Owls of Ohio - Ohio Department of Natural Resources

C O M M O N O W L S O F O H I O 45O h i o S tat u s snowy owlVaries from year to year, but normally anywhere from a fewto perhaps a dozen sightings. In good years, snowy owls mayappear by late October, although most turn up in November andDecember. They are most likely along the shoreline of Lake Erie,and sightings become increasingly scarce away from the lake.However, once in a while a snowy will appear as far south as theOhio River.Hab itat snowy owlRocky breakwalls around harbors on Lake Erie are favored haunts,such as at Conneaut, Fairport Harbor, and the Cleveland lakefront.Snowy owls frequent sites that support lots of waterfowl and gulls,which are preferred food items. The flat, wide-open spaces aroundairports provide another good habitat, and Burke Lakefront Airportin Cleveland sometimes hosts multiple owls simultaneously. Snowyowls also frequent open agricultural landscapes. In general, they arebirds of big, open spaces – similar to their tundra breeding habitat.Hab its snowy owlSnowy owls are unusual among owls in that they are largely diurnal,or feed during daylight hours. They are primarily perch and pouncehunters; in other words an owl will sit on a perch that offers a goodview of the surrounding terrain, and fly out after potential prey.Occasionally an owl will capture prey that has been spotted whileon the wing. Because they often hunt from a conspicuous perch, andmay wait long periods for hunting opportunities, snowy owls arefrequently easy to locate and can be observed for extended periods.Snowys commonly perch on the ground or the rocks of breakwalls,too.While multiple owls may frequent the same hunting grounds,such as airport fields or harbors, they are solitary in winter andwill not tolerate close approaches by other owls.Snowy owl in the act of disgorging pellets.Typical snowy winter Snowy owl habitat Owl habitat in Ohio; in the Ohio; harbor the andharbor and breakwalls at Lorain. at Photo by: ODNR Division of Wildlife / Jim McCormac Photo by: Scott Carpenter / www.westerngrebe.com