A welcome sign of winter are snowy owls appearing along rocky shorelines and in empty fields throughout Wisconsin.
A varying number of these charismatic raptors — with their bright, white plumage, feathered feet and large, yellow eyes — migrate south from their nesting grounds north of the Arctic Circle every year.
“They come all the way from these Arctic islands at the far northern end of Canada, almost to the North Pole,” said Ryan Brady, a conservation biologist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. “They’re not that common and they move unpredictably. There’s no guarantee of seeing one. So if you do, you’re not going to take it for granted.”
Local photographer Cheryl Koval of Extreme Photography located one in Ashland and captured the moment with her camera.
“Snowy owls are beautiful. I loved seeing it in Ashland. I see others captured it, too. I was leaving Walmart and saw it flying to the house. I timed it perfectly. It only allowed me a shot of three then it flew away. Then I saw it couple days late. I saw one in flight at the marina. They are huge and beautiful. I hope to see it again,” she said.