Winter 2012-2013 is seeing an irruption of great gray owls in eastern Ontario and south-western Quebec. Good numbers of these owls have already been seen and reported. These irruptions occur every 4 years. You may have some people debate what they think to be an irruption....a matter of semantics. An irruption is when a good number of birds show up in an area where they are not normally known to be seen. The previous irruption of the great gray owl was in winter 2008-2009. There were an estimated 70 of these owls counted in Quebec that winter. Not sure about the numbers seen in Ontario but at one particular location in Ottawa, 4 to 6 were seen. That's only at one location.