UPDATE NOTICE: I first created this article last night, summarizing all of the Snowy Owl reports that I was aware of in Ohio. I then shared this with the 2,200+ member Birding Ohio Facebook page (Kudos to Jeff Loughman for founding that group). More reports came in, and the owl tally is now up to 50 birds in 21 counties. I have been hearing about new owls daily, and I will update the map and running tally below as new information arrives.
Photo: John Howard, Highland County, Ohio, December 1, 2013
I wrote about the ongoing irruption of Snowy Owls HERE on December 1, and at that time about a dozen of the big white(ish) birds had been reported in Ohio. Well, they just keep on coming! To date, I've heard of 50 owls in the state, and they are attracting attention far and wide. Most of the local newspapers in areas where the owls have appeared have written about them, and Snowy Owls have made national media as well.
One particularly noteworthy story involved JFK Airport in New York City. Owls have been dropping in to feed along the runways, and word leaked out that several had been shot by airport personnel. There had been five owl-plane collisions, and the airport felt that extermination with extreme prejudice was required. Of course, there are other ways of handling such a situation, and Boston Logan Airport provided the example. There, runway owls have been live-trapped and released elsewhere for many years. After a hue and a cry from the public, JFK to their great credit quickly adopted the more humane method of owl deterrence. NBC4 in New York covered the story, and Corey Finger of 10000 Birds was featured. He did a great job, and this news story was probably instrumental in effecting change. That piece IS HERE.
Anyway, back to the Buckeye State. Many owls have appeared since December's inception, and I've heard of 50 birds in 21 counties to date. Every day, it seems, one or a few more come to light. Following is a map showing their distribution, and under that a list of how many in each county. There are probably others that I'm missing. If you know of any additional owls, please send me a note: jimmccormac35@gmail.com
1. Ashtabula – 6
2. Coshocton – 2
3. Cuyahoga – 9
4. Erie – 4
5. Greene – 1
6. Hancock – 1
7. Highland – 1
8. Holmes – 1
9. Huron – 1
10. Lake – 3
11. Lorain – 3
12. Lucas – 2
13. Medina - 1
14. Muskingum - 1
15. Ottawa – 4
16. Paulding – 1
17. Pickaway/Ross (birds on county line road) – 3
18. Portage - 1
19. Putnam – 1
20. Seneca - 1
21. Trumbull – 3