Western Isles, Scotland, U.K. - A Lonley and lovelorn snowy owl is still languishing in the Western Isles
without a female companion.
It is now seven years since the large white owl, the same species as Harry
Potter's faithful companion Hedwig, first appeared in the Outer Hebrides.
Each year he takes up his pattern of nomadic wandering in quest of a mate.
In the past, the big bird's search has taken him all around the islands,
including visits to North Uist, Lewis, Harris and even remote St Kilda, but
sadly all to no avail.
It is thought the roaming Romeo is at least eight years old.
He was identified as male when his white feathers lost some of the black
flecking more commonly recorded in younger snowy owls.
From his plumage and visits, local RSPB Scotland staff can ascertain he is the
same bird and has been without a mate for years now.
But they do say that good things come to those who wait.
Hopes were raised in 2008 when the bird was joined by another wandering snowy
owl, but dreams of a happy ending were dashed when it emerged it too was male.
No snowy owl has bred in Britain since 1975 when, famously, a pair bred in
Shetland.
With minimal human disturbance, the Western Isles would be an ideal site for the
birds to breed as they have a plentiful supply of rabbits and lots of open
moorland and rocky landscapes.
Snowy owls are more often found in north America or northern Europe, but
occasionally some wandering birds find their way to our shores.
RSPB Scotland conservation officer Martin Scott said: ''With lying snow, he has
gone unreported for a couple of months, but is now back visiting his old haunts.
We are monitoring his movements but, in reality, all we can do is keep our
fingers crossed that he will find another wandering bird, and this time it will
be female.''
While snowy owls are rare visitors to Britain and Ireland, there has been an
increase in records in the past three years. This particular bird on the Western
Isles has been a major draw for visitors and has become something of a local
celebrity.
The first UK breeding record was when a pair nested on Fetlar in Shetland in
1967 and for the next eight years. They produced 21 young over the period. A
second female joined the pair in 1974 and 1975 and, although she laid eggs, none
hatched. In 1976, the male failed to return. The two females summered on Fetlar
until 1993, but no further male joined them and no further breeding has occurred
since.
Disclaimer: This article has been reproduced from http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk and placed here for comment.
OwlPages.com is not responsible for the accuracy of any information in this article, and does not necessarily agree with the author's opinions.
On 2010-04-08,
from Canada wrote: "I live in Canada, and every winter we see Snowys down in southern Alberta - it's hard to imagine the journey yours took to get there! Crossing my fingers the poor fella finds himself a mate! "
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