In the Arctic, snowy owls (雪鸮) stick close to their nests, so scientists can (easy) observe them. But once the owls fly south for the winter, experts aren't exactly sure they go or what they do. Project SNOWstorm is trying to solve these mysteries.
(introduce) in 2013, the program uses GPS tracking devices to follow snowy owls across the United States and Canada on their winter migration paths. First, scientists catch an owl
(use) a harmless net trap. Then the bird (fit) with a light weight backpack that won't affect its ability to fly. The solar-powered tracker sends the bird's location back scientists through cellphone towers.
So far, Project SNOWstorm (track) nearly a hundred owls. Scientists have discovered that though some birds remain in same small patch of land (小块土地) every winter, others travel hundreds of miles in a few weeks.
The tracking data also shows that owls in some areas are making lots of short (flight), which is because the birds keep having to fly away from curious people in populous (人口密集的) areas. "Humans might love snowy owls a little too much," Weidensaul says. "If you're (luck) enough to see one, give it plenty of space."
