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Snowy Owls Safely Removed From Logan Airport

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Jan 27, 2009 9:43 pm US/Eastern

Snowy Owls Safely Removed From Logan Airport

BOSTON (WBZ) ― This winter, Snowy Owls have been spotted in our area in huge numbers. Their favorite destination--Logan Airport.

Although it is a long journey from the high Arctic, the icy tundra of Logan Field looks like home, attracting more Snowy Owls than anywhere else in the Northeast.

"If you are taking off on a plane at Logan, keep your eyes on the sides of the runway. You may see a Snowy Owl out there," said Norman Smith, an owl expert with Mass Audubon.

Smith has been studying these owls since 1980. Over the years, he has removed and tagged 360 Snowy Owls at Logan as part of bird control for flight safety.

Just this winter, 21 Snowy Owls have been removed from the runway area.

"Obviously, birds at airports can be a problem," stated Smith. "But the presence of a Snowy Owl does help to disperse other birds."

Smith has another motive for capturing and relocating the owls -- research.

"We don't know what the worldwide population is of Snowy Owls. We don't know if these birds are increasing in numbers or decreasing in numbers," remarked Smith.

To better understand these migrants by tracking their movements, Smith tags each bird with an identifying band around the ankle. Each Snowy Owl is also marked with temporary colors to monitor their whereabouts during our winter.

Some select birds are fashioned with a satellite tracking device attached by a tephlon harness.

"It sends a signal up to a satellite that comes back down to a database. The battery lasts for three years so we can track the movement of a single bird over several seasons," explained Smith.

The data collected to date indicates that only young birds head south to winter with us and that they do in fact return to the Arctic as the weather warms. One of the Snowy Owls tagged years ago was still alive 16 years later, the only information available on life span.

Data collected from satellite tracking also shows that Snowy Owls spend lots of time on the ice pack.

"If the Arctic warms up and the permafrost starts to melt, everything in the Arctic will be flooded. That would impact the food supply and nesting opportunities for the owls," said Smith. "They're interesting creatures and every time you see one you learn something new and interesting about them. We also realize how little we know about these creatures and the world around us, " he added. "I'd like to study Snowy Owls as long as I am alive."
 
And these beautiful birds will be all the better for it. 

Get more information on the Snowy Owl Project:

 Mass Audubon's Blue Hills Trailside Museum  (Then click on Snowy Owl Project)

 To track owls in your own backyard as part of a citizen's science project check out Mass Audubon's Owl Locator: 

Woo Woo Knew?? (Snowy Owls don't make the "classic" owl call)

--Snowy Owl feathers are exceptional insulators, able to keep the birds comfortable in temperatures up to -80*F.

--Owls have big heads because of their big eyes, not due to a big brain. The "wise old owl" is a myth.

--Owls have more bones in their neck than we do, allowing them to turn their heads by 270 degrees. Since the owls have eyes that are fixed in their sockets, the head turn allows them to look around.

 Read: Science News On Snowy Owls

The photographer who took the pictures we included in our story is Shawn Carey. To learn more about his work go to www.migrationproductions.com/

(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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