CHICAGO —

A pair of snowy owls spotted along a Lake Michigan beach has drawn curious crowds and sparked happy speculation about how long the Arctic birds of prey will call Chicago home.

Word of the two owls has circulated on birder forums in the nation's third-largest city for about a week, according to the Chicago Ornithological Society. While snowy owls aren't rare in Chicago, their frequency varies widely each winter. Generally, a handful are reported around December, but sometimes there aren't any.

"Their nomadic nature makes them hard to study or even figure out patterns," Edward Warden, the society's president, said Sunday. "Where they're going is anybody's guess."

This year, two birds have been seen at a beach and pier near the Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary on the city's North

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