A Lehigh County birding friend notified me of a fairly local snowy owl sighting A week later, after confirming that it was still there and its exact location, a predawn drive last Saturday found us on the way. Sharp-eyed birders spotted this rarity and the “word was out.”

Jesse had the location “pinned,” but after about five minutes of searching I was disappointed. Was this a wasted trip? However, turning onto another lightly traveled road, a line of about 10 cars signaled the owl must still be there.

Snowy owls are the largest owl species you might find in Pennsylvania. It is about an inch larger than the great horned owl, but a few inches smaller than the great gray owl which, unlike the snowy, doesn’t leave its Canadian woods’ home.

“Snowies” have no feathered ear tufts, have the typical yellow owl eyes, and the males are almost all white. The owl we were watching was either a female or a juvenile male. It had quite a few black feathers on its mostly white body.

Snowy owls nest on the tundra above the Arctic Circle where a treeless expanse exists. When they do migrate southward, they find landscapes similar to their native surroundings. Lancaster and Lehigh counties, with some large expanses of farmlands can be one of their feeding areas. This owl was in Lancaster County, but it has been choosing building roofs on which to rest.

This now widely photographed owl was perched on the roof of an enclosed front porch. (Maybe with the zero degree wind chills this was a cozy spot) Last week it was sighted resting beneath a small solar panel on a nearby farm building.

Even though the 20 or 30 birders and photographers were busy snapping photos, it didn’t move from its location. A neighbor’s dog, visiting all these strangers along the road, did cause it to perk up now and then. In typical owl fashion, it swiveled its head more than 240 degrees to check it out. Not one of the interested birders respectfully, from far and wide, got any closer than the roadside across from the home.

Why was it here? Every few years, the collared lemming’s (cousin of our meadow vole) population increases and with an excess of food, the owls respond by having larger broods. With more owls now patrolling the tundra, the prey population then drops. Some then migrate looking for better feeding grounds throughout southern Canada and the northern United States. We refer to this as an irruption year. This was not an irruption year, but I didn’t care, I got to see only my second snowy owl ever. (The other sighting was about 20 years ago near Brodheadsville.)

Snowy owl migrations are not predictable. You know that in early/mid-September thousands of broad-winged hawks will drift south through our region and return again about May 1. So because of their irregular appearances, and their beauty, the snowy owls will draw a crowd.

Remember, some keen-eyed observer first saw this bird, so keep your eyes open as you traverse near an open field expanse and look for this beautiful white bird perched on a hay bale or on the ground. Who knows? Remember, get out there …

Test Your Outdoor Knowledge: What other owl species, now rare in our state, would typically be seen on or in a building?

Last Week’s Trivia Answer: The great horned owl does not build its own nest. They usually “take over” a red-tailed hawk or other hawk nest from the season before.

Contact Barry Reed at breed71@gmail.com.