Snowy Owl Irruptions, Conservation and Photo Ethics
- Liam Brennan
- 8 hours ago
- 6 min read
1.0 Life History
For wildlife lovers, it is clear why snowy owls stir up so much attention. Spending their summers in the far North, these birds live most of their lives far beyond the reach of most urban centres in Canada. Every few years, however, these owls irrupt. “Irruption” is a term ornithologists use to describe a cycle where birds extend their winter range far south, sometimes hundreds or thousands of kilometers beyond their usual range. With their piercing yellow eyes, these animals appear across eastern and central North America during some winters, while remaining in the far North for others. Their favourite southern habitats are often farmers’ fields or marshes: areas that, in winter, resemble the vast tundra and are also home to preferred prey items such as rodents and waterfowl. In extreme cases, these nomadic Arctic owls have even been seen as far south as
Florida in search of winter food (Sullivan et al., 2009). These cyclical movements are linked to the boom-and-bust cycles of lemming populations in the Arctic (Robillard 2016, 2018). Lemmings are small Arctic rodents that fill the bellies of many predators. During exceptionally good years with many lemmings, an abundance of young owls successfully fledge (i.e., successfully hatch and leave the nest) and are pushed to explore more marginal southern habitats by older, more dominant owls.
2.0 Anthropogenic Threats
These owls remind us of our shared responsibility of the vulnerable far North. Recently, the snowy owl has been assessed as "Vulnerable" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), upheld by recent scientific estimates of a global population decline of 30% in the past thirty years (McCabe et al., 2024) and a potential North American population decline of 64% over a similar period (Rosenberg et al., 2016). Three dominant threats to the population have been identified: climate change, prey population changes, and human threats in their southern wintering range (McCabe et al., 2024).
The Arctic has warmed four times faster than the global average (Rantanen et al., 2022). This warming manifests in myriad ways, making life harder for snowy owls. Changing temperatures, more frequent storms, and melting sea ice are likely to affect their ability to access prey (IUCN, 2021). Changing climates will also likely impact prey populations such as lemmings, with potential implications for snowy owl reproduction (McCabe et al., 2024).
Last year (2024–2025) was an irruption year for snowy owls and other northern owl species, such as great gray and boreal owls, particularly across eastern North America. Over 80% of the snowy owls seen in temperate North America during irruptive years are young owls exploring the many “ecological traps” of our human-dominated continent for the first time (Santonja et al., 2018). Among the gauntlet of human infrastructure these owls face, roads and vehicle collisions appear to be the leading cause of death among irruptive individuals (McCabe et al., 2022).
3.0 Ethical considerations for photographers
Armed with knowledge of the life history and threats endangering this species, I have been shocked, angered, and perplexed by the behaviour of my fellow photographers and birders who seek out these irruptive owls. When a rare northern owl winters near a major human population centre, a subsequent spiral of events seems almost inevitable, especially in a place like my hometown of Ottawa. The owl is spotted, the location is shared online, and sometimes within hours, dozens or even hundreds of people flock to see the bird in pursuit of the ultimate Instagram shot and the short dopamine rush from awe and envy-filled online comments.
In my experience, most people share my awe of the animals and demonstrate a healthy dose of prudence and respect—ensuring not to approach too closely or disturb the birds' natural behaviours. Yet, as usual, a small but disruptive minority of people disproportionately impact these owls negatively. Photographers may spend hours stalking and disturbing owls, but most perplexing to me is the widespread practice of baiting. With a large telephoto lens in one hand and a cooler full of pet store mice in the other, countless photographers feed live mice to owls. As the owl flies over to claim it’s not-so-hard-earned prize, photographers capture the coveted flight shot of a rare northern owl without considering the morality of their actions or how they may affect the well-being of the animal.
I can’t help but imagine a hypothetical young owl, born during a rapidly warming Arctic summer. The owlet’s parents work hard to raise healthy chicks. During an irruptive year, the young owls are forced south and are likely to end up within driving distance of a major North American city. Almost inevitably, the owl will be baited—a practice that almost always occurs near roads. People offer up valuable calories, but the young owl doesn’t just ingest the mouse; it learns to associate people, and perhaps even roads, with food. One wrong swoop, and the inexperienced owl meets an untimely death from the grill of an oversized vehicle amidst the endless fields of corn and suburban neighbourhoods of North America.
Ironically, it is those photographers who spend tens of thousands of dollars to photograph these animals who may now pose a disproportionately large threat to their persistence. For now, the practice of baiting remains legal but is frowned upon by most conservation and photography groups, including the Canadian Conservation Photography Collective. Photo competitions run by organizations such as Audubon, for example, ban submissions of images created through baiting. Governments need to afford threatened species like the snowy owl greater protection from human afflictions. Individuals need to carefully consider their own actions when interacting with wildlife, especially sensitive and sought-after animals like snowy owls. I wish that more people will choose to keep a respectful distance from northern owls and leave the pet mice at the pet store. Nomadic animals like these owls call on all of us to enact conservation action across the vast expanses of land. May these sentinels of the North continue to brighten the frigid, dark winter days for generations to come.
References
BirdLife International. 2021. Bubo scandiacus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T22689055A205475036.
https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021- 3.RLTS.T22689055A205475036.en
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Liam Brennan is a wildlife photographer and researcher. Drawing from a variety of experiences, Liam has worked with government, academia and NGOs to produce evidence- based environmental solutions. His photographic and scientific outreach work had been featured across numerous national publications in his efforts to promote human-wildlife coexistence.
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