Thanks to the dedicated Wildlife Services staff of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture stationed out at Pittsburgh International Airport, a Snowy Owl that had been hanging around the taxiways off and on over the past several weeks was successfully and safely captured Tuesday evening. National Aviary Ornithologist, Bob Mulvihill, had the privilege of banding and measuring the bird prior to its being translocated some 40 miles away from the airport for its own safety and that of airline passengers. Unfortunately, a transmitter for Project SNOWstorm was not available to be attached to this bird, but we were able to collect demographic and mensural data to add into the documentation of this mega-irruption. The bird turned out to be a second-year male in excellent condition. He was a tremendously strong bird: a real contrast to the Short-eared owls that also have been caught and banded at the airport.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Jan 2014 14:30:01 +0000
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