Experts are trying to figure out why it’s so far from home, and while they want to help the owl, they don’t want to interfere if it’s healthy.
A rare snowy owl was spotted in the southern California neighborhood of Cypress, just outside Los Angeles.
“I am not a birder by trade, just a photographer. But I do know it’s a rare sight, and its pretty exciting to be here,” photographer Larry Hack told reporters.
The owl has been around for about a week, which is unusual considering its normal habitat is the arctic tundra. Experts are trying to figure out why it’s so far from home.
“So, at first, what I’m noticing is that the tail feathers are frayed. So that could indicate that the bird has been grounded for quite some time. It may be from the days that its been on these roofs, so that can affect flight,” Dr. Elizabeth Wood of Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center said. “And we could run blood work and take full body x-rays to try to figure out why it’s been in the same location for so long.”
Although they want to help the owl, they don’t want to interfere if it’s healthy and is just in town to put on a beautiful show.
“The best thing that we can do is not capture or disturb it if it doesn’t need anything. And that’s what, because we can do more harm than good if the capture went wrong,” Debbie McGuire of Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center said.
