Snowy owl sightings

Snowy owls are out in force in Michigan this winter, thanks to a population boom in their Arctic breeding lands. The Lansing State Journal says area birdwatchers have been sighting the 2-foot-tall raptors. Snowy owl sightings have taken place at Capital Region International Airport in Clinton County’s DeWitt Township, Ingham County’s Alaiedon Township north of Mason and at Gerald R. Ford International Airport in suburban Grand Rapids. Capital Regional airport Operations Director Lisa Adams says people have spotted the owls with some regularity at the airport over the past two months, including nine times in December. Snowy owls breed in the Arctic and typically move south in the winter. Experts say the owl’s population boom may be because of an abundance of one of their favorite foods, lemmings.  (AP)