barn owl

I love old barns, but this one is special because there is a Snowy Owl on top of it! This is a picture taken by a birder named Jane Ward in Livingston County Illinois. This has been an invasion year for snowies. There have been 4-5 seen in Kansas and 2-3 seen in IL. This usually happens in years where the vole population in Canada is very low and the owls must move south to find food. A different Snowy Owl in IL was hit by a car a week ago (it was taken to a rehabilitator, but I haven't heard if it survived). These birds are usually emaciated and vulnerable to predation and car strikes, so seeing one is cool, but also a little sad.