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--Boundary_(ID_x7v3HygUKx3GQCS6MMd+hQ) Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Another criterion to look for, but difficult, is size as related to sex. As for nearly all raptors, males are rather or quite small relative to females. However, be very careful here, since it's easy to be mistaken on relatiive size. Experience is important, but comes very slowly and unfortunately mostly in ones/singles regarding how many snowy owls are seen at once and in one binocular's view. Once in Alberta, east of Edmonton, in October? before any snow on the ground, there was a simulataneous large invasion of these striking visitors from the North, and I was with a field party that saw 30-35 of them from one spot, and at least 50 on that day, at Beaverhills Lake. Generally such large southward movements signal two things: a big reproductive year for the owls in the Arctic (coupled with lots of prey animals, i.e. lemmings), followed by a crash in the lemmings (collared lemmings in far North and brown lemmings in the more southern Arctic, and peaks/crashes may not coincide in years both species exhibit 4-yr (3 to 5) cycles of abundance). Many people wonder how many, if any, of such southern migrants ever make it back to the Arctic in the following year in order to get back to reproduction? Some irruptions consist largely of immatures, while others show all ages and sexes. The points about winter territories being larger, plus the much larger total number of snowy owls up north in spring vs. fall/winter, are very important here, plus the cycles of abundance of lemmings. Here in the "south" the incoming northern raptors might run into a low part of our small-mammal cycle, too (particularly the meadow vole). Cheers? from Jim in Wolfville. Begin forwarded message: > From: "Laviolette, Lance (EXP)" <lance.laviolette@lmco.com> > Date: November 20, 2008 12:00:27 PM AST > To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca > Subject: [NatureNS] Snowy Owls > Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca > > Hi again, > > To give you another example of the amazing number of birds that are > involved in this years southern movement, here is a note I just got > from a friend in Calgary: > > "Last week, an amazing 18 Snowy Owls were seen in a 2x2 km area > about two hours east of Calgary, plus at least another 9 in a wider > radius around there." > > Regarding snowys that are seen in Nova Scotia, it would be > interesting to find out, to the extent possible, if the birds being > seen are young or adults, males or females. A 'general' rule of > thumb for aging is that young females are the most streaked (pretty > much everywhere except the face) while adult males (three years+) > are the least streaked and can be completely white. Young male and > adult female plumages will usually fall somewhere in between. As a > last point, a Snowy Owl's tail is often difficult to see and is > weakly barred but if you get a good look at it when the bird is in > flight, whether the underside or the top, anything more than three > bars would suggest a female. > > So when reporting your Snowy Owl sightings try to take a stab at > the age and sex as well if you can. > > All the best, > > Lance > ========================= > Lance Laviolette > Records Editor > NS Birds > lance.laviolette@lmco.com > ========================= --Boundary_(ID_x7v3HygUKx3GQCS6MMd+hQ) Content-type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable <html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "> Another criterion to look for, but difficult, is size as related to = sex. =A0As for nearly all raptors, males are rather or quite small = relative to females. =A0However, be very careful here, since it's easy = to be mistaken on relatiive size. =A0Experience is important, but comes = very slowly and unfortunately mostly in ones/singles regarding how many = snowy owls are seen at once and in one binocular's = view.<div><br></div><div>Once in Alberta, east of Edmonton, in October? = before any snow on the ground, there was a simulataneous large invasion = of these striking visitors from the North, and I was with a field party = that saw 30-35 of them from one spot, and at least 50 on that day, at = Beaverhills Lake.</div><div><br></div><div>Generally such large = southward movements signal two things: a big reproductive year for the = owls in the Arctic (coupled with lots of prey animals, i.e. lemmings), = followed by a crash in the lemmings (collared lemmings in far North and = brown lemmings in the more southern Arctic, and peaks/crashes may not = coincide in years both species exhibit 4-yr (3 to 5) cycles of = abundance). =A0Many people wonder how many, if any, of such southern = migrants ever make it back to the Arctic in the following year in order = to get back to reproduction?</div><div><br></div><div>Some irruptions = consist largely of immatures, while others show all ages and sexes. =A0The= points about winter territories being larger, plus the much larger = total number of snowy owls up north in spring vs. fall/winter, are very = important here, plus the cycles of abundance of lemmings. =A0Here in the = "south" the incoming northern raptors might run into a low part of our = small-mammal cycle, too (particularly the meadow = vole).<br><div><br></div><div>Cheers? from Jim in = Wolfville.<br><div><br><div>Begin forwarded message:</div><br = class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type=3D"cite"><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" color=3D"#000000" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>From: = </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px = Helvetica">"Laviolette, Lance (EXP)" <<a = href=3D"mailto:lance.laviolette@lmco.com">lance.laviolette@lmco.com</a>></= font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" = size=3D"3" color=3D"#000000" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: = #000000"><b>Date: </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">November 20, 2008 12:00:27 PM = AST</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" = size=3D"3" color=3D"#000000" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: = #000000"><b>To: </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica"><a = href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</a></font>= </div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: = 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = color=3D"#000000" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: = #000000"><b>Subject: </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>[NatureNS] Snowy = Owls</b></font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" = size=3D"3" color=3D"#000000" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: = #000000"><b>Reply-To: </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica"><a = href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</a></font>= </div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: = 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div> <span = class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"border-collapse: separate; color: = rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; = font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; = line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; = text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; = -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: = 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: = auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0; "><div dir=3D"ltr" = align=3D"left"><span class=3D"478592015-20112008"><font = face=3D"Arial"><font color=3D"#0000ff">H<span = class=3D"478592015-20112008">i = again,</span></font></font></span></div><div dir=3D"ltr" = align=3D"left"><span class=3D"478592015-20112008"><font = face=3D"Arial"><font color=3D"#0000ff"><span = class=3D"478592015-20112008"></span></font></font></span>=A0</div><div = dir=3D"ltr" align=3D"left"><span class=3D"478592015-20112008"><font = face=3D"Arial"><font color=3D"#0000ff"><span = class=3D"478592015-20112008">To give you another example of the amazing = number of birds that are involved in this years southern movement, here = is a note I just got from a friend in = Calgary:</span></font></font></span></div><div dir=3D"ltr" = align=3D"left"><span class=3D"478592015-20112008"><font = face=3D"Arial"><font color=3D"#0000ff"><span = class=3D"478592015-20112008"></span></font></font></span>=A0</div><div = dir=3D"ltr" align=3D"left"><span class=3D"478592015-20112008"><font = face=3D"Arial"><font color=3D"#0000ff"><span = class=3D"478592015-20112008">"<span lang=3D"EN">Last week, an amazing 18 = Snowy Owls were seen in a 2x2 km area about two hours east of Calgary, = plus at least another 9 in a wider radius around = there."</span></span></font></font></span></div><div dir=3D"ltr" = align=3D"left"><span class=3D"478592015-20112008"><font = face=3D"Arial"><font color=3D"#0000ff"><span = class=3D"478592015-20112008"><span = lang=3D"EN"></span></span></font></font></span>=A0</div><div dir=3D"ltr" = align=3D"left"><span class=3D"478592015-20112008"><font = face=3D"Arial"><font color=3D"#0000ff"><span = class=3D"478592015-20112008"><span lang=3D"EN">Regarding snowys that are = seen in Nova Scotia, it would be interesting to find out, to the extent = possible,=A0if the birds being seen are young or adults, males or = females. A 'general' rule of thumb for aging is that young females are = the most streaked (pretty much everywhere except the face)=A0while adult = males (three years+) are the least streaked and can be completely white. = Young male and adult female plumages will usually fall somewhere in = between.=A0As a last point, a Snowy Owl's tail is often difficult to see = and is weakly barred but if you get a good look at it when the bird is = in flight, whether the underside or the top, anything more than three = bars would suggest a = female.</span></span></font></font></span></div><div dir=3D"ltr" = align=3D"left"><span class=3D"478592015-20112008"><font = face=3D"Arial"><font color=3D"#0000ff"><span = class=3D"478592015-20112008"><span = lang=3D"EN"></span></span></font></font></span>=A0</div><div dir=3D"ltr" = align=3D"left"><span class=3D"478592015-20112008"><font = face=3D"Arial"><font color=3D"#0000ff"><span = class=3D"478592015-20112008"><span lang=3D"EN">So when reporting your = Snowy Owl sightings try to=A0take a stab at=A0the age and sex as well if = you can.</span></span></font></font></span></div><div dir=3D"ltr" = align=3D"left"><span class=3D"478592015-20112008"><font = face=3D"Arial"><font color=3D"#0000ff"><span = class=3D"478592015-20112008"><span = lang=3D"EN"></span></span></font></font></span>=A0</div><div dir=3D"ltr" = align=3D"left"><span class=3D"478592015-20112008"><font = face=3D"Arial"><font color=3D"#0000ff"><span = class=3D"478592015-20112008"><span lang=3D"EN">All the = best,</span></span></font></font></span></div><div dir=3D"ltr" = align=3D"left"><span class=3D"478592015-20112008"><font = face=3D"Arial"><font color=3D"#0000ff"><span = class=3D"478592015-20112008"><span = lang=3D"EN"></span></span></font></font></span>=A0</div><div dir=3D"ltr" = align=3D"left"><span class=3D"478592015-20112008"><font = face=3D"Arial"><font color=3D"#0000ff"><span = class=3D"478592015-20112008"><span = lang=3D"EN">Lance</span></span></font></font></span></div><div dir=3D"ltr"= align=3D"left"><div style=3D"padding-right: 0px; padding-left: 0px; = padding-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: = 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; "><span lang=3D"en-us"><font = color=3D"#0000ff"><font face=3D"Courier New" = size=3D"2">=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D</font><br><font face=3D"Courier New" size=3D"2">Lance = Laviolette</font></font><font face=3D"Times New Roman"><br></font><font = face=3D"Courier New" color=3D"#0000ff" size=3D"2">Records = Editor</font><font face=3D"Times New Roman"><br></font><font = face=3D"Courier New" color=3D"#0000ff" size=3D"2">NS Birds</font><font = face=3D"Times New Roman"><br></font><font face=3D"Courier New" = color=3D"#0000ff" size=3D"2"><a = href=3D"mailto:lance.laviolette@lmco.com">lance.laviolette@lmco.com</a></f= ont><font face=3D"Times New Roman"><br></font><font face=3D"Courier New" = color=3D"#0000ff" size=3D"2">=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D</font></span><font = color=3D"#0000ff"></font></div></div></span></blockquote></div><br></div><= /div></body></html>= --Boundary_(ID_x7v3HygUKx3GQCS6MMd+hQ)--
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