More snowy owls appear in Montana this winter

More snowy owls appear to have migrated from the Arctic to Montana and other states this winter in search of food.

The owls are identifiable by their brilliant white color, measure 2 feet tall or taller and have wingspans of nearly 5 feet.

In Montana, the owls have been seen from Kalispell to Plentywood and as far south as the Crow Reservation.

Last week, one snowy owl was spotted in the area of the Kidsports complex and Glacier High School in north Kalispell while five owls were observed in the Somers area.

On the other side of the state, retired biologist Chuck Carlson said he usually sees one snowy owl per year near his home in Fort Peck. This year he’s counted four so far.

Denver Holt of the Owl Research Institute in Charlo says the birds may be dispersing south to spread out the competition for food, or they could be facing a food shortage or migrating to avoid harsh weather.

In 2005-06, snowy owls descended on Western Montana in large numbers — a total of at least 40 in the Flathead and Mission valleys and as many as 29 owls in a single square-mile field south of Polson.

At the time, hundreds of people flocked to the area to observe the unusual conclave of the Arctic birds.

The owls that winter were feeding on voles, primarily in the Mission Valley.

“They seem to prefer windswept fields where there isn’t much cover,” Holt told the Inter Lake in 2006. “It always looks like the coldest spot around, but they’re well-adapted to it. The insulation value of their feathers is second to Adelie penguins among birds, and equal to Arctic fox. They can stay comfortable to 40 below.”