Snowy Owls in Massachusetts
Snowy owl reports in Massachusetts winter by winter, adjusted for the growth of iNaturalist, with this winter read live and the latest report date.
Snowy owl reports in Massachusetts this winter
Winter 2026-27 so far
Reading this winter’s reports for Massachusetts from iNaturalist.
Looking up the latest research grade snowy owl report for Massachusetts.
Massachusetts is one of the most reliable snowy owl states in the country, with owls on barrier beaches, salt marsh and airport grassland along the coast in nearly every winter.
Twelve winters of snowy owls in Massachusetts
Measured against everything birders reported, the biggest winter in the Massachusetts record is 2017-18: 50 research grade reports, 4.0x an ordinary winter. Each winter runs November 1 to March 31, and its rate is snowy owl reports per 10,000 bird reports for the state, so the rising number of people on iNaturalist does not read as more owls.
When snowy owls are reported in Massachusetts
Snowy owl
485 research grade snowy owl observations uploaded to iNaturalist for Massachusetts since July 2014, by calendar month, with November to March shaded. Reports usually begin in November and peak in January; December to February holds 78 percent of them. Counts of what people reported, so they follow observers as well as owls.
Where snowy owls winter in Massachusetts
Snowy owls look for country that resembles the tundra: flat, open and treeless, with a low perch to hunt from. In Massachusetts that means:
- barrier beaches
- salt marsh
- airport grassland
“Snowy owls wintering in Massachusetts are typically found in grassland habitat near the coast that resembles their Arctic nesting habitat.”
MassWildlife (Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife)
Winter finches and northern raptors in Massachusetts
The northern birds with at least 25 winter reports in the Massachusetts record, and how each came in last winter against its own other winters. The Winter Finch Forecast from the Finch Research Network reads the northern crops each autumn.
| Species | Reports | Index | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evening grosbeak | 38 | rare | most winters have none |
| Redpoll | 7 | rare | most winters have none |
| Pine siskin | 7 | 3.5x | big irruption |
| Red crossbill | 6 | 0.2x | quiet |
| White-winged crossbill | 0 | rare | most winters have none |
| Pine grosbeak | 1 | rare | most winters have none |
| Bohemian waxwing | 8 | 2.2x | big irruption |
| Rough-legged hawk | 9 | 0.4x | quiet |
| Snow bunting | 131 | 1.4x | above normal |
| Northern shrike | 8 | 0.5x | quiet |
Evening grosbeak
Large tree seeds, especially box elder and maple, and sunflower at feeders.
Flights south follow poor seed crops in the boreal forest, and spruce budworm outbreaks in the north have fed a recovery in numbers.
Redpoll
Birch and alder catkins, and nyjer at feeders.
When the northern birch seed crop fails, flocks come south, and big flights have tended to come every other winter.
Pine siskin
Small conifer seeds, alder and birch, and nyjer at feeders.
A nomad on conifer seed that settles wherever the cones are good, so it can be abundant one winter and scarce the next.
Red crossbill
Seeds prised from closed conifer cones with a crossed bill.
Several call types each specialise on different conifers and wander to wherever their cone crop is heavy.
White-winged crossbill
Spruce and tamarack seed.
Moves south only when the boreal spruce crop fails, so years pass between good winters for it.
Pine grosbeak
Mountain ash berries, crabapples and conifer buds.
Comes south when the northern fruit crop is poor, often tame and slow moving in ornamental fruit trees.
Bohemian waxwing
Fruit: mountain ash, crabapple, juniper and buckthorn.
Flocks roam in search of fruit and arrive wherever a heavy crop hangs on into winter.
Rough-legged hawk
Voles and other small rodents, hunted by hovering over open fields.
A regular winter visitor from the Arctic whose numbers rise and fall with the rodent cycles in its breeding range.
Snow bunting
Weed and grass seed on bare ground.
Flocks settle on windswept fields and shorelines where snow blows thin, and move on with each storm.
Northern shrike
Voles and small birds, sometimes cached on thorns.
A songbird that hunts like a small hawk, coming south in larger numbers when prey in the north is scarce.
How to watch a snowy owl in Massachusetts
- Keep about 100 yards away. A snowy owl in winter is resting between hunts and every flush costs it energy it may not have. If it turns to stare, stands up or flies, back off. Binoculars, a scope or a long lens close the distance instead.
- Stay in the car. On farm roads and at airport edges the car works as a blind; an owl that ignores a parked vehicle will leave when a person steps out. Pull fully off the road and keep to public roads outside fences.
- Let the owl hunt its own food. Baited owls learn to fly low toward people and cars, which draws them onto roads and runways where collisions kill them.
- Leave the calls at home. Recorded calls and imitations pull owls off their hunting perches and add stress in the hardest season of the year.
- Share sightings at the state level. An owl that holds one field for weeks draws crowds once its spot is posted; the state and the date are plenty for the record.
Guidance from Project SNOWstorm and Audubon Great Lakes.
Wildlife in Massachusetts is managed by MassWildlife (Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife).
Snowy owl reports in other states
Questions about snowy owls in Massachusetts
Compiled 2026-09-22 from research grade observation counts for Massachusetts on iNaturalist, with the live winter and latest report date read from the same source. Counts are uploads by the public, adjusted by all bird uploads for the state in the same window. Agency text is quoted exactly from MassWildlife (Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife).