Hayes resident Joyce Pully was treated to a rare sight Tuesday morning, as this snowy owl hung around the boatyard at Zimmerman Marine in Mathews for a couple of hours before taking off. Most years, only a few are ever spotted in the northernmost of U.S. states. But this winter is different, as a rapid population boom—called an “irruption” by ecologists—is the largest the East Coast has seen in 40-50 years, according to a report on NPR. ...