Snowy Owl At Hammo; Please Enjoy From A Distance

From the Audubon Shop in Madison, CT: 

OK, folks.

Most of you are probably not on the CT Rare Bird alert, so you wouldn't read those notifications. Yesterday an expired, emaciated snowy owl was picked up in Waterford. We don't know if the bird was sick, but it had obviously not eaten in a while.

The cautionary tale is Do Not Pursue a photo of any owl anywhere by getting closer to it or in some way trying to get it to look your way.

They need to eat and rest, and too many people will not only disturb them, but prevent them from getting the food or rest they need.

If you see someone doing that, please tell them to back off (not at risk of your own well being, of course) ... Be smart!

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Audubon Magazine said there has recently been an "invasion" of snowy owls on the eastern seaboard recently and experts are trying to figure out why: 

"So--why is this happening? So far, we don't have a complete explanation. The majority of the invading owls are heavily marked young birds, hatched this year, so evidently snowy owls had very good breeding success this year in the eastern Canadian Arctic. And evidently there isn't enough food in the Arctic now to sustain them, so they are moving south. But are there exceptional conditions in the Arctic right now--unusual weather, unusual lack of sea ice--that would be affecting the owls' movements? We are still working on that question."

Read more at Audubon Magazine. 

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Editor's Note: The photo published here, of the snowy owl at Hammonasset, was taken by photographer DLee of SkyChaser Photography with a telephoto lens, from a good distance away. She was visiting Hammonasset with Todd from A Place Called Hope, who is a wildlife rehabilitator who specializes in birds of prey and they were both careful not to disturb the bird. If you are going to go to try to get a shot of your own, please follow their example and do not get close to the bird or disturb it. Or you can check out SkyChaser Photography for more photos and to find out how to purchase one, if you are interested.