Snowy Owl

As I mentioned in our phone conversation, I can confirm that this is definitely a snowy owl that was roosting on your roof!

Your bird is a juvenile which came down from Canada, within this bird’s typical range.

In winter in Northeastern Ohio, there are typically a small handful of Snowy Owl sightings each year, most being along Lake Erie. The owls come down to Ohio in the winter when food becomes scarce in the Arctic, venturing south in search of better hunting opportunities. It is a pretty rare occurrence to find one wandering down into Geauga County for the winter — the last eBird report of a Snowy Owl in Geauga County was 2022 — so yours is a unique and special sighting indeed!

The bird you saw was likely utilizing your roof as a place to rest during the day. I suspect that it has since moved on from your area in search of large open farm fields, which provide good hunting opportunities and resemble the arctic tundra it calls home.

Congratulations again on a great sighting! I’m so jealous!

-Chief Naturalist John Kolar