The snowy owl is in town. Bird-watchers, and Harry Potter fans, across the Eastern Seaboard are capturing rare photos of the revered snowy owl, thousands of miles south of its native Arctic home.

According to Kevin McGowan, a biologist and ornithologist at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, this could be the largest migration of snowy owls to the southeastern U.S. in two decades. (Related article: "Homesick Owls Confusing Airports With Arctic Tundra."

"This is an unprecedented opportunity to understand the owl's migration patterns," said McGowan. "The snowy owl normally lives way the heck up north, which makes it difficult to tag and study them."

McGowan studies the migration patterns of birds, hoping to gain insights into their biology and conservation. He's