A few more cases of range extension
Following on this post about the
Arctic Ivory Gull, I found a couple of other examples of critters outside their normal ranges.
From the
UK Telegraph:
Three snowy owls spotted in UK
The birds usually live in the far north around the Arctic circle and when they do venture south it is to northern Scotland.
However this winter the magnificent birds, which have a wingspan of up to six feet, have been spotted in Cornwall, Alderney and Guernsey.
Originally it was thought the birds were simply blown off course whilst looking for food further south.
However Alistair Riley, a local bird watcher who has spotted the owl several times in Alderney, has another theory.
He points out that a greater number of waxwings have been spotted in the UK this winter because a hard winter in the north means there are less berries to feed on.
In the same way he reckons that the snowy owl, which survives mainly on lemmings that have also had a hard winter, has come south looking for food.
"If birds are desperate for food they will head where they will find it," he said.
"The owls are extremely strong fliers and will cross the sea without too much of a problem. I guess these three have flown far further south than for a long time."
"It is very peculiar and we are just very lucky to see such a rare creature."
Emphasis mine -- it has been a hard winter and it was a long cold spring as well. The Waxwings in question?
From the
UK Telegraph again:
Invasion of waxwings suggests a cold winter
The birds, from Scandinavia, have appeared all along the east coast of Scotland and England, and have been moving steadily south and west in search of food.
Experts say there are already well over 1,000 in Britain, and the numbers are expected to increase still further.
Although they are occasional visitors to the UK, the numbers this year are unusually high and have been classed as an "irruption", to signify a large-scale arrival of a bird not normally found here. They have now been recorded inland as far south as Cambridge and Bedfordshire, and as far west as Conwy, North Wales.
And it is not just that side of the pond either.
From
The Tennessean:
Snowy Owl appears in Middle Tenn.
An arctic traveler has shown up in Spring Hill.
A Snowy Owl - the first recorded in the state since 1987 - has been hanging out around Highway 31 near a Cracker Barrel.
Birder Melinda Welton of Williamson County who saw it Saturday said the rare bird likely flew in because food supplies were in short supply to the North.
�It must be a lean year,� said Welton, a contract biologist.
The species is fond of lemmings � a type of rodent found in and near the arctic � but also goes for mice, voles, rabbits and fish.
The cold winter is affecting other things beside animal range.
From the Canadian broadcast network
CTV:
Cruise ship freed from St. Lawrence River ice
A cruise ship that spent 24 hours stuck in the ice in the St. Lawrence River has been freed with the help of a Canadian Coast Guard ice breaker.
The CTMA-Vacancier and its more than 300 passengers were en route to a week-long cross-country ski trip in the Chic-Choc mountains. Progress came to a grinding halt on Monday when the ice closed in around the ship near Matane, Que.
A bit more (Letendre is the Coast Guard Media Relations Officer):
"It's not unusual. It's normal operations for the winter. That's why we are there," Letendre said. But she added that such heavy ice conditions haven't been seen since 1993.
Throw another log on the fire -- it's gonna be a cold one...
And the sun? No sunspots. Low output.
Posted by DaveH at January 29, 2009 1:13 PM