On the morning of May 29, 2018 I received a call that a Snowy Owl was on the Beach of Little Traverse Bay near Page Hill Rd. (Another report of a very late Snowy Owl that should be in the Arctic.) The Owl reportedly had something tangled around one foot. The Snowy was observed being harassed by Crows and Gulls; however it flew about 1/4 mile down the beach with something hanging from it’s foot.
We relocated the Snowy where it had landed near the base of some Cedar Trees just off the beach. I kept the tree trunks between myself and the snowy until close enough to net it.
It was carrying a large piece of fish skin in it’s foot which it dropped when netted. The Snowy appeared in good health; a second year bird (hatched last summer), probably a female. I banded the Snowy and held it until late afternoon, gave it a nice meal of chicken pieces and released it further north on Wilderness State Park. The Snowy flew off and disappeared behind some trees about one half a mile away. Hopefully it will be less likely to be disturbed by people walking the beach and will shortly leave for the Arctic.
