Hope College, Holland (courtesy Greg Olgers)
HOLLAND, Mich. (WZZM) - A rare and beautiful bird is showing up in West Michigan. Greg Olgers reported a snowy owl this week on the campus of Hope College. Olgers says the bird was perched on top of a rooftop air conditioning unit.
On December 23, WZZM 13's cameras caught footage of another snowy owl atop the Family Fare grocery store on 68th street in Cutlerville. The bird drew a crowd with customers pulling out their smart phones to capture footage.
Earlier this week, The Kalamazoo Gazette reported a snowy owl that had been living for several weeks at the Kalamazoo airport died, apparently of starvation.
The snowy owl is a federally protected species and normally lives in the arctic and Canada, although they have been spotted in northern Michigan. But this winter, people have reported seeing snowy owls as far south as Oklahoma and Texas.
Samantha Smith, an Animal Care Specialist at Blanford Nature Center in Grand Rapids. She says the theory behind the recent sightings is due to a large population of "Lemmings" in the arctic----that's the snowy owl's primary food source. It caused an increase in population of snowy owls. "So, their population increased, which causes more competition for food sources."
That caused the young males to seek other habitat. "The older ones are more fit and able to survive, so the yearling males will go in search of food in the south."
Unfortunately, the one in Kalamazoo did not survive. Some speculate that he starved to death. Smith says there should be plenty of food. But, sometimes the younger males are not strong hunters. "There's a lot of food here for snowy owls. They'll be able to eat mice, voles, and rabbits."