Some snowy owls do come south to look for food every winter — just not as many.
Most winters, they can be found consistently in the Prairies, with its tundra-like landscape, relatively shallow snow cover and agricultural fields where voles, mice and other prey are abundant.
Jody Allaire, who lives in Drumheller, Alta., says there are a couple of snowy owls near his place right now, and he often sees them in his travels.
“I can, you know, drive to Calgary and back and you’re pretty much guaranteed to see a snowy owl in like December, January, which is just amazing,” said Allair, who is the director of communications for Birds Canada.
They are also found along coastlines in the Great Lakes region and further east, where they hunt for waterfowl trapped in the ice — something Allair says he witnessed while living in Long Point, Ont., on Lake Erie.
Fitzgérald says the owls are also often found at airports, including both airports in the Montreal area — one of his jobs is to relocate them so they don’t interfere with aircraft.