The snowy owl has been seen flying around the Capitol Hill neighborhood and various Senate buildings, among other D.C. locations.
We've received a rare visitor to the nation's capital recently: a snowy owl. The feathered visitor from the Arctic is far from its breeding grounds in Canada, as it was first seen in D.C. on January 3—the day of #Snomicron. It's since captivated us all.
The snowy owl has been seen in the evenings flying around the Capitol Hill neighborhood, Union Station, the National Postal Museum, a variety of Senate buildings, and Capitol Police headquarters.
Grateful #WashingtonDC's newest celebrity made another appearance this evening! @nbcwashington @washingtonpost #DC #owl #nature #wildlife ... My first #snowyowl sighting! (Taken 1-6-21) pic.twitter.com/tkpqOkP6RT
— Thomas Cluderay (@ThomasCluderay) January 7, 2022
Some shots of the Snowy Owl visiting DC. Amazing to see it, but worried it will get sick from eating rats that may be poisoned around where it has been roosting. #DCSnowyOwl #SnowyOwl #Raptors #Wildlife pic.twitter.com/GoPdNTAURF
— Jordan Higgins (@jhiggins) January 6, 2022
The owl seems to be targeting the city’s rat population, which we all know is extensive.
“Snowy owls are coming from a part of the world where they see almost nothing human, from completely treeless open Arctic tundra,” said Scott Weidensaul, a researcher at nonprofit Project SNOWStorm, which tracks snowy owl movements.
Weidensaul added that North American snowy owls typically don't travel below the Great Lakes or Cape Cod area.
Have you seen D.C.'s latest "celebrity" hanging around? Email us your snowy owl images for the chance to be featured on social pages!