When a barred owl started hanging out behind the Statehouse, lawmakers thought it was a chance encounter with nature. But officials say it had more to do with the heavy snowfall this winter and a lack of food.
Officials speculate that a shortage of the red backed vole, a favorite prey, and a thick, crusty snow pack that is preventing owls from getting to other small mammals, is causing them to look elsewhere for food.
The medium-sized brown owl with white streaks on its chest is one of the most common owls in Vermont. But the barred owl is now turning up in backyards and at feeders in search of food.