November 25, 1982 - Visitor from the NorthNovember 25,1982
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Visitor from the North
Friday morning a telephone call came
from a lady living up on the Sound. She had
a big white bird sitting on her beach. What
could it be? It looked like some sort of owl.
This was before 8 in the morning and it
took us only a few minutes to drop
everything and be on our way. What I
hoped was that she had a snowy owl, but
this was rather early for them.
When we pulled into the driveway, the
door opened and we were greeted warmly
by a hushed friendly voice saying, "Come
in this way. You can see it right out our
living room window." And there it was! A
snowy owl in all its splendor. I couldn't
believe it. Here was a bird that had come
all the way from the far north and was now
right here on our Sound beach. It was
white with black markings. That made it a
female; the males are almost pure white.
It is one of the largest and most powerful
owls that we have. And any time you are
fortunate enough to see one of these casual
visitors you can count yourself as one of
the lucky ones.
Owls are often called swivel heads for it
seems as if their heads can turn almost
completely around, and this snowy was a
classic example. First it would look one
way and then the other, as if there was no
stopping its rotation. If a gull flew by, its
head would turn and follow; if a person
moved, it would swing back and glare;
ducks in the water caught its eye. It was
always looking.
Perhaps it was hungry, for it surely was
a long way from home. Snowy owls enjoy a
wide circumpolar distribution in both
hemispheres. They are at home in the
rugged, treeless barrens of the tundra and
only occasionally visit us here in the south.
How strange it must seem to have trees,
cars, houses, and even people compared to
the vast open stretches of the north.
All Owls Protected
Years ago these owls were shot and used
for ornaments in store windows, offices
and homes. Today all owls are on the
protected list and it's against the law to
have one stuffed, as any licensed
taxidermist will tell you.
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We're told that the food for these
handsome yellow -eyed birds of prey
consists chiefly of lemmings, a small
rodent that lives in the vast north stretches
of open country. When the cycle of
abundance is high, the snowy owls seldom
wander from their food supply but should
the cycle change and their food supply
drop off, they move south in search of
better foraging. Then its eat whatever
moves; mice, rats, rabbits, squirrels, even
birds become prey for this crafty hunter.
The last snowy owl I saw was on our 1980
Christmas bird count out on Gardiners
Island. It had been bitterly cold and the ice
jammed the waterways so we had to fly
over by plane. As we stepped out in the
early morning hours with the cold
northwest wind blowing and the
temperature in the 20's, we knew our day
was going to be a rugged one. We headed
for our territory, which was to be the east
side of Gardiners to the south. Along the
gravelly barrier beach that separates
Block Island Sound from the impounded
pond of Tobaccolot, we spotted a snowy
sitting on an old weathered stump. It was a
classic setting on this cold and wintry day.
Perhaps this was more to its liking, for
here in the southern part of Gardiners it
becomes low and rolling with few trees and
the beach is wild and stony. Great beaches
and dunes along the south shore always
seem to lure one or two snowys each year.
Come to think of it, I've even seen them
sitting in open green rye fields during the
winter months. That white spot stands out
(continued on page 15)
Page 13
SNOWY OWL - -This occasional visitor from the far north is one of our
largest and most powerful owls. The particular bird'seen here visited the
Sound shore this week. Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
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Open House
oe Pufahl of Greenport, head of Suffolk Etched Products of Riverhead,
conducts an open house at his company's new plant on West Main Street.
Focus
(continued from page 13)
so well they're hard to miss.
Birding In Luxury
Looking through the window, I had to
admit this was birding in luxury. Here we
were in a warm, friendly home being
served hot coffee and all the time looking
out on one of nature's rare sights. I
couldn't get enough, and so before we left
the warmth of the house I had to sneak
outside to see how close I could get to this
magnificent bird.
Remember these birds may never have
seen human beings before they ventured
south I must admit my heart beat faster
with every step I took. Closer and closer I
got and those big yellow eyes seemed as if
they looked right through me.
My fingers fumbled with the tripod as
the legs seemed to slip, making my
camera dip. I moved in slow motion.
Looking through my camera's telephoto
lens, brought me face to face with this
fearless hunter. It was truly a thrill.
Being a bird of prey, owls have few
enemies and the few they have are when
they are nesting, for it is at this time they
are most vulnerable because they nest on
the ground in open country. Here the
Arctic fox enjoys an occasional meal of
eggs or a clutch of young or perhaps from
the sky the bandit jaeger will swoop in and
steal the downy white young.
We were privileged to see this great
white hunter from the north. Perhaps it is
an early omen that there will be more
arriving during the coming winter.
Remember where to look for them -- open
spaces, lonely beaches, marshes and along
our dunes of the south shore. Look for a
white spot sitting on a prominent object
such as a log or fence post. You, too, might
be one of the lucky ones to enjoy this treat
from the north. I surely hope so.
PAULSTOUTENBURGH
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Waldorf Salad on Crisp Lettuce with Pecans
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