VIRGINIA BEACH (WAVY) — We might not see any this Christmas, but Virginia Beach recently got some “snow” in the form of a rare snowy owl.
A female snowy owl was spotted on Sunday by David Haycox on 84th Street on the North End. It’s a rare event to see North America’s largest owl in our neck of the woods. The owls are native to the arctic and come down south in the winter, but typically stay in Canada and in the northern U.S.
However sometimes they come down to Virginia, including an “invasion” in 2013, the Virginian-Pilot reported. There have also been sightings in recent years in Norfolk, Portsmouth and West Point.
No one’s sure if the majestic bird has flown the coop, but birders have yet to make another sighting, Haycox’s wife Joy told 10 On Your Side. One viewer said they saw the owl as early as Thursday.
If you’re able to get a photo of the owl, you can send it to reportit@wavy.com.