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2014 Massachusetts Random Images Thread

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justintrask

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Nice. :th:

 

Saw a snowy owl at Gooseberry Neck on Friday (on the big tower) but my friend didn't have the telephoto at the time, only a wide angle lens :(. Saw it fly around a few times, seem to be more of them than usual around this winter.

 

-bd

Pfantum Pfishah

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Originally Posted by bdowning View Post

Saw a snowy owl at Gooseberry Neck on Friday (on the big tower) but my friend didn't have the telephoto at the time, only a wide angle lens frown.gif. Saw it fly around a few times, seem to be more of them than usual around this winter.

-bd


From the latest MA Wildlife email newsletter:


 



INVASION OF THE SNOWY OWLS

An invasion (called an irruption by biologists) of Snowy Owls is occurring in the eastern United States and Massachusetts is at the center of it all! An irruption occurs when birds appear in greater-than-usual numbers and observed in unusual locations. Most of the Snowy Owls in Massachusetts have been reported in coastal areas, where the dunes and large grasslands mimic the tundra-like habitats the birds usually live. Logan Airport has likely seen the highest density of these owls in eastern North America. As many as 15 owls have been seen at the airport at one time.  Snowy Owls have turned up at a number of other sites in Massachusetts as well, including birds in central Massachusetts and even a bird in downtown Springfield. 



“Snowy Owls are often found in Massachusetts during the winter, especially along the coast,” says Andrew Vitz, State Ornithologist for the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife). “What makes an irruption year unusual is the high number of birds and the unusual places they are spotted.” Best bets for spotting owls are on public beaches and conservation lands in coastal Essex county north of Boston as well as federal, state or local beaches on Cape Cod and in Plymouth County.  MassWildlife advises anyone who sees a Snowy Owl to observe from a respectful distance. In more urban areas, startled birds can easily be injured or killed after colliding with buildings or power lines. 


 



Weighing approximately 4 pounds and standing nearly two feet tall, the Snowy Owl is North America’s largest owl (by weight).  This species is a circumpolar breeder of the far north including Alaska, Greenland, and Russia, where they breed on the ground in the open tundra. To blend in with its environment, the owl is white with a variable amount of dark barring on its chest, back, and head. These birds feed primarily on lemmings, and when food is abundant, adults may raise up to 12 young. Last summer, according to Vitz, lemming numbers were very high in northern Quebec, and the owls likely had an extremely productive breeding season. Birds are probably moving south in large numbers because there are simply too many of them for the breeding area to support. In fact, most of the birds arriving in the lower 48 states this winter are heavily barred, suggesting they are birds that hatched last summer. The irruption of Snowy Owls this year comes as somewhat of a surprise. Generally Snowy Owls undergo large scale southern movements about once in every four winters. However, a large irruption occurred in the winter of 2011-2012 and a smaller “echo” irruption in 2012-2013. “A third consecutive irruption of Snowy Owls raises many questions about the environmental conditions in the Arctic, “says Vitz. “However, at this point there are more questions than answers. In the meantime, this is a terrific opportunity for people of all ages to see this spectacular Arctic bird.”


 



Great pics!


I'll have mine on the rocks.

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Google "Bermuda Snowy Owl" and you'll find an article , with a photo, of a Snowy spotted in Bermuda in late November 2013.

Unfortunately , the bird was later found dead. A necropsy was being performed, but the suspected cause of death was toxicity from poison concentrated in rats.

 

Quite a feat to find a Snowy that far south and almost 800 miles from terra firma.

Beautiful Bird.

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Originally Posted by Plug and teaser View Post

Nice day so we took another ride up your way today....he/she was still there.

Another very long shot....just about 150 yards with the Google Earth ruler.

Not quite all the way across the Canal....but pretty close.

1686339

 



Awesome! Seems like he/she likes to keep it's distance.  Was there still a crowd?


Maybe when the hoopla dies down a bit you can try a stalk.  :D


I'll have mine on the rocks.

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