Harry Potter's love for his pet Snowy Owl, "Hedwig," has some wildlife experts worried that the new film, "Harry Potter and Sorcerer's Stone" may encourage children to want a pet owl, too.

Unlike other owls, which are nocturnal, Snowies fly and feed in daylight and can be easily observed hunting rodents, reptiles, and fish along the cliffs and breakwalls near Lake Ontario. They are also found in marshes, fields and any open areas near water - places that resemble their native Arctic tundra. They will sit, silently, on fence posts, boulders or other high perches for hours watching with their golden eyes for any movement that might lead to a meal.

Adult males may be almost pure white in color, while females are sometimes darker with feathers that have dark brown spots or bars. Females are larger than the males, unlike the norm in other species, averaging 20-27 inches. Snowies are large birds - the biggest of all owls inhabiting our region. In England, where the film has been playing in theaters for some time, shelters and animal rescue organizations have already reported owls being dropped off by people overwhelmed by the difficulty of taking care of the wild birds.

A similar problem developed following the 1996 movie "101 Dalmatians," which led to over-breeding and subsequent abandonment of thousands of Dalmatian puppies by owners unwilling or unable to provide a suitable home.

In case the book or new Harry Potter movies prompts youngsters you know to ask for an owl as a pet, consider this: Not a good idea. Ornithologists agree: birds of prey, including owls, are not suitable as household pets. "Owls are best appreciated in their natural habitat," says Chris Norbert, associate professor of biological science at SUNY Brockport. "Besides, in the United States, it's illegal to keep owls as pets by both federal and New York state Department of Environmental Conservation regulation. Owls are creatures of the wild and it's much better to enjoy them out in nature, not in a cage." Fortunately, anyone curious about seeing a real, live snowy owl in it's natural habitat has plenty of opportunities this time of year in our area. From Niagara to Oswego bird watchers are reporting sightings along the south shore of Lake Ontario.

Snowy owls come south from the Arctic tundra where they breed, raise their young and mature until winter sets in. They don't always fly south in winter. Their numbers vary from year-to-year depending on the availability of food, which for snowy owls, means lemmings. Plenty of lemmings - the owls stay put; a shortage of food - they fly south. This year in our area, the first wave of "snowbird" snowy owls has just arrived. They are early this year, which could mean a food shortage in their Arctic home territory. How many snowy owls come south in the weeks ahead will be an indication of how serious a food shortage exists this year on the tundra. Adult males may be almost pure white in color, while females are sometimes darker, with wingspans of up to 1.5 meters.

Tom MacDonald, a member of the Braddock Bay Raptor Research project has been studying snowy owls for several years along the southern Lake Ontario shoreline. He has banded snowy owls for several years helping scientists and wildlife experts better understand the birds and their migratory behavior.

Migratory birds have established routes for their north-south journeys called flyways. Most flyways follow the shoreline of the Great Lakes rather than across the lakes. This may explain why first sightings of snowy owls this year have been made in the Niagara/Buffalo and Oswego areas - being at the opposite ends of Lake Ontario.

But recent sightings have been made nearby, at Point Breeze to the west and Irondequoit to the east. In the days to come and for weeks thereafter, a serious nature explorer will be blessed with the opportunity to see one of Nature's most spectacular creatures.

Note: For more information about Snowy Owls visit: http://www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca/hww-fap/owl/owl.html.