SNOWY OWLS OF THE CANADIAN ARCTIC

Jean-François Therrien Ph.D, a Senior Research Biologist at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Orwigsburg, PA (http://www.hawkmountain.org/), has been studying snowy owls in the Arctic for more than a decade with a team of scientists from Laval Université, Québec. He will share the results of his research on these magnificent birds in a slide presentation at Kingston Greenways Association's annual meeting. Refreshments will be served and all are welcome.

For more information, please visit http://www.kingstongreenways.org/ or call 609-683-0483.

Snowy owls are a top predator in the Arctic. They have a wingspan of 4-5 feet and are one of the few owls that hunt during the day. Lemmings make up a major part of their diet, especially during the breeding season. Some years, some of these large owls move south, a phenomenon known as an irruption. In recent winters, snowy owls have been observed across New Jersey in fields, marshes and beaches devoid of trees, landscapes that resemble the Arctic tundra to which they are accustomed.

Therrien’s long term ecological monitoring on the remote Bylot Island in Nunavut, Canada has helped to unlock the relationship between snowy owl and lemming populations, and shed light on their movements throughout the Arctic and beyond via satellite telemetry. He will provide a glimpse of what it is like to do research with these nomads of the north. He has also studied the nesting behavior of cliff-nesting raptors such as peregrine falcons, gyrfalcons and rough-legged hawks. He has 28 scientific publications, many of them focused on Arctic birds.

He holds a PhD in Biology from the Department of Biology of Laval Université in Québec, Canada. In 2011, he joined the staff at Hawk Mountain as Senior Research Biologist, where he had previously completed an academic internship in 2002. In this role, he leads Hawk Mountain Sanctuary’s research projects in the Arctic. He is also involved in several studies including the movement ecology of New World Vultures and Peregrine Falcons across the Americas. When he's not monitoring the long-term American kestrel nest-box program or helping with the migration counts from the Sanctuary’s lookout, he can be found teaching statistics to interns or enjoying life with his wife and two young children.

More about Kingston Greenways Association
Formed in 1998, Kingston Greenways Association aims to establish a permanent green belt around the village of Kingston consisting of natural environments, recreational park land, agricultural and horticultural land, wetlands, streams and ponds, and sites of historical interest. The Association further aims to preserve and create connections of green among and beyond these for walking, jogging, bicycling and horseback riding. The Association aims also to promote understanding of our local region through study and education, and to provide oversight and advocacy for open space in the Kingston area. We will work in partnership with other regional, state and national groups in pursuit of open space preservation and awareness.