Tiny Owl Rescued From Extreme Weather at the Summit of Mt. Washington Needs a Name

The summit of New Hampshire's Mt. Washington is a spectacular place to visit when the weather cooperates. In the winter, that never happens. Wind gusts are powerful, and temperatures can drop far below zero, with the coldest temperature ever recorded at the summit being -46.7 degrees. Weather conditions like that are even difficult for wildlife.

Tiny Owl in the Snow

On Saturday, two interns at the Mt. Washington Observatory went out for their daily snow measurement at the summit. The weather was foggy, snowy, and windy. Struggling in that nasty weather the interns found a tiny owl covered in snow and its eyes were frozen shut.

They brought the owl inside where it was warm and it wasn't long before he was looking great again.

Back Down the Mountain

Staff at the observatory consulted with New Hampshire State Park staff who have shifts at the observatory, as well as a birding enthusiast about how to handle the situation. During the next shift change, the park staff took the owl down the mountain by snowcat and brought it to New Hampshire Fish & Game. It was determined the owl was a Northern Saw-Whet Owl.

The Owl Needs a Name

The owl is safe, warm, and down off the mountain now, but it's a moment that the staff at the observatory will never forget. They made the decision that it needed to be named. They're taking suggestions on the Instagram post below.

I would pick "Hootie" because it just fits. Now if only they had rescued a blowfish, they would have had themselves a band.