Spreading their wings: Rescued snowy owls returned to the wild

A pair of snowy owls rescued in the Twin Cities are likely heading north following a weekend release in Superior, Wis., by the University of Minnesota's Raptor Center.

One of the owls was brought to the center from the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, after suffering a head injury in January. The other was found in November with a broken wing near Duluth.

"We use a very, very robust reconditioning program that is based in research that was done years ago, to ensure that they're in excellent condition when they're released," says Julia Ponder, a veterinarian and executive director of the center, on the U's St. Paul campus. "They were flying very, very well and should have success back in the wild."

The two owls were released from containment boxes set out on the ground Sunday in northern Wisconsin. The birds leapt from the boxes and flew away moments after the lids were removed.

"They're amazing, especially the males that are very, very snow white," Ponder said. "Just gorgeous."

Snowy owls are not common in Minnesota, but occasionally the birds make the trek from their home in the Arctic.

"When there's an imbalance between the owls and their main prey in the Arctic, the birds will range a little bit further looking for food," Ponder says. "And every five to seven years we'll get what what's called an irruption year, when they move south in large numbers."

The Raptor Center can take in dozens of injured birds in an irruption year, and as few as one or two in a more typical year.

Ponder said the birds were released in northern Wisconsin to give them a little "head start" on their journey back to the north. She said the birds often linger for a day or two when they're released, but head north again once they get their bearings.

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