Distinctly Montana Magazine

PAM MORIARITY rallied around fence posts and lingered in a potato field. Most of the time, they stayed silent and still. Around sunset, the Snowy Owls came to life—preening, stretching their wings, and wiping their bills. Then they swooped away to hunt for their dinner. A favorite haunt was the Pablo Reservoir. Thirty-some owls perched in trees or on shore. Some hunted, while others roosted on the ice. Owl Research Institute founder and president, Denver WHAT EVERY HARRY POTTER FAN SHOULD KNOW ABOUT HEDWIG In the überfamous Harry Potter series, Harry has a Snowy Owl that delivers his mail. The owl’s name is Hedwig, and as a veritable “she,” she should have the following characteristics: She should weigh about 4.3 pounds, and she should have a base of white plumage, with moderate to extensive dark barring on her breast, wings, head, and often tail. However, in the movies, Harry’s owl is a little bit smaller—about 3.5 pounds—and a lot flashier, with plumage that is almost entirely white. This Hedwig was played by a number of Snowy Owls, all of which were male. Missing from both books and movies were juvenile Snowy Owls. They tend to be the most heavily marked, with dark barring on their white plumage. Also unaddressed is the reality of what Snowy Owls are like in the hand. They are fairly aggressive and can bite very hard. Holt, was often on hand to witness the event. “It definitely rated as one of the most significant wildlife shows in Mon- tana, ranking up there with the former concentrations of Bald Eagles at Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park, the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park, and the Snow Geese concentration at Freezeout Lake.” The irruption was unusual, to say the least. Typically, Snowy Owls tend to be anywhere but northwestern Mon- tana. During the breeding season, for instance, the owls prefer tundra—that swipe of permafrost, ice, and sea that occurs high above the Arctic Circle. Points of attraction include sites in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Scandinavia, Russia, and Siberia. The owls do not appear to possess a particular geographic affiliation. Rather, they seem to be circumpolar, flying from one chilly spot to the next. This nomadic tendency was documented by a North American study, in which Holt and other wildlife re- searchers took part. Six Snowy Owls were radio-marked and tracked, most for one to two years. The owls proved capable of ranging widely. The longest journey looped from Alaska to Russia to Canada, then back to Alaska. Al- together, their wanderings encompassed more than a third of the Arctic. Come winter, a few Snowy Owls may stay put on the breeding grounds, but most continue to move. Some fly to other parts of the Polar North, and even hang out on ice floes. Their thick plumage is key to their survival. “The insulative value of their feathers allows them to withstand some of the lowest temperatures recorded for birds, second only to the Adélie Penguin,” said Holt. “The values compare to those of Arctic Fox and Dall Sheep, whose tolerance range is around 40 degrees below zero.” Overall, however, many Snowy Owls seem to move south for the winter. A few owls opt for Montana, al- though they tend to occupy the prairie region (the north- central and northeastern parts of the state). These spots are supposed to be more similar to the tundra, and more apt to abound in prey. In the winter of 2005-2006, the Snowy Owls did some- thing different: They headed for the Pacific Northwest, and in large numbers. They congregated in British Colum- bia and Alberta, and plumed into Washington, Oregon, and Idaho... and last but not least, they descended upon 26 DISTINCTLY MONTANA • SPRING 2011

• Cover