Snowy owls have landed in Alberta and here's where to see one
Snowy owls have migrated back to Alberta, and if you want to see one of these majestic birds, we chatted with an expert on how to do it.
Spotting snowy owls in our province is such a treat, with the birds spending a good chunk of time up in the Arctic breeding.
When things get really chilly up there, most birds migrate south, with the Prairie provinces being a good landing place for them, and Alberta gets a good slug of them typically in November.
Daily Hive spoke with Terry Korolyk, a longtime bird watcher who ran a birdwatching tour called the Snowy Owl Prowl, a joint venture of Nature Calgary and the City of Calgary, for nearly 30 years.
Korolyk dished on everything snowy owl, including where you may be able to catch a glimpse of one and good viewing practices.
Where’s a good area to spot one?
Terry Korolyk
Snowy owls can call a large swath of Alberta home, including around the Edmonton region; however, Southern Alberta is a good starting point to try and view a snowy owl, with Korolyk saying that the birds are generally an open country bird, enjoying grasslands and open areas.
The Beiseker area has been a hot spot as of late, particularly east of the community, with recent reports indicating that one man saw a staggering six in that area off of three different roads.
The birds’ habitat generally runs right down to the US border, but there’s one rule of thumb Korolyk goes by when trying to view the birds.
“Generally, in Alberta, they don’t go west of Highway 2… I’ve only seen about three birds. I’ve been birding around this area since 1986, I’ve only seen three birds west of Highway 2. So you can use that highway as pretty well a border for the west, for their range limit in the province,” Korolyk said.
Depending on how things go, Korolyk added that the snowy owls will be in the province until at least February, and depending on the weather, potentially into March.
How to spot a snowy owl in Alberta
Terry Korolyk
The very first thing you should expect while on the hunt to spot snowy owls in Alberta is to do a lot of driving. Look forĀ areas of potentially good hunting habitat, like fields, and they also like to perch on top of hills and telephone poles.
“They’re great opportunists, they’ll perch on just about anything that’s available. Telephone poles are often used, fence posts, anything, signposts, agricultural equipment,” Korolyk said.
You may also want to keep your eyes peeled when scouring the ground, with some birds opting to simply plop down and sit on the ground.
There is also no set “perfect” time to try and view one — anytime during the day is good, with Korolyk mentioning his own record bird count of 13 spotted at one time during an expedition from 9:30 am to around 3:30 pm.
How to observe them safely
Terry Korolyk
The point Korolyk stressed when viewing snowy owls across Alberta was to try and stay a safe distance from the bird.
The bird may stress out if they sense your presence while trying to observe them. Be sure to keep your distance!
It’s also important to remember that the birds are usually out hunting for things like rodents and trying to feed themselves, so you don’t want to discourage them or force them to move on somewhere else.