Saturday, January 4, 2014

NC: Bird lovers flock to see rare owl on Cape Hatteras shores

Via The Drawn Cutlass


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

6 comments:

  1. " 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"

    And 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.

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  2. More evidence of Global Warming I'm sure. LOL

    The animals know what is coming and all signs show we'll have some
    terrible weather this winter.

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