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Lost bird causing stir in its adopted home

VIENNA, W.Va. – An arctic visitor to the area has created a stir on social media.

Sightings of a snowy owl in Vienna have been attracting people to the area of the Grand Central Mall where the owl has been seen resting and hunting.

Marietta resident Susan Allender, an amateur photographer, was able to get a few photos of the owl in Vienna on Dec. 17.

“I was there Sunday and I was lucky enough to see him and take a few pictures,” she said. “That snowy owl is a beautiful bird, a beautiful creature. It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see him. I had never seen one before.”

Allender said there have been several posts about the bird on social media.

“From what I’ve been reading they have been seen recently in the Cleveland area,” she said. “Quite a few of them have been heading south.”

Allender said she’s learned the owls go out of their arctic habitat in search of food.

Julie Zickefoose, a contributing editor to “Bird Watcher’s Digest” and a freelance writer and naturalist, said the bird appears to have been injured. The bird could be harmed by those wanting to get a look, she said.

“This has caused it to fly more than it should,” she said. “They sleep during the day and hunt at night.”

It has been seen roosting in the area near the mall, flying along Pond Run in Vienna and has been photographed in Marietta.

Zickefoose said the bird was hit by a car near the interchange of Emerson Avenue and Interstate 77.

“The West Virginia DNR people spoke with the man who said he hit the bird with the bumper of his car,” she said. “Despite that somehow it made its way to the mall, it’s a tough bird.”

Zickefoose said she fears the snowy owl will not survive in an urban setting for long.

“It is very naive about traffic and about rat poison used in dumpsters,” she said. “It’s not a question of if it will get a hold of a dead or dying rat, but when.”

Zickefoose said she has spoken to managers of restaurants around the Grand Central Mall and they have removed the traps, but some have not, saying they have to get permission from a corporate official.

Allender said she learned to keep her distance from birds of prey such as owls and has done so using telephoto lenses to get her pictures.

“Many are getting too close,” she said.

Zickefoose said the bird attracts the curious because of its habit of sleeping on the ground.

“It’s from the tundra, where there are no trees, houses, cars or roads and all of a sudden it finds itself in an urban area and it has been hit by a car.”

Because of its encounter, she said the owl is in need of help.

“It needs to be checked,” she said “It’s right wing is hurt and it needs some intervention. The right wing wrist and hand part of the wing are injured.”

For the most part people understand they need to keep their distance and there are people who watch and make sure no one gets too close, Zickefoose said.

“This is just a very bad place for a bird to be,” Zickefoose said.

“I was just in the right place at the right time,” Allender said. “I was able to get some great shots of it in about two hours. Sometimes it was like he was posing for me.”

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