[NatureNS] re Surviving Snowy Owls - What Next?

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From: "James W. Wolford" <jimwolford@eastlink.ca>
Date: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 13:02:14 -0300
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My experience from Alberta in the 1960s & '70s was much like Lance =20
just discussed re Montreal area, that snowy owls came south every =20
year, but the numbers vary greatly from year to year.  And, as Lance =20
says, it is assumed that those overwintered owls that survive and are =20=

capable of heading back toward the north do so.  Their northward =20
destinations would be unknown perhaps for the immatures, but definite =20=

for those that had previously nested at least once.

I disagree with Jamie Simpson that because the southward irruptors =20
have no definite destination, other than some place with food, that =20
they would have no instinct or desire to head back to the north after =20=

winter.

I do recall one example of a snowy owl that stayed in Nova Scotia for =20=

the summer.  It was very surprising one year in The Brothers Islands =20
off the Pubnico communities, and caused a lot of problems for the =20
roseate terns that were trying to raise young there.  Consult Ted =20
d'Eon/D'Eon? on when that happened, in the 1970s? or early 1980s?

Cheers from Jim in Wolfville.

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Laviolette, Lance (EXP)" <lance.laviolette@lmco.com>
> Date: March 11, 2014 12:04:15 PM ADT
> To: "naturens@chebucto.ns.ca" <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
> Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Surviving Snowy Owls - What Next?
> Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
>
> Hi Jamie,
>
> My take on this is that while this may be a food/territory driven =20
> phenomena it is not simply a case of Snowy Owls, mostly young, =20
> being driven south to never return. =46rom my experience in the =20
> Montreal Region, many owls make the trip south each year and have =20
> done so for a number of years. This has been confirmed through =20
> individuals with unique physical characteristics that could be used =20=

> to identify them. They stay for the winter months and then head =20
> back north. At least I believe they head back north. They certainly =20=

> leave southern Quebec.
>
> Whether some of these birds remain through the summer or not is =20
> another matter. There are a number of bird families that irrupt =20
> south. Along these lines, every year Ron Pittaway publishes the =20
> winter finch forecast which predicts which finch species will =20
> irrupt south in the coming winter. In most cases the birds that =20
> irrupt south and survive head back north. However there are a =20
> number of cases where northern species have bred in the south. In =20
> Nova Scotia I would bet that a lot/most of the mainland Evening =20
> Grosbeaks that are still breeding are a result of a huge irruption =20
> that took place throughout eastern Canada in the 1970s (I think =20
> that=92s the time frame).
>
> So I=92d say that irruptions serve both an immediate survival role, =20=

> sending excess population to other areas in search of food, and a =20
> mechanism that may result in an expansion of the species=92 range. =20
> Some of Nova Scotia=92s Snowy Owls may stay through the summer and =20
> perhaps survive. Some may leave and return again next year.
>
> All the best,
>
> Lance
>
> Lance Laviolette
> Glen Robertson, Ontario
>
>
> From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-=20
> owner@chebucto.ns.ca] On Behalf Of Shouty McShoutsalot
> Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2014 8:43 AM
> To: naturens
> Subject: EXTERNAL: Re: [NatureNS] Surviving Snowy Owls - What Next?
>
> My understanding is that irruption and migration are two very =20
> different behaviors, and that irruption is a diaspora - the animal =20
> leaves because it is forced to, with no predefined destination as =20
> exists in a migration, and thus no instinct to return to it's point =20=

> of origin.
>
>
> On 10 March 2014 14:24, Paul Ruggles <cpruggles@eastlink.ca> wrote:
> Jamie,
> I have been videoing two snowys for over a month at Lawrencetown =20
> beach. They seem to have moved away in the past 2 weeks. I thought =20
> they might have begun their migration back to the tundra? Have any =20
> of you seen any lately?
> Paul.
>
> On 2014-03-10, at 11:30 AM, Shouty McShoutsalot wrote:
>
> > My understanding is that there are surviving overwintered Snowy =20
> Owls in NS from the irruption of Dec 2013;  that these birds are =20
> not migratory in the normal sense; that an irruption is not a =20
> predictable, repeatable migratory event; and that, having survived =20
> a winter that I believe was fatal to a higher than normal =20
> percentage of our resident bird predators, the surviving Snowys =20
> have proven adaptive and survival skills in NS.
> >
> > So I'm wondering what becomes of these birds.  Will they become =20
> residents like our other Owl species, perhaps establishing =20
> territory and reproducing?  Will they return from whence they came =20
> even if they are not possessed of migratory instinct? Or are they =20
> doomed to wander in exile alone forever?
> >
> > Regards
> >
> > --
> > Jamie Simpson
> > Hantsport, NS
>
>
>
>
> --
> Jamie Simpson
> Hantsport, NS


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<html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; =
-webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">
My experience from Alberta in the 1960s &amp; '70s was much like Lance =
just discussed re Montreal area, that snowy owls came south every year, =
but the numbers vary greatly from year to year. &nbsp;And, as Lance =
says, it is assumed that those overwintered owls that survive and are =
capable of heading back toward the north do so. &nbsp;Their northward =
destinations would be unknown perhaps for the immatures, but definite =
for those that had previously nested at least once.<div><br></div><div>I =
disagree with Jamie Simpson that because the southward irruptors have no =
definite destination, other than some place with food, that they would =
have no instinct or desire to head back to the north after =
winter.</div><div><br></div><div>I do recall one example of a snowy owl =
that stayed in Nova Scotia for the summer. &nbsp;It was very surprising =
one year in The Brothers Islands off the Pubnico communities, and caused =
a lot of problems for the roseate terns that were trying to raise young =
there. &nbsp;Consult Ted d'Eon/D'Eon? on when that happened, in the =
1970s? or early 1980s?</div><div><br></div><div>Cheers from Jim in =
Wolfville.<br><div><br><div>Begin forwarded message:</div><br =
class=3D"Apple-interchange-newli