Great Grey Owl Turns Up in Portage County
Save Email Print
Bookmark and Share
Updated: 12:03 PM May 20, 2005
Great Grey Owl Turns Up in Portage County
January 25, 2005
A kind of owl that can usually be seen in Canada is spotted in Central Wisconsin.
Posted: 8:09 PM Jan 25, 2005
Reporter: Andrew Fefer
Font Size:

This winter more and more bird watchers are spotting Great Grey Owls in the midwest.

Experts say the birds are moving south to find food because of a collapse of small mammal populations throughout much of canada and Northern Minnesota.

A man in Portage County saw this great grey owl in his yard sunday morning.

Terry Balding is a retired UW-Eau Claire biology professor who says he's seen great greys about a half-dozen times in his 30-some years of birding.

One was in his yard about 10 years ago.

"I would say it is uncommon and if you get an opporunity you want to take advantage of it, look them up and get a view of them."

Balding also said that this is the most common time of year the Great Grey Owl can be seen in Wisconsin, and that they like woodland habitait and fence posts.