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status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorized topic-faqs topic-migration-faqs content-format-article"> <div class="content-container page-wide has-cta" data-sticky-container> <header class="article-header"> <h1 class="page-title">How long do wintering Snowy Owls stay with us before they return to their breeding grounds?</h1> <span class="article-date">April 1, 2009</span> </header>   <aside class="social-interact-container hide-for-print" aria-label="Share or Comment"> <div class="social-interact"> <div class="social-icons"> <span>Share:</span> <a href="#" aria-label="Share on Facebook" onClick="window.open('https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/how-long-do-wintering-snowy-owls-stay-with-us-before-they-return-to-their-breeding-grounds/','pagename','resizable,height=260,width=370'); return false;"><span class="fa-brands fa-facebook"></span></a> <a href="#" aria-label="Share on Twitter" onClick="window.open('http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/how-long-do-wintering-snowy-owls-stay-with-us-before-they-return-to-their-breeding-grounds/','pagename','resizable,height=260,width=370'); return false;"><span class="fa-brands fa-x-twitter"></span></a> </div> </div> </aside>  <section id="content" class="content" aria-label="Main content"> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="alignright"> <img data-src="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/Snowy-migration.jpg" data-srcset="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/Snowy-migration.jpg 530w, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/Snowy-migration-240x135.jpg 240w, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/Snowy-migration-480x270.jpg 480w" sizes="" alt="Snowy Owls usually start leaving for their northern breeding grounds in March, though some may linger south as late as June. Photo by Gregory Gard via Birdshare." src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" class="lazyload" style="--smush-placeholder-width: 530px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 530/298;" /><noscript><img src="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/Snowy-migration.jpg" srcset="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/Snowy-migration.jpg 530w, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/Snowy-migration-240x135.jpg 240w, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/Snowy-migration-480x270.jpg 480w" sizes="" alt="Snowy Owls usually start leaving for their northern breeding grounds in March, though some may linger south as late as June. Photo by Gregory Gard via Birdshare." loading="lazy" /></noscript> <figcaption>Snowy Owls usually start leaving for their northern breeding grounds in March, though some may linger south as late as June. <em>Photo by <a href="https://flic.kr/p/iyet3s">Gregory Gard</a> via <a href="https://www.flickr.com/groups/birdshare">Birdshare</a>.</em></figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="wp-block-group sidebar-alignright sidebar-space order-bottom"><span class="hs-cta-wrapper" id="hs-cta-wrapper-a8fe3c9a-217b-40fd-b1ff-2bb76ebe2cf3"><span class="hs-cta-node hs-cta-a8fe3c9a-217b-40fd-b1ff-2bb76ebe2cf3" id="hs-cta-a8fe3c9a-217b-40fd-b1ff-2bb76ebe2cf3"><a href="http://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/95627/a8fe3c9a-217b-40fd-b1ff-2bb76ebe2cf3" ><img decoding="async" class="hs-cta-img lazyload" id="hs-cta-img-a8fe3c9a-217b-40fd-b1ff-2bb76ebe2cf3" style="border-width:0px;" data-src="https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/95627/a8fe3c9a-217b-40fd-b1ff-2bb76ebe2cf3.png" alt="New self-paced course: Learn How to Identify Bird Songs, Click to Learn More" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" /><noscript><img decoding="async" class="hs-cta-img" id="hs-cta-img-a8fe3c9a-217b-40fd-b1ff-2bb76ebe2cf3" style="border-width:0px;" src="https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/95627/a8fe3c9a-217b-40fd-b1ff-2bb76ebe2cf3.png" alt="New self-paced course: Learn How to Identify Bird Songs, Click to Learn More"/></noscript></a></span><script charset="utf-8" src="https://js.hscta.net/cta/current.js"></script><script type="text/javascript"> hbspt.cta.load(95627, 'a8fe3c9a-217b-40fd-b1ff-2bb76ebe2cf3', {}); </script></span>     </div> <p>Although we don’t have a good handle on when Snowy Owls get back to their breeding grounds, we do know that they typically start leaving the Lower 48 in March. Scattered reports may trickle in through April and into May or even June.</p> <p>One reason we know so little about Snowy Owls is that they breed in the very remote, barren reaches of the high arctic, and they visit more populated areas in winter only sporadically. During the winter of 2013-2014, scientists took advantage of the remarkable Snowy Owl irruption by embarking on <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/project-snowstorm-seizes-the-moment-to-take-a-closer-look-at-snowy-owls/">Project SNOWStorm</a>. This project aims to fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge by satellite-tracking the movements of individual owls. As part of the project, Snowies have been tagged in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New York, and Minnesota.</p> <p>Norman Smith of <a href="http://www.massaudubon.org/">Mass Audubon</a> has been studying Snowy Owls in Massachusetts since 1981, and is a part of Project SNOWStorm. He says that in big irruption years like 2013-2014, when there are lots of owls around, some stay till April, and occasionally to May. It is very rare to see one in June, but the latest record for a Snowy Owl in the state of Massachusetts is July 7.</p> <p>The huge amount of <a href="http://ebird.org/content/ebird/about/?__hstc=75100365.5067c3b10067416680ba561faa8a133f.1430089722234.1434468614267.1434477101100.30&__hssc=75100365.205.1434477101100&__hsfp=1503394079">publicly available data in eBird</a> is a great resource for answering this sort of question, for Snowy Owls or any other species. You can use the <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/eBirdReports?cmd=Start&__hstc=75100365.5067c3b10067416680ba561faa8a133f.1430089722234.1434468614267.1434477101100.30&__hssc=75100365.205.1434477101100&__hsfp=1503394079">Explore Data</a> section to look at data in several ways:</p> <ul> <li>see a <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/map/?__hstc=75100365.5067c3b10067416680ba561faa8a133f.1430089722234.1434468614267.1434477101100.30&__hssc=75100365.205.1434477101100&__hsfp=1503394079">range map</a> for an individual species</li> <li>look at <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/GuideMe?cmd=changeLocation&__hstc=75100365.5067c3b10067416680ba561faa8a133f.1430089722234.1434468614267.1434477101100.30&__hssc=75100365.205.1434477101100&__hsfp=1503394079">bar charts</a> for a location or region, showing how the relative abundance of species changes through the year</li> <li>choose a species and see <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/GuideMe?cmd=quickPick&__hstc=75100365.5067c3b10067416680ba561faa8a133f.1430089722234.1434468614267.1434477101100.30&__hssc=75100365.205.1434477101100&__hsfp=1503394079">graphs of relative abundance</a> and other metrics over time</li> <li>see which species have been reported for <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/places?__hstc=75100365.5067c3b10067416680ba561faa8a133f.1430089722234.1434468614267.1434477101100.30&__hssc=75100365.205.1434477101100&__hsfp=1503394079">particular locations</a></li> <li>narrow in on <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/hotspots?__hstc=75100365.5067c3b10067416680ba561faa8a133f.1430089722234.1434468614267.1434477101100.30&__hssc=75100365.205.1434477101100&__hsfp=1503394079">hotspots</a> by seeing a color-coded map showing where the most species have been reported</li> </ul> <p>Learn more about <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/snowy_owl/id">Snowy Owls in our species guide</a>.</p> </section>  <section id="global-cta" aria-label="Call to action" class="global-cta"> <div class="wp-block-group cta alignfull"> <figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="679" height="141" src="https://devwww.allaboutbirds.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/lab-logo.png" alt="The Cornell Lab" class="wp-image-39994" srcset="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/lab-logo.png 679w, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/lab-logo-480x100.png 480w" sizes="(max-width: 679px) 100vw, 679px" /></figure> <h2 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-center">All About Birds<br>is a free resource</h2> <p class="has-text-align-center">Available for everyone,<br>funded by donors like you</p> <div class="wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-1 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex"> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link has-orange-background-color has-background wp-element-button" href="https://give.birds.cornell.edu/page/87895/donate/1?ea.tracking.id=AAB">Donate</a></div> </div> <div class="wp-block-group bottom-caption is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained"> <p>American Kestrel by <a href="https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/416935361">Blair Dudeck / Macaulay Library</a></p> </div> </div> </section> <footer class="article-footer hide-for-print"> <h2>Related Stories</h2> <div class="article-list card-display card-four bottom-att related-stories"> <ul> <li class="article-item content-article"> <a class="article-item-link" target="_self" class="internal-link" data-link-location="related-content-bottom" href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/im-seeing-fewer-birds-in-my-yard-is-something-affecting-their-populations/"> <div class="article-item-container"> <div class="article-item-media"> <div class="article-item-media-ratio"> <img data-src="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Coopers_Hawk-Ethan-Winning-BS-FI-480x360.jpg" data-srcset="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Coopers_Hawk-Ethan-Winning-BS-FI-720x540.jpg 720w, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Coopers_Hawk-Ethan-Winning-BS-FI-240x180.jpg 240w, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Coopers_Hawk-Ethan-Winning-BS-FI-768x576.jpg 768w, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Coopers_Hawk-Ethan-Winning-BS-FI-480x360.jpg 480w, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Coopers_Hawk-Ethan-Winning-BS-FI.jpg 1000w" data-sizes="(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px" alt="If a hawk takes up residence in your yard, like this Cooper's Hawk, you may see fewer birds in the area. 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