Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post

Snowy owls, a rare sight below the Arctic, have been appearing at nature preserves and beaches along the coastline of New Jersey this winter. Birdwatchers have spent long, cold hours, peering through binoculars, hoping for a glimpse of one of the impressive creatures.

In late January, a snowy owl abandoned the anonymity of the shore to assume a power position atop an awning at a Washington, D.C. building where lobbyists are the usual nesters. It drew a crowd of gawking pedestrians, then flew on to greater photo ops, landing on a ledge at the Washington Post headquarters.  

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Fame can exact a heavy cost, as the owl learned when it was struck by a bus and an SUV. After some rehab at The National Zoo, the female was transferred to a much bigger (and very chilly) clinic with a warehouse-sized flight cage.

The location is being kept secret.  Dick Cheney’s hidden bunker is our guess.

Read the Washington Post’s coverage here:
Snowy owl moves on, with no goodbye
In cold isolation, a snowy owl heals
D.C. cops tailed inured owl for two hours
Snowy owl, hit by bus, may have head injury
Bird watchers at rush hour: A snowy owl descends on D.C.