During the first week of December, Jill Peleuses and Michelle Frazier set off on a two-day journey to the Outer Banks hoping to spy a lingering interloper - a non-native snowy owl who'd been spotted hanging out on the beach at Cape Hatteras.
"We have the fever," said
Peleuses, owner of Wild Bird & Garden in Wilmington. "We were so
excited. Neither one of us had ever seen a snowy owl before. It was the
day after the Bonner Bridge closed, so it was a series of two ferries
and probably eight hours of travel one way. And the whole time we're
hoping, 'Please don't let that bird fly away.'"
The
trek may seem extreme but was well worth it for the birders, who viewed
the excursion as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spy a snowy owl in
person. This winter, North Carolina has seen an unprecedented influx of
the birds, which are native to the Arctic tundra in Alaska and Canada
and almost never fly this far south. Since October, 14 owls - white,
with black markings and bright yellow eyes - have been spotted in the
state, from Wrightsville Beach to Cape Hatteras and as far west as
Asheville.
More @ Star News
" This winter, North Carolina has seen an unprecedented influx of the birds, which are native to the Arctic tundra in Alaska and Canada and almost never fly this far south"
ReplyDeleteAnd this the coldest winter in years. Makes you wonder what did the birds know and when did they know it? Started arriving on October. Coincidence?
Terry
Fla.
Good question.
DeleteOur beaches are THAT good!
ReplyDelete:) & they really are!
DeleteMore evidence of Global Warming I'm sure. LOL
ReplyDeleteThe animals know what is coming and all signs show we'll have some
terrible weather this winter.
:)
Delete