Hunters’ fiery orange this weekend wasn’t the only color indicating a new season had arrived in Wisconsin.

Several beautiful white and black birds have also appeared recently.

The first snowy owl of the season was pictured in Burnett County on October 23, according to Ryan Brady, conservation biologist with the Department of Natural Resources.

And since last week, two more large owls have also been documented in Badger State, Sawyer County on November 9 and Kewaunee County on November 13.

The numbers are low for mid-November, Brady said, and suggest that an outbreak, in which large numbers of owls enter Wisconsin and the United States, is unlikely this year.

For comparison, when Wisconsin experienced outbreaks in 2014, 2015, and 2017, the statewide totals on November 15 were 28, 79, and 41, respectively.

Meanwhile, in the non-burst years of 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2020, the totals were two, 14, three, and two.

Brady said there was still an outside chance the wind could turn this winter.

He pointed to the outlier year of 2013 which produced a huge eruption in Wisconsin and the eastern United States, but which started late. A single snowfall had been recorded in Wisconsin in mid-November.

Wisconsin isn’t the only state to see little snow so far this year.

The eBird system shows three snowy owls in Michigan, two in North Dakota, none in Minnesota, only a handful in New England, and none in the western United States.

All it takes, of course, is an observation to make the winter of a wildlife lover.

Snowy owls are among the most charismatic wildlife in the world.

They are the heaviest of all North American owls, tipping the scales at three to six pounds, and feature bright white plumage, large yellow eyes, and massive feathered feet.

In addition, they are often active during the day.

As the name suggests, snowy owls are generally a Nordic species, nesting worldwide in the treeless tundra above the Arctic Circle.

During a typical winter, some stay close to their breeding areas while others move to southern Canada and the northern United States. At least a few reach Wisconsin each year.

Every few years, however, a large number of them settle in the state, an event known as the “break-in”. One of the biggest outbreaks in recent history was the winter of 2017-18, when 280 snowy owls were documented in Wisconsin.

It is not known for sure what causes an outbreak, although most hypotheses point to a scarcity or abundance of lemmings, the owl’s main food source in its breeding grounds.

If you see a snowy owl, be sure to give it space and respect.

The DNR offers these orientations:

• Stay away from an owl. You are too close if the bird is looking at you frequently, standing upright with open eyes looking in your direction, or emerging from its perch.
• Do not play audio recordings from smartphones or other devices.
• Do not feed owls with mice or other prey, which may lead to unintended negative effects like habituation to people, higher likelihood of vehicle collision and disease.
• Minimize the use of flash photography, especially after dark, as it can disrupt an owl’s activity patterns.
• When viewing from a vehicle (recommended), turn off the engine to avoid interfering with the owl’s auditory hunting technique.

To learn more about snowy owls in Wisconsin, visit dnr.wi.gov and search for snowy owl.

To track sightings in the state and report your own, visit the eBird website at ebird.org/wi and click Explore to find a customizable map of sightings in Wisconsin.

If you think a bird is sick or has been injured, contact a local wildlife rehabilitator. Find a directory organized by county by searching for rehabilitation on the DNR website.