'Majestic' snowy owl watches over guests at Pennsylvania ski resort

SEVEN SPRINGS, Pa. (WJAC) — If you’ve visited Seven Springs Mountain Resort within the past month, you may have caught a glimpse of a rare watchful guardian overlooking the slopes during your visit.

The staff at Seven Springs said a snowy owl has been spotted hanging around the resort.

They say team members and guests alike are amazed by the owl’s beauty.

“We are awestruck,” says Marketing and Communications Director Alex Moser. “[There's] something majestic about her! [We've] never seen an owl like this in all of our time here.”

Moser said their visitor from the north was first noticed March 6 and they believe she is a young female.

Moser said the resort’s photographer, Heidi Lewis, first saw the owl hanging out on the bank above Tyrol lift and below the hotel.

She was then seen for several days perching on the slopes below North Face lift and on top of North Pole lift, Moser says.

“Guests are surprised and excited to see it,” Moser said. “Everyone that spots her has been taking pictures and admiring her from the lift and sides of the slopes. Everyone loves it and is amazed with its beauty.”

According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, snowy owls are rare and irregular visitors to Pennsylvania.

They sometimes venture down south to Pennsylvania when food becomes scarce on the arctic tundra, the game commission says.

Population crashes of their prey, lemmings and hares, usually occur every four or five years, experts say.

Younger snowy owls often head further south than adults.

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