Last Sunday (August 1) I drove up north of Lafayette, Indiana to look for a Snowy Owl that has been present for a couple of weeks or so. It has made itself at home in the vicinity of a Dairy Queen beside the busy Interstate, and is usually easy to find as it sits on the Dairy Queen sign or even the highway signs. However, when I got there, I was told that the owl flew off to the south at about 8:30 that morning and had not been seen since. I drove many of the back roads for several miles around the area hoping to see the bird out in the soybean fields, but no luck. As is typical of birds, it showed up again that evening at about 8:30.
I tried it again this morning, and as soon as I got to the Dairy Queen, I saw it across the road sittng on a large gravel pile. SNOWY OWL is Indiana state bird number 221, year bird number 202.
Although Snowy Owls are casual on the Great Lakes in the winter, some years showing up in good numbers, it is very unusual for one to be here in the summer. This may in fact be the only summertime sighting of a Snowy Owl in the Lower 48 States.
Posted by Birdingdave at August 4, 2004 01:48 AMCongratulations on the Snowy. Heard about this bird on the listserves. Must be quite a sight in midsummer! Diane
Posted by: Diane at August 4, 2004 07:58 AM