outburst in montana
BY CAROLINE DEPPE
It was the kind of
Montana morning that might make you want to crawl back into bed: gray sky, icy grass, and uncongenial temperatures. So what if the Mission Mountains were laden with snow! You could view them from a window, coffee in hand. You could stay put. But in the winter of 2005-2006, there was an excel- lent reason to dash out into the frozen air. Northwestern Montana—the Mission and Flathead Valleys, to be pre- cise—played host to an irruption—a large unexpected invasion—of Arctic guests: beautiful Snowy Owls. Males have fluorescent white plumage, which stands out vividly against winter browns and grays. Females have a base of white plumage with brown barring. Both sexes have eyes that are a brilliant golden yellow, capable of the most withering of stares.
Size-wise, Snowy Owls are intriguing. They stand at the height of a human toddler (two feet), yet weigh in at about a bag of sugar (four pounds). That may not seem
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like much, but these measurements render Snowy Owls the largest owls in North America. Coupled with sharp talons, powerful wings, and biting black bills, they are a force to be reckoned with.
Especially mesmerizing were the numbers of Snowy Owls. Most years, these rural valleys are lucky to count one Snowy Owl. During the irruption, however, numbers soared above 40. Solitary owls dotted Somers, while groups of owls clustered in Polson and Ronan. The owls hung out on farmlands, wildlife areas, and even human settlements. By day, they sat in trees and settled in rocky outcrops, perched on plows and crowded around water tanks. They
Snowy owl
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Give a hoot about owls? See a video variety!
Go to www.distinctlymontana.com/owls112
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