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Snowy Owls – those spectacularly beautiful all white owls – are being seen again this winter in the US. Project Snowstorm is once
more tracking dozens of owlsthis year across the US to obtain more data and information on the behavior, movements and lifestyles of these mysterious and beautiful birds. The Project Snowstorm site has lots of info including interactive maps and recent updates on some of the birds as the season gets underway. And its great fun to follow your favorite owls through the season! Snowies are generally out in the open and fairly easy to see (although often oddly and frustratingly confused with a plastic bag at a great distance!). And since they are not so common in the US, their arrival attracts a lot of viewers and photographers. But this popularity and a desire to get the perfect image can come at the owl’s expense.
Award-winning author and ornithologist Scott Weidensaul also heads up Project Snowstorm. From working in the field with Snowies he knows first-hand the potential for harm which can inadvertently come to these birds, and has some helpful behavioral information about Snowies as well as recommended etiquette for safely viewing and photographing them. Before you set out to look for Snowies, check it out and be a good friend to the owls you are viewing.
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