Snowy Owls in Ohio

 Though a very rare and elusive visitor in Ohio, one shouldn't rule out the possibility of sighting a snowy owl altogether. Snowy owls are very uncommon in Ohio in winter, and cannot even bee seen in Ohio in summer. In summer the snowy owls return far north to their perpetually snowy tundra habitat. When snowy owls do make a visit to Ohio, however, it is usually in the extreme northern portions of the state. But look closely when you are around large open fields, and look even harder when it is snowy, because they will blend right in. Snowy owls are very difficult to spot even when they do make a stop in your area because they sit still, almost like a statue, waiting for prey. They don't move much at all except to preen or fly away. Chances are, if you see a snowy owl, they will be sitting on the ground or on a fence post with their eyes closed. Like all owls, snowy owls are nocturnal, so if you see one sitting on a fencepost unmoving, they are probably asleep. You are very lucky to have seen it at all. Here is the eBird sighting map of snowy owls for Ohio through December 2012 through present: https://ebird.org/ebird/map/snoowl1neg=false&env.minX=90.33770948124999&env.minY=36.91630288778136&env.maxX=-75.00079541874999&env.maxY=43.358537414091266&zh=true&gp=false&mr=on&bmo=11&emo=1&yr=on&byr=2012&eyr=2013