NewsLocal News

Actions

Snowy owl found in We Energies' downtown parking lot

Posted at 9:24 PM, Nov 28, 2017
and last updated 2017-11-29 08:32:29-05

A rare bird sighting in downtown Milwaukee Tuesday, as workers at We Energies found a “snowy owl” walking around the parking lot when they arrived at work.

“That is quite the site to see when you get out of your car in the morning,” said Cathy Schulze, a We Energies employee. “I don't think I've ever seen a snowy owl in person and I certainly did not expect to see one in a parking lot in downtown Milwaukee.”

The DNR was called to corral the bird. It’s unclear if the bird was injured. The Wisconsin Humane Society is checking it out.

The DNR says a small number of snowy owls reach Wisconsin each year from their nesting grounds in the arctic circle, but sightings are soaring in the state in 2017.

The wildlife agency says there were 69 individual reports as of last monday. At the same time last year, there were just three.