The Birmingham Zoo used a substitute weather predictor for Groundhog Day on Sunday, allowing resident groundhog Birmingham Bill to continue his hibernation.

“He’s sleeping,” said Sam Cohen, a zookeeper for the Birmingham Zoo. “We don’t want to mess with his natural rhythm, so we are letting him hibernate.”

Bilbo the Eurasian owl stood in for Birmingham Bill and did a flyover to see his shadow. He did see his shadow on a bright, sunny day, so according to tradition, that means six more weeks of winter.

That conflicts with the prediction by Punxsutawney Phil, the Pennsylvania groundhog who predicted an early spring for the second year in a row.

Birmingham Bill was last called upon to work Groundhog Day on Feb. 2, 2018. Since then, Birmingham Zoo officials have decided not to wake him from hibernation. An opossum was called on to make the prediction last year.

Groundhog Day at Birmingham Zoo Posted by al.com on Sunday, February 2, 2020