With the recent snow that has blanketed Manitoba thoughts of the Great White Owls from the North has been on my mind…hopefully getting out soon.
They begin to show up anything from mid-October onwards…hanging around till mid to late March.
During the summer they nest in the Arctic Tundra…with the female laying anywhere from 3-10 eggs.
The number of eggs laid depends on the Lemming population…which is their main food source.
The higher the Lemming population the more eggs laid and hatched…meaning more owls showing up in Southern Manitoba.
Observations from years gone by…I believe the young owls are unfamiliar with poles, posts and trees and when first arriving some are seen along a roadway or in a field…perhaps reminding them of the Tundra.
It doesn’t take them long to figure out that poles make for a good vantage point to hunt from.
Anyway…that’s my theory and I’m sticking to it.