Community Corner

'Have a Hoot': Where to Spot the Snowy Owl

Where to spot the Snowy Owl around Middletown

For local bird watchers, this has one of the best winters ever for spotting the snowy owl.  

Shirley Lally, a volunteer at the refuge, told Patch the birds, usually native to the Arctic region, have been moving south because the food supply in the Arctic region is down.

Other common names for the owl are the Arctic Owl, Great White Owl or Harfang. Although the bird's native home is the circumpolar region, it is considered to be a nomadic species when fluctuations in its food source population force it relocate. 

Lally said that despite the seaside location of the sightings, the bird does not feed from sea. 

“They don’t dive for fish, they are not sea-birds,” said Lally. “They eat rodents and small animals. They are moving south, looking for food.”

On Thursday, Jan 9, the Born to be Wild Nature Center set free a snowy owl that was found injured at Quonset Point last month. On Sunday, it released another snowy owl back into the wild.

Find out what's happening in Middletownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

By mid March, the owl should make her way North and arrive back in the Artic in time for summer, according to the Born to be Wild Facebook page. 

But the question remains, how can you spot the elusive owl around Middletown?

Find out what's happening in Middletownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"Look around in the trees and ponds and in open areas near the ocean and look for anything out of the ordinary," said Middletown resident Stephen P. Ford who frequently captures the owl on camera.  

If you want to spot the owl for yourself, here are some recent snowy owl sightings:

  • Mike Kuriscak Kings Beach around 7:00 am
  • Michaela Gouveia Yes! And me and the kids were thrilled ...4:30ish a few days ago right next to the road on the wall by Kings Beach... My brother sees them ALL THE TIME (no fair!) at dusk and dawn around the drive and at Sachuest.
  • Liz Renshaw 4:30pm on the rocks beyond the wall around the drive just past Harrison Avenue
  • Melissa Mae Flaherty Three times now, all at Sachuest point. Mid-day and early afternoon. Also, one sighting at Brenton Park, late afternoon.
  • Katherine Irving 3 at Sachuest and one on the Ocean Drive
  • Pat McLaughlin Brenton Point
  • Christy Bryer Sachuest point up on a telephone pole around dusk : ) you would of thought the president was up there with all the cars pulled over taking pictures...lol
  • Megan Conley Sachust point 9am
  • Victoria Leiter Mele Out my window sitting on the hedge last night about 10pm. Ledge road.
  • Lisa Berard several at Sachuest and one at First Beach. There's a lovely barn owl currently prowling Sachuest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here