As police officers often say, "there's no such thing as a routine call." For the police chief of Phippsburg, this was certainly an unusual call.

Phippsburg Police Chief John Skroski was recently called to help an injured snowy owl. The vulnerable injured bird was spotted by a good Samaritan by the side of route 209. Skroski tells the Portland Press Herald he has rescued blue heron, turkeys, red-tailed hawk, and seagulls, but this was his first time encountering an owl.

I’ve done many bird rescues but as someone who loves birds and is a police officer, this couldn’t have been a better call.

The owl, appropriately named Percy, suffered from minor cuts and bruises on a wing. Additionally both eyes have some injuries. Wild bird rehabilitators at Avian Haven in Freedom are caring for Percy. For those from out of town, Percy is a popular surname found throughout Phippsburg.

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According to the National Park Service, snowy owls are frequent visitors to Maine, and Acadia National Park. The large birds breed and summer in arctic regions, then fly thousands to miles to winter in parts of North America. Researchers believe their migration pattern is so they can be nocturnal, since it's nearly always light during arctic winters.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife says if you encounter an injured snowy owl, contact your state wildlife agency or local rehabilitator.

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