Hunting along the shores of Traverse Bay, Michigan! Yup, Snowy Owl #25 has been found this past Christmas two years after it spent the winter in the Northland, mainly over in Superior, Wisconsin. The good folks of the Traverse Bay area got smart and when Snowy #25 was first found by Gerry Erickson, these birders did a reverse Google image search (at least I assume that is how they found me). I in turn made certain that this information was passed along to the person who bands Snowy Owls in the Duluth area.

Unlike many birds, Snowy Owls are nomads. These owls breed up near the Arctic Ocean, but their nests may be hundreds of miles apart in subsequent summers. Somehow the Snowies learn where there are lemmings, their primary food up north, and nest in the vicinity. Thus, when it is time to head south for the winter, these same owls can end up in dramatically different locations. Two years ago Snowy #25 was at the Head of the Lakes on Lake Superior. This winter the same owl is wintering 348 air miles away over on Lake Michigan.  If you would like to learn more about Snowy Owl research, please visit Project Snow Storm.

Finally, many of you will not remember the TV sitcom, Car 54, Where Are You. It was in reruns even when I was a young boy, and that was a long time ago! To further your TV education, here are two links about Car 54 … Wikipedia and an Episode via YouTube.

Snowy Owl #25 … my thanks for Michael Jorae for having contacted me, and Gerry Erickson who originally found the owl.

• My post from two years ago: Spectre and two images (pre banded and banded). I know it is the same bird because of markings and it was using the same exact fence down to the pole for a perch.
• eBird Report from the Traverse Bay area on Dec. 24, 2017 (Snowy Owl #25).