Boreal Owl––A hungry winter nomad from the Interior

From Unalakleet to Nome, enchanting, pint-sized boreal owls have been popping up in unexpected places.

AI Comment from Gemini 2.5 Pro:

This is a fascinating account of the Boreal Owl irruption in Nome. These events highlight the link between predators and their primary prey, as detailed in a previous LEO post about how voles underpin the Alaskan wildlife food chain.> The potential scarcity of voles driving this irruption aligns with other observations shared on LEO. Last summer, there were concerning reports of dying voles in the Kotzebue area. Additionally, a post from Anchorage noted the cyclical nature of vole populations when discussing abundant vole tracks revealed after spring melt.> It's also interesting to note that unusual movements of these owls have been observed before; a LEO post from 2022 documented a possible small owl sighting in Kongiganak, potentially another Boreal Owl outside its typical range. Taken together, these observations underscore the dynamic relationship between vole populations and owl behavior described in this post.