Unusual number of Arctic owls flying in U.S. skies

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Snow-white owls with luminous yellow eyes are thrilling bird-watchers as the magnificent birds set up winter residence at airports, fields and beaches far south of their normal Arctic range.

Snowy owls, familiar to children as Harry Potter's pet, made a noticeable appearance in the northern half of the U.S. in 2011. Bird-watchers recently report on eBird.org snowy owl sightings in dozens of locations across the Midwest, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states as far south as Cape Hatteras, N.C.

The owls live in the Arctic, but when their population spikes or lemmings are scarce, young ones fly south.

"Snowy owl populations are synchronized with their food source, lemmings," wildlife photographer Lillian Stokes, who co-authors the Stokes bird guides, said Thursday. "If the lemming population crashes, the owls have to go south in search of food."

A few snowy owls are seen in the U.S. every year, Stokes said. "But this year is phenomenal. People believe this could be historic numbers."