From Misty Briggs

It has been a great year so far for rare Owls visiting Maricopa County (Arizona, USA) like this healthy Mexican Spotted Owl (a subspecies of Spotted Owl). They prefer high-elevation, mature forests, making their presence in the low-elevation, amid urban environment of Phoenix highly unusual.

Per the Googs: Several reasons are increasing loss of habitat, avoiding harsh weather conditions (known as altitudinal migration) and easier hunting.

Truly a gift.

I’ll include this Audubon article on some examples of alititudinal migration to give you some examples and also a look into the pros/cons for the birds.