HARRISBURG (TNS) — Fewer snowy owls might move south from their homes on the tundra of the Arctic into Pennsylvania and other northern states this winter, according to a snowy owl-tracking organization run in part through the Millersburg-based Ned Smith Center of Nature and Art.

“Within the past two weeks a lot of owls have been reported in a wide band from the Canadian Prairies through the Dakotas, Great Lakes, Ottawa River/St. Lawrence valley and parts of northern New England,” Scott Weidensaul, co-founder of Project SNOWStorm, wrote on the organization’s blog.

However, he noted that an annual report by Jean-François Therrien, senior scientist at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary and a member of Project SNOWStorm’s core leadership team, indicated a poor summer on the tundra for lemmings, a primary food source of breeding snowy owls.

“Summer 2022 saw very low lemming abundances across most of the Canadian Arctic, the core breeding range for the snowy owl,” offered that report.

That could indicate a poor year of reproduction for the owls, which would mean fewer first-year birds that typically provide the numbers for big years of irruption south.

However, some pockets of either species might have been missed this summer in the vastness of the tundra where human presence is sparse.

Weidensaul explained, “While we ‘think’ this will be an off year in terms of a large irruption of young snowies, we can’t be sure, and there may have been a lemming boom and big breeding event somewhere under the radar.

“And in the Great Lakes and East we can probably expect what’s sometimes called an echo irruption of surviving, second-year owls that migrated south for the first time in last year’s modest irruption.

“That unpredictability is always one of the exciting aspects of working with this species.”

The snowy owl is native to the Arctic. Most years see only a dozen or so of the big, white birds showing up as far south as Pennsylvania, with the first reports usually emerging in January.

But, in an irruption year, strong breeding results and food shortages in the north force larger numbers of birds to move south in winter.

In winter 2013-14, which is remembered as the “mega-irruption” that prompted Weidensaul and others to launch Project SNOWstorm, about 400 snowies showed up in Pennsylvania, an epic increase over most winters.

Any of the owls that survive the many manmade pitfalls — motor vehicles, fences, energy-burning pressure from throngs pushing for a close-up look at the birds, and more — while in the south will return to the north to join the breeding population in the spring.

Regardless of the number of snowies that show up in Pennsylvania this winter, there are several things we can do to be better hosts, according to Project SNOWstorm.

“Snowy owls, coming down from the Arctic, can be remarkably approachable, especially young birds early in the winter. But because they are often so naive around humans, it’s easy for birders, photographers and the general public to approach them too closely.

“What is an exciting encounter for people can be continual, and at times even dangerous, harassment for the owl. The bird may be chased into traffic and a flushed owl is liable to be attacked by another raptor like an eagle or mobbed by crows.

“Our tracking data confirms that these owls are primarily nocturnal, and when undisturbed by humans they rarely move much in the daytime. An owl flying from spot to spot in daylight usually isn’t ‘just moving around’ like a lot of people assume, but responding to pressure and harassment, even if it’s not immediately evident to observers.

“Just because the owl may tolerate a fairly close approach doesn’t mean you should push the envelope. If the owl is visibly reacting to your presence — fidgeting, repeatedly staring at you, head-bobbing or changing position — you’re too close and need to back off immediately.”

If you’ve flushed the owl, he added, you were much too close and should reconsider your behavior next time.

“A vehicle makes a terrific blind, so stay in your car whenever possible,” he said. “Use a spotting scope and a telephoto lens and be content to watch from a safe distance.

“Be patient, and if you can time your visit late in the day, when the owl typically will become more active, it may approach you, especially if you’re positioned near a favorite perch.”

In addition, the project notes, “many landowners who host snowy owls report problems with visitors ignoring common courtesy and sometimes even obvious ‘No Trespassing’ signs to get close to owls. Do not cross private property without permission.”

One of the worst behaviors sometimes exhibited by owl observers is feeding the bird. The offending human usually does it to attract the bird for a close-up photo, but sometimes out of a misplaced belief that the owl is starving.

Project SNOWstorm explains, “Because they have little innate fear of humans, snowy owls can very quickly become very habituated to people tossing them mice. Once they associate people with food, the owls are drawn into dangerous situations, such as swooping close to roads. They may also approach people who may harm them, either from fear and ignorance, or from malice.”