Rare bird: Door County bird sanctuary's new snowy owl gets a name, ready for first appearance

JACKSONPORT - The newest resident of Open Door Bird Sanctuary is a bit of a rare bird in Wisconsin. It not only has a new home but now a new name, and it's making its public debut this weekend.

It's a snowy owl that was brought in February from Minnesota to the Door County sanctuary for birds of prey that can't be released back into the wild after rehabilitation.

As for its name, the sanctuary held a naming contest for the owl that generated more than 200 entries. The chosen name is Oslo, suggested by Kristin Miller in honor of the Peninsula's Scandinavian heritage and appropriate for the bird's northern habitats.

Oslo will make his first appearance as an Open Door representative from 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday when the sanctuary gives a program at the Kress Center in Egg Harbor as part of the center's annual "Every Day is Earth Day" festival. He also should be able to be seen when Open Door opens for public visits on Saturdays during the summer.

He's one of 17 birds of prey now making the sanctuary their permanent home. Nine are owls but Oslo is the only snowy owl, which executive director Rob Hults said makes him an attraction right off the bat with his trademark white feathers and large, eerie yellow eyes, as well as his size (snowy owls are the heaviest owls, typically three to six pounds) and huge, feathered feet.

"He'll be quite the star," Hults said. "Everybody's already asking about him. Snowy owls are so iconic looking; there's no other bird that looks like that."

That, and it's generally rare to see a snowy owl in this area. Although a northern bird, they tend to nest above the Arctic Circle with some heading south into southern Canada and the far northern U.S. in winters, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

The DNR also reported that for the winter of 2022-23, fewer than 40 snowy owls were spotted in Wisconsin as of February, the lowest number in more than a decade. Even in a winter where relatively large numbers are seen in the state, called an "irruption," that number is generally a bit more than 200.

"They don't come here very often," Hults said. "We don't have a whole lot in the continental U.S."

It's believed Oslo was hurt when he was struck by a vehicle, which Hults said broke a radius bone in his right wing and gave him a concussion. A Minnesota DNR game warden found him by the side of a road and got him to Wild and Free Wildlife Rehabilitation in Garrison, Minnesota.

Hults said Oslo's wing is healed, but the concussion left the snowy with the pupil in his left eye unable to dilate as well as the pupil in the right eye, meaning the left one is more open than the right. That meant Oslo would struggle to survive − to hunt for food successfully and protect itself from predators − if released back into the wild.

"That affects the depth perception so necessary for hunting," Hults said, "being able to see a white rodent in the snow, watching out for predators."

With Oslo unable to return to the wild, Open Door was selected to become his new permanent home at least in part because the sanctuary can provide a climate-controlled environment. Hults said Oslo has adjusted quite well to his new life at the sanctuary and is taking very well to the training to become one of its winged educational ambassadors.

"Snowy owls can tolerate temperature changes, but high humidity is not so good for them," Hults said. "There's not a lot of places that have adequate year-round housing for them. I feel very fortunate that we were selected as the forever home for him."

Open Door Bird Sanctuary is at 4114 County I, about a mile west of State 57, Jacksonport. It is open to public seasonally, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays, and some holiday weekend Sundays, from June 17 through the Labor Day weekend, but it also holds private tours by appointment and gives off-site programs with their birds year-round. For more information, call 920-493-2473 or visit opendoorbirdsanctuary.org or facebook.com/OpenDoorBirdSanctuary.

Contact Christopher Clough at 920-562-8900 or cclough@doorcountyadvocate.com.

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This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Door County bird sanctuary's new snowy owl to make first appearance