Nebraskaland Magazine
Kathy Lundstrom is the first to report and document a Snowy Owl in Nebraska so far this late fall/winter. She came across and subsequently photographed the bird, below, near Stromsburg in Polk County. This Snowy Owl appears to be a juvenile female based on the extensive black marking.
Early signs are not pointing to a big Snowy Owl invasion or irruption this winter in Nebraska and the central Great Plains, which make Kathy’s sighting a bit more special. The graphic below shows Snowy Owl observations reported to eBird.org for November and December 2015. Kathy’s find appears to be one of the more southerly reports so far this season.
If you are lucky enough to find a Snowy Owl, I’d love to hear about it. Drop me a line (and send a photo of the bird if you capture one) to me at joel.jorgensen@nebraska.gov.
Good birding.
