Snowy Owls

Normally, it takes me a few weeks to edit and post my pictures, but some of the pictures in this post are from just yesterday. There is something cool happening in the parks near us that I thought you might want to see for yourself - while it lasts. So, first some words, and then some pictures.

The Northeast is being overrun with Snowy Owls. They usually don't come that far south, even in winter, but once in a while the lack of food in the Arctic drives them here. This year is one of such years, and they are here in record numbers. Apparently, this summer was really good for them in Canada, and a huge number of owl fledglings have survived to the winter. Now there isn't enough food there to sustain all of them, so those fledgelings - by this time, they are fully sized birds, but with black bars on their feathers instead of totally white coloring - have migrated as far south as they could. They are being seen down in North Carolina and even Bermuda.

This irruption (as such phenomena are known) will not repeat for another 10-20 years. So if you always wanted to see a majestic Snowy Owl in the wild, this is your chance. Snowys happen to be daytime owls - they hunt during the day, but mostly they just sit in the same spot on the open dune or fence post, for everyone to easily see. And they are - for the most part - are not shy. I was able to get within 5-7 yards of a few of them, without scaring them away. It is indeed an awesome experience! So get out and go see them.

The following three spots have had multiple Snowy Owls consistently ever since November, and they will be your best chance to find them quickly. Once you get there, don't look for the owl - look for people who've already spotted the owl. If you see a bunch of birders with scopes and binoculars all looking in the same direction - you've found it.

Floyd Bennett Field, NYC: There are three owls in this park now. If you haven't been there before, this park is a former airport not too far from JFK. The runways are now open to drive on. So drive onto them and look for the owls in the fields between the runways, or sitting on top of posts or trees. (It took me and my friend all of 10 minutes to spot two owls there yesterday.)

Sandy Hook, NJ: There are two owls here, usually at the north end of the park. Before you go, check the NJ eBird link below to find out which side of the park the most recent sighting was, and just head there.

Edwin B. Forsythe Wildlife Refuge, NJ. This one is a little far, near Atlantic City, but it's worth it. It has three owls wintering in it. The best part of this park is that it's a drive-through - you stay in your car as you drive around the marsh. The owls tend to stay closer to the road, so you'll see them easily.

If none of these work, check out the links below. They contain alerts for rare birds in our area, including Snowy Owls. Each sighting will include a link to the map to the precise spot where it was found. Just scroll through them, and go to the nearest place with the recent sightings:

NJ: http://ebird.org/ebird/alert/summary?sid=SN35544
NY: http://ebird.org/ebird/alert/summary?sid=SN35466
CT: http://ebird.org/ebird/alert/summary?sid=SN35614

And now, for the pictures:

The first three shots were taken at the Forsythe Wildlife Refuge, where the owl was sitting right next to the road, with 20+ cars and 50+ photographers around it:







While we were gawking at the owl close by, someone pointed out that there was another one in a tree not too far away:



This owl is from the Floyd Bennett field in Brooklyn:



This is another owl from the same place, but this one was sitting in the middle of the grasslands. It looked like a big white football:



Finally, here is a shot of an owl from Sandy Hook. Notice how much more heavily barred it is. I am not sure why - maybe it's younger than the others?