Snowy Owls venture as far south as Florida

Snowy Owls have been seen in the northern United States in previous winters, but the migration this year has brought the owls further south and in greater numbers than before. Here is a brief rundown on some of the sightings for this winter:

• Sandy Hook and Stone Harbor, both in New Jersey (watch a You Tube video on the Stone Harbor incident from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology).
• Ocracoke Airport and Hatteras Island, both on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
• Logan Airport outside Boston and on Cape Cod's Chatham Lighthouse.
• Jones Beach in New York, as well as central parts of the state.
• Clinton Lake, Kansas.
• Harrisonburg, Virginia.
• Port Mahon in Delaware.

Little Talbot Island in Florida/Florida Times-Union

On January 22, one perched on a ledge outside the building housing The Washington Post. 

Three Snowy Owls were reported in Union City, Oklahoma, just west of Oklahoma City. They were even reported on Little Talbot Island, a small undeveloped barrier island near Jacksonville, Florida.

The news media has been reporting that a Snowy Owl was seen this year in Hawaii as part of the current migration. We've been unable to verify this. There was a sighting at Kono sometime in 2012. Get the details here. The Honolulu Star Advertiser, the state's largest newspaper, makes no mention of any Snowy Owl sightings this winter.

Moreover there have been sightings the northern United States in previous years, including 2012. However, this is the largest migration and the farthest south in a long time.