Two Snowy Owls in Wood County

We previously mentioned that a Snowy Owl was present in Wood County, Ohio, near the city of Bowling Green.  Now there are two present there, and both were seen on December 23rd.

The first one, first found on December 12, is southwest of Bowling Green. Most of the sightings have been in the general area of Cygnet Road (Township Hwy 3) and Otsego Pike (State Route 235). Cygnet Road runs east - west, and crosses Interstate 75 about eight miles south of Bowling Green. Otsego Pike is about 6 to 7 miles west of Interstate 75. The bird was seen today (Friday Dec. 23) both north and south of Cygnet Road, near Otsego Pike.

The second one, found on December 21 by Tom Kemp, is northwest of Bowling Green. It's along State Route 64 (Haskins Road) near its intersection with Hannah Road, only a couple of miles outside of BG. It has been seen on both the east side and west side of SR 64, and north of Hannah Road half a mile west of 64. This individual also was seen today (Dec. 23).

Just a little outside our area, a Great Gray Owl was found Friday, Dec. 23, just west of Point Pelee, Ontario. Apparently this is a first record for Essex County, and it's a LOT closer to Ohio than Great Grays are usually found. These directions are from Sarah Rupert, starting from Leamington, the town closest to the entrance to Point Pelee National Park: "From Leamington, take County Rd 20 (Seacliff Drive) west through Kingsville. You'll pass Pleasant Valley Campground on the north, the next road is McCain Side Road. Turn north on McCain and continue down the road approx 2 km. You'll see address marker 1643 on the west side of the road, the bird was last seen at the north end of that property along the edge of a farm field. We watched the bird until we lost the light. It was actively feeding throughout the time I was watching it and we're hoping it might stick around."

For updates on the latter, check the Ontario birding listserve: http://www.birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/ONTB.html

Best of success to anyone who decides to look for any of these birds, and please remember to keep a respectful distance from the owls and to respect the private property of local landowners.

Snowy Owl in Wood County, Ohio

Late fall / early winter 2011 has been marked by a major influx of Snowy Owls into the north-central U.S., with scores of individuals reported around the western Great Lakes.  Only a few individuals have been found in Ohio so far, but one is being seen currently not far from our immediate area: in Wood County, just southwest of Bowling Green. 

As reported on the "RareBird" forum, the owl was first found on December 12 by Mark (last name not given) and has been seen several times since.  Most of the sightings have been in the general area of Cygnet Road (Township Hwy 3) and Otsego Pike (State Route 235).  Cygnet Road runs east - west, and crosses Interstate 75 about eight miles south of Bowling Green.

The owl has been seen perched atop telephone poles a few times, but more often it has been seen sitting on the ground out in open fields, often some distance from the road, so a telescope is useful for getting good looks.  If you go to look for this bird, please do not approach it closely.  Snowy Owls that come this far south are often stressed and hungry, and we must not do anything to add to their stress. 

As of about 10:30 a.m. on Friday, December 16, Ben Warner reported that the owl was being seen off Cygnet Road, southwest of its intersection with Otsego Pike.  It was about 500 yards out in a corn stubble field.