Bird enthusiasts say some species of owls, which have been rarely spotted in Alberta in recent years, appear to be the rise.
Calgary birder, Terry Korolyk, who is a member of the group Nature Calgary, has been taking photographs of owls for about 30 years and he says this year has been great for spotting the elusive creatures — like a short-eared owl of which he recently got photos.
“This species has been quite scarce in the Calgary area for quite a few years,” said Korolyk.
But the species has experienced an irruption — defined as a sudden sharp increase in the relative numbers of a natural population usually associated with favorable environmental conditions.
“They’ve had a good breeding season, they’ve produced good numbers of young. and the prey is around — so irruptions are sort of a good indicator of things like that,” added Korolyk.
Edmonton birder, Hugo Sanchez, told Global News that he doesn’t even need to leave the city to get some great photos of owls.
“Near the city, in the city, this has been a great year for owls,” said Sanchez.
He’s even managed to get some photos of baby owls which he said doesn’t happen very often.
Korolyk said there have been quite a few reports of great grey owls west of Red Deer and in the Water Valley, west of Calgary.
He’s also spotted two rare northern hawk owls near Spruce Meadows.
“I have never seen hawk owls in that area for 30 years so that’s a good indicator of an irruption,” added Korolyk.