They fly 3,000 miles from the Arctic… only to nap next to Boeing 737s.
At Logan Airport, the biggest, baddest owls in North America are dodging jets, evading death, and—thanks to one owl-whispering legend—getting a second chance.
Thanks to Jason Kottke (his article about this) and Kate Mothes of Colossal (her article) for their tips on this.
Watch”The Snowy Owls of Logan Airport”
You Can’t Make This Sh*t Up
- Norman once re-caught a snowy owl 24 years after he first banded it. It was in excellent shape.
- Some airports used to shoot snowy owls. In 2013, JFK Airport shot two—causing public outcry. Boston, meanwhile, had already been trapping and relocating owls for decades.
- Smith uses a fishing rod and live mice in a trap (the mice are protected) to lure owls into a spring-loaded bownet—an invention he designed himself.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 90/100
- IMDB Rating: N/A
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: N/A
Director’s Note: This short film is produced by the NYT’s Opinion Video team. The spotlight is on Norman Smith, a Mass Audubon wildlife expert who’s been tracking and trapping owls since 1981.
Release Date: May 2024
My Review of “The Snowy Owls of Logan Airport”
The Setup
Norman Smith has been catching snowy owls on Boston’s airport runways for 43 years—not to hurt them, but to save them.
The snowy owls fly over 3,000 miles from the Arctic each winter. And for reasons scientists still don’t fully understand, Logan Airport gets more of them than anywhere else in the Northeast.
More Highlights from the Doc
- Logan’s 1,800 acres of open fields mimic Arctic tundra—perfect habitat for snowy owls.
- He once saw a snowy owl take down a peregrine falcon in midair—after the falcon harassed it. The starling the falcon had just caught? Flew away unharmed.
- Owls can sleep near roaring jet engines thanks to incredible hearing and calm temperaments.
- Smith collects data on every owl: weight, age, sex, parasite load, wing and tail measurements, and then releases them far from the airport.
- Female snowy owls lay more eggs in years with high lemming populations. More lemmings = more owls heading south.
- Owls often face dangers from planes, poisons, and even overzealous bird photographers.
Lesser-Known Details from the Doc
- Snowy owls eat large prey: American kestrels, black ducks, even Canada geese. One took out a great blue heron. Another? A brant goose.
- Smith uses the airport’s own vehicle as a blind—sometimes waiting hours to trigger his owl trap at just the right moment.
- Owls roost during the day to rest. But human disturbance (like birders flushing them repeatedly) can exhaust them and reduce their odds of survival.
- Climate change may reduce snowy owl populations. Lemmings need snow to breed, and owls need lemmings to raise chicks.
Wrap Up
Owls at an airport might sound crazy, but Norman Smith makes it make sense. This doc is a perfect mix of science, conservation, and heart.
Thanks for reading!
Rob Kelly, Chief Maniac, Daily Doc