Seeing even a single snowy owl is an exciting moment for just about anyone. But can you imagine seeing 10 in one place? Amazingly, a Maine birder had just that experience last week in Biddeford Pool, and at least six were seen at both Monhegan and Popham Beach.

In just a few weeks’ time, one of the most amazing influxes of snowy owls in recent history has been underway in Maine and beyond. Birds have been seen from Newfoundland to North Carolina.

While the 10 seen in a single day at Biddeford Pool is astonishing, imagine the lucky person who counted 30 last week between New Hampshire and Boston. Or to really blow your mind, consider the Newfoundland birders who tallied 138 snowy owls on December 1, including one spot where they could see 25 in a single scan of the horizon!

Several snowy owls have made it to the coast of North Carolina, a state where the species has only been seen a few times previously. One bird even showed up on Bermuda. It must have been relieved to find this island refuge after trekking across the featureless ocean nonstop for days as it headed south, though the warm air must have been a shock for this Arctic dweller.

When massive numbers of birds move outside of their normal range like this, ornithologists have coined the term “irruption” to describe the phenomena. Backyard birders are more familiar with the more regular “irruptions” of Northern finches like common redpolls and pine siskins that can occur every two years on average in our area.

The movements of large numbers of northern finches or northern owls far to the south of where they regularly spend the winter is thought to be the result of a very successful breeding season in some large portion of their breeding range or the sudden lack of food as they move into the wintering period. Probably both of these factors actually act together, with large numbers of both adults and immatures coming out of a favorable summer breeding season followed by a dearth of food with too many mouths to feed in the late fall.

In the case of snowy owls, their breeding success is often linked to the cyclical increase in numbers of a favorite Arctic food, the lemming, a small mammal that is also famous for exhibiting a population crash after it reaches a high density peak. Such a crash in numbers leaves the increased numbers of snowy owls suddenly starving.

This apparently triggers a sudden urge to undertake a massive long-distance migration with the hope of surviving long enough to reach a place with more food. Sadly, many of these owls are emaciated on arrival and won’t find food quickly enough to survive. Others fall prey to cars, which they may have never seen before in their isolated breeding range and since snowy owls are diurnal (active during the day) they have a high likelihood of encountering traffic.

During this irruption, in Newfoundland and in other places along the coast, snowy owls have been seen arriving from over the water. One wonders how many of these birds could be coming from Greenland and from other Canadian High Arctic locations.

Although the circumstances may not be the best for the birds, for us humans, the phenomenon presents a rare opportunity to see a beautiful bird that has come from the land of polar bears and caribou. It’s worth trying to get out and see one if you get a chance. Just be sure to give it space and respect so that it has a better chance of surviving and making it back to its Arctic home.