MADISON, WI (WTAQ) – For the second winter in a row, snowy owls have appeared in record numbers throughout Wisconsin.
The state DNR counted 226 snowy owls flying down from Canada as of last Friday — a large increase over the previous year’s record of 173 at this time.
The white spotted owls are said to be the heaviest in North America, which helps make them popular with bird lovers. The DNR’s Ryan Brady said people remember last year being so great, not to mention the big increase this winter.
It’s not known why we’re seeing more snowy owls. Scientists are tracking the animals, by putting transmitters on their backs.
Four of last winter’s owls in Wisconsin received the tracking devices, but none have showed up in the Badger State yet.
Brady tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that more owls are concentrating in the Upper Midwest and southern Ontario, and fewer birds spend their winters in the Northeast part of the country.
The Horicon Marsh is among the state’s more popular areas for the owls — along with the Goose Pond in Columbia County and the Collins Marsh State Wildlife Area in Manitowoc County.
(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)
