Juvenile snowy owl spotted on a property on the Hart Highway this week – photo 250News  

Prince George, BC – Some unusual visitors have flocked to Prince George in recent weeks, and, while a treat for birdwatchers, these feathered tourists are not faring well…

Approximately 30 snowy owls have recently taken roost in the area – an event Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations wildlife biologist, Doug Wilson, is calling unprecedented.

Wilson says while normally residents of the high Arctic on the shores of the Beaufort Sea, large numbers of snowy owls have descended all over the province – from Dawson Creek, to Smithers, down to Vancouver, Victoria, and even to the south, in Cranbrook.

Just why this has occurred is not conclusively known, but Wilson suspects a bountiful supply of lemmings in the Arctic this past summer meant that almost every snowy owl check in every nest survived. He believes the more experienced adults may have driven out the younger owls as they were setting up their winter territories.

"Here they are, first-year birds, and they’re forced thousands of miles from their familiar habitat," says Wilson. "It’s just not a good situation and I’m getting a sinking feeling that all these ones who flew south are pretty much doomed."

The wildlife biologist says snowy owls don’t typically deal with deep snow and aren’t ‘plunge hunters’ – they need to see something running along the surface. He says they’re not doing well. A few weeks ago, the count was 29 or 30, while just two days ago only two owls were spotted in the same general vicinity. "There have been 7 or 8 casualties, so far," he says. "They’ve all been very skinny, very emaciated – giving every appearance of having starved to death."

Indicative of just how sapped the birds are, Wilson tells of one family in Fort St. James that was able to catch one of the owls with a blanket in their driveway, and, even when offered a live rodent, the owl was unable to eat and later died.

Wilson admits it’s a helpless feeling, as a biologist, to watch nature take its course. "It really is – the only comfort is the species, as a whole, is doing fine." He expects conditions in the Arctic may produce another ‘bumper crop’ of snowy owls next summer.

"It’s just unfortunate for these refugees."

Anyone wanting to report any information about a snowy owl, can call Wilson directly at 250-614-9926.