December 2013: Connecticut Audubon’s Milford Point Coastal Center is Among the State’s Top Spots for Viewing Snowy Owls

Snowy Owls have moved into the northeast this winter in good numbers, providing a rare spectacle that is delighting birders and underscoring the region’s connectedness to events above the Arctic Circle.

One of the best places to see Snowy Owls locally is Connecticut Audubon Society’s Milford Point Coastal Center, where one and sometimes two birds have been feeding and roosting for about a week.

Snowy Owls live most of their lives on the tundra but when their food – lemmings and other rodents – becomes scarce in winter, they fly south in search of more productive hunting grounds. These so-called irruptions happen every few years, the most recent being in the winter of 2011-2012.

“The Arctic seems remote to us but these beautiful birds are almost as reliant on the habitat we provide as they are on the tundra,” said Connecticut Audubon President Alex Brash. “Once again birds remind us of how connected we all are to different parts of the planet.”

Because they are tundra birds, Snowy Owls invariably chose flat, open areas, especially beaches, for their winter roosting and hunting grounds. They arrive here exhausted and hungry, and need to save their energy for hunting.

“We hope as many people as possible get to see these spectacular birds but we urge everyone to keep their distance,” said Milan Bull, Connecticut Audubon’s senior director of science and conservation. “It’s never a good idea to disturb birds just for the sake of seeing them fly, but with Snowy Owls we know they are particularly tired and hungry from their journey. They need every bit of energy to survive the winter and make it back to the Arctic in time for breeding season.”

The first report in Connecticut this year was on Monday, November 25, from West Haven. By Wednesday, November 27, several Snowy Owls were near the mouth of the Housatonic River, including two at the Milford Point Coastal Center.

The Snowy Owls there have most often been out on the point itself, which is visible from the observation tower at the Coastal Center building, or on the jetty near the mouth of the Housatonic River.

The Milford Point Coastal Center is at 1 Milford Point Road. The grounds are open from dawn to dusk seven days a week, and the center building is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. til 4 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

Elsewhere, Snowy Owls have been seen this year throughout coastal New England, on both shores of Long Island, at Liberty State Park in New Jersey, and as far south as Georgia and Bermuda.