Owls have a reputation for being wise, which may be why the visiting snowy owl seems to have a particular interest in schools. First spotted on the roof of Mount St. Agnes Academy, it has since been seen on the roof of the Berkeley Institute.

This, conservationist Dr. David Wingate suggests, could indicate that the rare visitor is currently "hanging around" the Pembroke area, and he and the many keen bird watchers on the Island, as well as Government conservation officer Jeremy Madeiros, are appealing to the public to report any sightings — but not, Dr. Wingate emphasises, so the bird can be shot.

"That would be an extreme last resort," he said. Nor is it something Mr. Madeiros would support.

"There is always another solution," he says.

Readers will recall that, when the last snowy owl arrived here 20 years ago, it had to be shot because it was systematically decimating our fragile cahow population, in light of which conservationists had no time to come up with an alternate solution. This time, however, they are working on a contingency plan with a happy ending.

As before, the main concern is that, because snowy oils traditionally feed on birds and small rodents, the cahow population might again be targeted if the off-course bird decides to make its home at the airport.

"Snowy owls are a problem at Boston's Logan Airport because of the danger they pose to aircraft, and there is an experienced unit which routinely traps and removes them, so I am in contact with Norm Smith, who works with the Massachusetts Audubon Society on one of its nature reserves, and he is prepared to come at a moment's notice. He has been trapping and releasing the owls for 26 years," Dr. Wingate says.

The owl's natural habitat is the treeless tundra of the Arctic, so it tends to gravitate to big open spaces, and it is suggested that the visitor's seeming preference for big white roofs may be because it thinks they are snowfields.

Ideally, Dr. Wingate hopes that the owl can be trapped and flown overseas to live out its life in more appropriate surroundings — possibly with the help of the Department of Tourism and a kindly airline.

"It would make a neat story, and also accomplish three things: save the bird, save the cahows, and gain Bermuda some valuable publicity," he says. "Otherwise, there is very little likelihood it will get back to its normal habitat alive (under its own steam)."

Meanwhile, Mr. Madeiros is keeping a wary eye on the cahow nesting sites at Nonsuch Island, since the owl's diet strongly suggests that history might well repeat itself, which is why the public's assistance in reporting sightings is so important.

"Snowy owls are powerful predators, with a wing span of over five feet. They normally eat birds and rodents, so Bermuda has wild pigeons, rats, and maybe even some of our feral chickens, for it to live on," he says. In fact, these birds are also capable of killing larger prey.

Snowy owls breed in the Arctic, but every four years or so Dr. Wingate said the lemmings (small Arctic rodents) on which they feed suffer an eruption, or 'population crash', when large numbers die from disease and other factors.

In order not to starve, the owls must then move farther south in search of food, and many tend not to get back to their original habitat if they venture too far south into the Atlantic.

Certainly, the appearance of a snowy owl in Bermuda is a rare event, and with global warming the conservationist says it may become an even rarer one. Interestingly, the first recorded spotting of a snowy owl was about the turn of the century ago atop the Sessions House.

Anyone spotting the owl, which is believed to be female, is asked to call the Bermuda Audubon Society at 292-1920, Lisa Greene at 293-2727 ext. 123, or leave a message for Mr. Madeiros at 293-2727.