Snowy Owls on PEI, bad sign

This Snowy Owl relaxes on the Hillsborough Bridge causeway on Monday. This breed of owl, which is normally native to far more northern regions, has been spotted around P.E.I. in recent months. Guardian photo by Brian McInnis

By Stephen Pate

I’ve got to get out more often. The Guardian reported that there are snowy owls at the Hillsborough Bridge, Unusual visitor has descended on the Island this year. Nice photo Brian.

“Large, white, shadowy, deadly creatures have invaded Prince Edward Island.

The Snowy Owl, usually found in more northern regions, has appeared in large numbers on P.E.I. this fall and appears ready to stay here for the winter.

Reports have come in from a variety of locations across the Island about owl sightings, says Rosemary Curley, natural areas biologist with the fish and wildlife division of the Department of the Environment.”

That is so cool. I’ve never seen one in the open, except at zoo’s. Owls are pretty cool anyways: they are the cats of the bird family. Owls seem smarter than the rest of the birds, perhaps because they don’t say much. Hmmm could that be a hint.

Owls aren’t smarter than Deeter the parrot. That was a smart bird.

Apparently the owls are coming south to look for food, which means the ecological balance up north is shifting. The Ottawa Citizen reported the same thing, Owls moving south in search of prey

“Cold north winds and a shortage of voles and mice up north are bringing the birds south and that means snowy owls and hawk owls are in the news again.

Ted Busby found them both in the Ottawa area. Ray Kunze had a snowy sitting on his roof in Stittsville all day on Nov. 16. David Moillet also had one on his roof. This one was discovered and harassed by crows. These white owls are much more vulnerable to this activity as they are usually out in the open. They do not perch in thick pine trees, up against the trunk, like the great horned and barred owls do for some protection.”

The earth is changing. The scientists warned us and we keep consuming hydrocarbons, polluting and heating up the atmosphere. There’s always a couple of right-wing he-man type scientists around to make us feel OK driving in gas guzzling SUV’s.

Humans are funny creatures. We were into alternate energy back in the 70’s. You remember: the Ark, wood heat, small is beautiful, and pollution.

Photo: Malcolm Lodge, Entegrity Wind

Whoa, making lots of money in the 80’s and 90’s who cares about the world and 90% of the other people. We are kings walking on the planet. Let’s cut down those rain forests for oil.

I’m glad to see the owls as a tourist but it’s not a good sign. One part of me wishes I still had my 300mm lens and the other part says get that solar water heater on the roof.

We need to get smarter, really smarter. It’s not easy since we’ve been spoiled for so long. I got rid of the car this year. Waste of money and it consumes oil. Taxis are fun, cheap and you learn things. We’re looking for more places to insulate. I want a smaller footprint. I’m tired of being a consumer.

Can anyone tell us why we need to spend $1 billion for windmills when they make them on PEI. Malcolm Lodge, who has been at it for decades, makes windmills and sells them to the States. Superior Sanitation has one on the bypass. I guess they’re smarter than us. It seems a lot smarter to buy something smaller, less expensive and made on PEI than what Ghiz iszz doing.

It’s a funny thing too. When the Guardian published a story about Wayne MacQuarrie winning an award as a wind energy pioneer, I put this small comment on the Guardian site,

Stephen Pate from Charlottetown, PE writes:

Malcolm Lodge should get it too. He’s been chasing the wind energy thing since the 70’s. Weird how the province goes to Europe for technology when we have it right in our back yard.

The Guardian editors wouldn’t post it until I complained. Is there a conspiracy of silence to put us another billion dollars in debt?

Giving MacQuarrie the award, ignoring our own businesses and spending $1 billion in Europe is the Golden Sash Award, a pompous and useless gesture by Ghiz to divert attention. I guess the Guardian knew what they were up to.

We need to take back the Island from the lazy, the greedy merchants and political fools who don’t care about anything but money, sex and power.

I’m going out to see come birds before they’re gone.

Unusual visitor has descended on the Island this year

Guardian Staff

Large, white, shadowy, deadly creatures have invaded Prince Edward Island.

The Snowy Owl, usually found in more northern regions, has appeared in large numbers on P.E.I. this fall and appears ready to stay here for the winter.

Reports have come in from a variety of locations across the Island about owl sightings, says Rosemary Curley, natural areas biologist with the fish and wildlife division of the Department of the Environment.

“We’re getting reports all over.’’

Curley said it appears likely the owl’s usual food source, lemmings, have crashed in the Arctic, forcing the owls southwards in search of an alternative supply of food.

Curley said that during an average winter, there might be three or four Snowy Owls spotted on the Island. But those numbers have swelled this fall to numbers rarely before seen.

The elusive bird, one of the largest members of the owl family, is now a regular sight at the Crowbush Cove golf course, along the rocks of the Hillsborough River bridge, around Summerside and in other areas of the

province.

At least one persistent owl has decided to make the Hillsborough Bridge area its home, although one report suggests there are actually as many as three owls there. The owls are there because of the thousands of starlings and pigeons which roost under the bridge at night.

Unlike other owls, the Snowy Owl hunts by day and is becoming a common sight for many Islanders.

Other areas of southern Canada are also reporting unusually large numbers of Snowy Owls, said Curley.

The bird is also known in North America as the Arctic Owl or the Great White Owl and is the official bird of Quebec.

The bird usually breeds north of the Arctic Circle.