Holding a snowy owl in his hands was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for bird rescuer Ken Reinert. It’s an experience he hopes he never has to repeat.

Chicagoans have been going gaga over a pair of snowy owls that have settled in at Montrose beach. Maybe a little too gaga.

Snowy owl sightings have been thrilling people across northern Illinois this winter, but these occasional visitors from the Arctic face a lot of hazards — including humans and cars — when they venture outside their normal isolated tundra environment.

Jerry Goldner is crazy about owls. Illinois has nine species and Goldner has photographed them all, along with more than 200 other types of birds. Jay Shefsky tagged along with him recently as he photographed what may turn out to be Chicago’s last Snowy Owl sighting of the season. View an interactive graphic about the various owl species in Illinois.

The arctic nomad known as the snowy owl is rarely seen in Chicago in the winter. But this year is different. Ash-har Quraishi explains why the great white owl is visiting, and how you can help name one.