With the leaves gone from most deciduous trees around Sandy Hook Bay and Lower New York Bay, there was a taste of winter the weekend before Thanksgiving. Even more so with the arrival of a large Arctic owl.
Near the tip of the Sandy Hook peninsula, at the entrance to New York Harbor, there could be found a solitary Snowy Owl. It was spotted resting in the midst of dune grasses. Nearby were large flocks of Snow Buntings, common winter birds that also nest during the summer on the high-Arctic. Extreme cold and gusty winds must have made these birds feel right at home.
For it was a cold, blustery winter-like day. New York City recorded its first sub-freezing high temperature in November since 1989 as the thermometer only rose to 30 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday. Frigid northwest winds were gusting 30 to 40 mph battering the beach and making temperatures feel in the single digits. It was the coldest air mass of the season pushing hard into the northeast.
Despite the bitter cold, I along with many other people had been searching for most of the day to see a Snowy Owl. There had been reports for the last several days of a Snowy Owl, maybe two, somewhere along the shoreline of the Sandy Hook peninsula. On the first available day, I headed down to the hook to see if an owl could still be seen.
Late in the afternoon I spotted a great distance away a large white bird. It was flying southward and landed on a small mound of sand near the Atlantic Ocean and must have been so daunting to the resident gulls standing along the edge of the beach that it scared them all away. Ahhhhh, this is when I knew something was up.
The large white bird didn't stay long though. It was perhaps uneasy sitting so out in the open. It stretched out its long wings, over a 4-feet wingspan, and took flight again. This time into the well-vegetated backshore area. A couple of fellow birders visiting from Philadelphia helped me scan the dunes in search of this large rare bird. Minutes later we caught sight of the Snowy Owl resting way out behind several tall grasses. The bird was silent and colored for camouflage. It blended in extremely well with the pale, soft sandy environment.
With binoculars in hand, I could see a round white ball of feathers with a tiny beak and lemon or golden colored eyes. The bird had a clean white face, but the rest of the plumage was heavily barred with dark markings. My best guess, the Snowy Owl looked to be a juvenile, perhaps a first-year female. According to the Sibley Field Guide to Birds, young females tend to be heavily marked.
A number of Snowy Owls fly south every few winters from their Arctic breeding grounds located in the low tundra. They show up in the northern continental United States, including New York and New Jersey, during what is called an irruption or a lemming irruption. It's a natural event likely linked to lemmings, a small rodent that accounts for around 90 percent of a Snowy Owl's diet. When lemmings are in abundance, the population of Snowy Owls increases. When winter begins on the tundra, the lemmings are hard to find. With too many owls for the available food supply, numerous Snowy Owls, primarily young birds, fly south in search of other prey, including, rabbits, squirrels, mice, and even sea birds. Snowy owls are most commonly seen in open fields, particularly along the coast, but during an irruption they may show up anywhere.
Apparently we are going through an irruption period now. Birders across the northern Jersey Shore have reported frequent sightings of Snowy Owls from Sandy Hook down to Barnegat Light. The reports started coming about a week before Thanksgiving and show no signs of slowing down just yet. There are also recent Snowy Owl sightings along the Delaware River in New Jersey, and in nearby Rhode Island and Massachusetts. If a Snowy Owl finds a spot it likes, it can settle in for several weeks.
Even though it's a delight for many people to see a Snowy Owl, it's not easy for the owls, especially the young "snowies" that often have traveled thousands of miles to find food. It's normally the weaker, immature owls that are forced by adults to leave the better hunting territories up north. These adolescent owls frequently face the harshness and uncertainties of long distance travel from severe storms to difficulty finding food. Many juveniles are inexperienced hunters and tend to be hungry, tired, and stressed when they arrive. Sometimes even badly malnourished or half-starved.
Other threats to migrating Snowy Owls include collisions with automobiles, fences, utility lines and other objects. They may also be shot and illegally killed for their eyes and feet, which are traded in Asian markets. Snowy Owl populations are believed to be in decline too, probably due to global warming that is changing their Arctic breeding habitat and decreasing the abundance of prey.
If you see a Snowy Owl, please view these magnificent large birds from a respectable distance. Leave the weary owls alone to rest and hunt. Owls don't tolerate noise or people getting too close. They need quiet and plenty of room to feel safe. People should not view Snowy Owls too long, or pursue or chase the owls for closer looks or photos with point-and-shoot cameras that require pictures in close proximity to the subject. By harassing young Snowy Owls, you are making them spend the little energy they have trying to avoid people. Please respect the animals and give them distance. Let the Snowy Owls recoup from their long journey.
For me, I took some quick pictures of the Snowy Owl at Sandy Hook with a telephoto lens and swiftly said goodbye. Best to safe than sorry. The poor owl really did look tired. All along the cold windy walk back to my car, I sent the young owl lots of good vibes and mental good wishes. I wished with nightfall the owl would find a good meal and a comfy place to rest. Hopefully it will be around tomorrow. Seeing a Snowy Owl is one of the great natural joys of winter.
For more information, pictures and year-round sightings of wildlife in or near Sandy Hook Bay, Raritan Bay, and Lower New York Bay, please check out my blog entitled, Nature on the Edge of New York City at http://natureontheedgenyc.blogspot.com/
