The annual flight back north for Snowy Owls in Ontario takes place from around mid-March to early April. Most birders do not realize that such a phenomenon even exists because these are *not *the birds you have seen this winter. What we usually find initially is new birds showing up in areas we traditionally see overwintering owls but they can actually be anywhere, including your neighbourhood, since they are not setting up territory, just stopping for a break. Some of our overwintering birds will still be present for a while yet, perhaps well into April but what you may find is new birds returning from the US on their way north, crossing the territory of any existing owls. The flight can be fairly short, about a week or so and individuals may only be present for hours or a day but there can be points of concentration. In the east, both the St. Lawrence, especially towards Montreal and the Ottawa River in the west end of Ottawa from Britannia past Shirleys Bay have traditionally been areas to check along shore or out on remaining ice. Of course the north shore of both Lake Erie and Lake Ontario are used for stopovers but the areas to check there are numerous. Obvious points there are the same as for spring migrant species. These owls will be resting but they will also be watching for ducks since, unlike other owls, Snowys are incredibly efficient and powerful duck hunters, able to outfly ducks for very short periods as long as they take off within a second or two of one passing by. Only a fraction of birders know that about these birds. I have only seen it once – another birder thought it was a Gyrfalcon giving chase. Of course they can also pick off a sleeping duck at night which is way easier and involves stealth, not power. The duck could be too heavy to carry (unless it is small) so it will have a meal after dragging the bird to shore. We are all used to seeing solitary birds but in migration the rules change. Since there is no territory established it is not unusual to find more than one within a short distance, even very close together, sometimes within a few feet. There can even be females and males close together, something that never happens with overwintering birds. The larger and more aggressive females always chase males out of their territory but they get along while travelling north. The point is, keep your eyes open now because you never know when or where one of these owls might appear. Owl migration is underway. Brian Morin