he said, and it is now being seen north of Philadelphia and will likely turn up in northeastern Pennsylvania soon.

Red-bellied woodpeckers are also more common in northern ranges, and bluebirds and American robins are now wintering in the area, especially when the winter months are mild, Stratford said.

“We’re seeing a lot of change in the distributions. Carolina wrens, for example, would come up to this area in prior years but would be pushed back down south when the winter got cold. But now, that’s not happening,” he said.

Gross agreed that there has been a gradual increase of southern birds moving north due to milder winters, and vice-versa, but the snowy owl is a bit different.

“They’re producing a lot of young in a particular area while in the arctic, but there isn’t enough food to support them all so they disperse,” Gross said. “They’re highly nomadic, so they respond to temporarily abundant food sources with booming populations and ultimately more movement.”

The snowy owl in Bradford County this winter is a young male, and it has been feasting on meadow voles.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_snowy-owl-1.jpg.optimal.jpgThe snowy owl in Bradford County this winter is a young male, and it has been feasting on meadow voles. Courtesy of Larry Paieski

After a mega-irruption of snowy owls from the arctic into Pennsylvania during the winter of 2014, the birds are still showing up. This snowy owl was photographed in January in Bradford County.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_snowy-1.jpg.optimal.jpgAfter a mega-irruption of snowy owls from the arctic into Pennsylvania during the winter of 2014, the birds are still showing up. This snowy owl was photographed in January in Bradford County. Courtesy of Kevin Ray

By Tom Venesky

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ONLINE

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