Tommy Quarles and I caught up with the Snowy Owl about 5:00 this afternoon. We
watched it along with others for more than 30 minutes. After awhile I began to
wonder how well the bird was doing. It kept looking off in the distance; at
first I thought it might have been at potential prey but then I began to wonder
if it was noticing potential threats like a coyote ...
We saw the bird fly twice, but both times it flew what I considered weakly (as
compared to the bird I saw chase a kestrel a few weeks ago in Gallatin County).
It also was walking around the soybean stubble a bit aimlessly, and often
stumbled.
I began to fear that it was actually in a pretty weak condition, so I called
Eileen Wicker and asked her opinion. She believes the behavior we observed is
not good, and that it might be very weak from starvation (something she says is
very common with these birds, unfortunately).
I don't know this species very well at all, of course, but I believe the bird
is still going to be in this field in the morning, either alive or dead. From
what I saw, and of course I could be wrong, I think it does not have the
strength to fly a great distance and gain altitude to leave. I asked one of the
local residents at the end of Corbitt Road to contact me in the morning to let
us know if it is still there. If it is, don't disturb the bird, but try to take
note of its behavior. If it is in obvious trouble, we can notify Eileen and she
or her husband, John, can get someone over there to assess the situation
further.
bpb, Louisville
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