Name: Saving Snowy Owls from Airplanes
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<div class="rich-text">When snowy owls land at Boston’s Logan Airport, Norman Smith gives the birds a one-way flight out.
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When snowy owls land at Logan Airport, Norman Smith gives the birds a one-way flight out.

Saving Snowy Owls from Airplanes

<div class="rich-text">When snowy owls land at Logan Airport, Norman Smith gives the birds a one-way flight out.</div>

Nature

<div class="rich-text"><h3>
 Saving Snowy Owls from Airplanes
</h3>

 Published March 16, 2018



 Onscreen
 
 : This snowy owl is alive thanks to this man. Some winters, as these birds fly south from the Arctic, dozens of them land on airfields across the country.



 Norman Smith
 
 : We don't know for sure but if you took away the buildings, the terminals, the planes at the airport, it's a flat, wide open area and it probably looks more like the Arctic tundra than anyplace else.


 Obviously birds and aircraft don't mix.



 Onscreen
 
 : But at Boston's Logan Airport, when snowy owls are spotted, Norman Smith gets a call.



 Smith
 
 : We put out a bow net with a mouse or a rat and a little wire cage. When the owl comes in, we manually trigger the trap.



 Onscreen
 
 : Norman brings the owl to Mass Audubon for a checkup.



 Smith
 
 : You can see how large their wingspan actually is.



 Onscreen
 
 : Female wings have bars, whereas male wings have spots. He bands the bird.



 Smith
 
 : It has a serial number on it, so it's like your social security number.



 Onscreen
 
 : Occasionally, he's caught the same bird twice.



 Smith
 
 : You can see those feet—very, very long, sharp talons for sure. We don't use a glove because you can't tell how much pressure you're putting on these birds. And birds have hollow bones and we don't want to take a chance and injure the bird.


 Some of the birds we actually put on satellite transmitters.



 Onscreen
 
 : To get movement tracks like this.



 Smith
 
 : We're gonna get some measurements off this bird.



 Onscreen
 
 :


 Wing span typical range: 4'6" – 5'6"


 Tail length typical range: 8" – 11"


 Weight typical range: 3.25 – 6.5 lb.


 Norman's recipe for weighing an owl: two empty tomato cans.


 Feather lice sample.



 Smith
 
 : It's a parasite that lives on them. And they all have them but to different degrees. In normal numbers, they don't impede the bird. When the bird gets excited, it gets hot and the lice come to the outside edges. The good news is we're too cold so these lice can't live on us.



 Onscreen
 
 : And a blood sample.



 Sarah Lawson
 
 : I've been trained by the veterinarians to take blood from the owls to see if they're carrying any infections.



 Onscreen
 
 : The blood also reveals toxin and heavy metal loads. Many snowy owls carry rodent poisons, mercury, and pesticide derivatives.


 For the first time, the species has been classified as “vulnerable." The population is in decline, likely due to illegal hunting, vehicle collisions, power line collisions, and climate change.



 Smith
 
 : Who knows what's gonna happen with climate change and changes that happen in the Arctic. And this is certainly one of the birds that probably will be affected by changes that happen up there.



 Onscreen
 
 : After everything checks out…



 Smith
 
 : This bird is all set to be released.



 Onscreen
 
 : Norman drives the owls to a beach 30-60 miles away. Since 1981, he's rescued and released over 800 owls. His efforts reshaped protocols for these birds nationwide.



 Smith
 
 : The USDA and Wildlife Services trap and relocate owls before they attempt to shoot them.



 Onscreen
 
 : Today's release is at Salisbury Beach, Massachusetts.



 Smith
 
 : It's a nice salt marsh habitat—lots of water fowl, plenty of food for her to eat.



 Onscreen
 
 : Like insects, rodents, and birds.



 Smith
 
 : Hopefully she'll safely get back to the Arctic tundra. As you can see, she's ready to go! On the count of three. One, two, three!
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