Who knew? Snowy owl spotted here
I found this news…
Seem like there are lots of changes happen in these few years… the climate change and all the birds of prey also need to adapt… wonder is there any species that unable to make it…
Who knew? Snowy owl spotted here
With food scarce in Canada, owl makes rare Waukesha visit
By KATHERINE MICHALETS – GM Today Staff
January 16, 2009
A snowy owl rests near the Fox River in the southern area of Waukesha, seeking its next prey. Ralph Curtis, who caught pictures of the bird more common to the tundra of Canada, said the snowy owl has been spotted over the course of a couple weeks and has attracted the attention of local bird watchers.
WAUKESHA -
As white as the fresh snow, the snowy owl blended into its surroundings as it rested on a dirt pile to await prey on a recent overcast day in Waukesha.
Ralph Curtis, a wildlife photographer, caught images of the owl atypical to this area as it appeared near the Fox River in the southern part of Waukesha.
“It’s going around the bird-watching circle and people are coming out to see it,” Curtis said.
The snowy owl is relatively uncommon to spot in Wisconsin because its normal territory is the tundra of Canada. However, when its food sources grow scarce during the winter, snowy owls will venture south into Wisconsin. Curtis said he has seen snowy owls in Horicon and near Lake Michigan, but this is the first one he has seen in Waukesha,
“I’m just going to watch it because who knows if it will come back another year,” he said.
Cheryl Diehl, animal care director at the Wildlife In Need Center in the town of Ottawa, said there are reports of snowy owls in Wisconsin every year. She said snowy owls tend to stay further north than Waukesha County.