It has been four years since the last local appearance of numbers of Snowy Owls. Our Leduc Christmas Bird Count (CBC) has modelled exactly this pattern since it’s inception in 2012, which is of no surprise.

Arctic Lemmings provide the staple food source for the white owls, with the rodents correspondingly hitting a boom-and-bust life cycle every four years, affecting both species and causing irruptions that translate into more sightings of “Snowies”. The irruption in central Alberta is due to higher numbers of owls competing for habitat and winter food sources, typically with younger birds forced out of their arctic haunts. If winter is unusually harsh, the farther south the owls will migrate to survive. This doesn’t mean we can’t see these visitors other winters, but the cycle seems to

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