Snowy owl takes flight

RILEY TWP. — "1, 2, 3… be free" echoed throughout the marsh as wings of white went airborne and flew into the wilderness.After weeks of rehabilitation at Back to the Wild, the snowy owl was wished farewell by more than 100 onlookers, despite the frigid temperatures, at Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area Wednesday. This is the first snowy owl the organization has released in roughly 15 years.Heather Tuttle removes the snowy owl from Back to the Wild's flight cage in preparation for release on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018.Some of the guests drove for hours to watch the owl take flight to a new life."We have done a lot of public releases in the past, and we have never had a group like that," said Heather Tuttle, who recently overtook most day-to-day responsibilities at the center. "The snowy owl is an incredible animal that is factored into a lot of mythology and there is something that just draws people in."Tuttle routinely calls the species "The Ghost of the Tundra."The crowd swarmed with excitement as the Back to the Wild van pulled up at the wildlife area.[gallery]After corralling the spectators and preparing the bird for freedom, Tuttle brought him out and shared some facts about the species."Unlike other owls, they have a lot more diurnal tendencies which is why we are releasing him in the middle of the day," she said. "Up in the Arctic it is daylight for, you know, a week straight so they have to be cool with that, so they don't mind hunting during the day."Spectators snap pictures of the snowy owl before it is release on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018. After the quick lesson, she got into position and started the countdown.The owl sprung from her arms, and with a swoop of his wings, he was off."Any release we do its almost euphoric," Tuttle said. "This one almost felt spiritual, I really don't have words to describe it. It's one of those things that I will remember for the rest of my life."Back to the Wild's Heather Tuttle throws the snowy owl into the air as it spreads its wings to take off into the Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area in Riley Township on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018. To learn more about the nonprofit organization, visit Back to the Wild's Facebook page.Reach photographer Jilly Burns at jillyburns@sanduskyregister.com and follow her on Twitter @jillyburnsphoto.Gaining distance from the crowd, the owl flies into the open sky. The owl spreads his wings for soars into the wild open field at Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area.