After a large October influx and surprising November lull, snowy owls are now
making another surge into the state. Recent reports have come from Milwaukee to
Superior, Madison to Green Bay, Eau Claire, and various other locations
statewide. Find the recent sightings near you at http://bit.ly/1MMZBMH, keeping
in mind the mapped birds may have moved on and others are undoubtedly in
unlisted locales waiting to be found. Perhaps best of all, this new batch of
owls appears to be in better body condition than the troubled October birds.
As of December 16, 108 presumed-unique snowy owls have been found in 45
Wisconsin counties. This compares to 112 and 168 owls in the 2013 and 2014
irruptions, respectively. On a broader scale, the irruption is widespread
across the eastern two-thirds of the continent and focused in the northern U.S.
and southern Canada as usual. Perhaps most notable are recent sightings from
airports in Washington D.C. and Denver, Colorado, with Midwest records
extending as far south as central Illinois and southwestern Ohio. It will be
interesting to see how this irruption develops if and when true winter weather
sets in!
As always, please view the birds with their well-being in mind. Find tips for
doing so, along with other info on snowy owls, at www.dnr.wi.gov, keyword
"snowy owl".
We are committed to service excellence.
Visit our survey at http://dnr.wi.gov/customersurvey to evaluate how I did.
Ryan Brady
Science Coordinator, WI Breeding Bird Atlas II
Bird Monitoring Coordinator, WI Bird Conservation Initiative
Wisconsin DNR - Wildlife Management
Phone: (715) 685-2933
Cell Phone: (715) 685-8585
Fax: (715) 685-2909
ryan.brady@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
dnr.wi.gov
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