Brigantine 12/30--Snowy Owl Again

Photo: Shari Zirlin

Snowy Owl hysteria continues in NJ. There are at least 30 of these arctic owls around the state. Today we went to Brigantine where they've been hanging out all month. I'm of 2 minds about these owls. On the one hand, they're great to see. On the other, I'm always worried about the ethics of viewing them--how close am I, and everybody else, to them. They have been a source of contention among birders, photographers, and the just the curious ever since they appeared in November at Sandy Hook. Some people just can't resist getting too near them. And some people then justify their actions by saying that the owls aren't disturbed by the presence of humans, otherwise, why would they plunk down so close to us?  

That's just stupid, but I don't want to continue the argument. Today, we had guilt-free viewing because the owl was across a channel in the eastern pool and no one without hip waders was going to disturb it. We had run in to friends Joe & Liz before we started out on the drive. They had already made the circuit and they told us where to find the bird. It was another case of "look for the birders, not the bird," but as we approached a line of parked cars we immediately spotted the owl naked eye. It looked more or less as it does in the photo above.

From across the channel I was able to take some decent digiscoped photos:

And here is a cropped enlargement of one of Shari's pictures:

So these are the BVD's (better view desired) we wanted when we first saw a SNOW at Brig earlier this month. That day, as Shari said, it looked very much like a Q-Tip, it was so far away. 

I would love to have this species on my Ocean County list. I know I could get it by going to Holgate at the southern tip of Long Beach Island where 7 to 10 (!) have been seen, but I get queasy about seeking them out when I know there are so much unconscionable behavior going on as people trample through the delicate dune grass, trying to get a "better" look at the bird. It would just upset me more than it is worth to see the bird under those circumstance. If I stumble upon one in Ocean County, fine, but I think I'm done actively looking for one. 

We only made one trip around the dikes. The place was as crowded as a beautiful summer weekend day. Raptors were giving good looks all around, including a Peregrine Falcon sitting on a sign at the side of the road. A Bald Eagle was posing atop an Osprey Nest. Four harriers hunting the marsh. And a Red-shouldered Hawk flew over the Gull Pond Road.

Our day list:

27 species (+1 other taxa)
Snow Goose  4000
Canada Goose  100
Mute Swan  3
Tundra Swan  27
Gadwall  4
American Black Duck  100
Mallard  50
Northern Shoveler  100
Northern Pintail  125
Green-winged Teal  5
Ring-necked Duck  1    Entrance Pond
Greater/Lesser Scaup  150
Bufflehead  2    one @ entrance pond, one along north dike
Hooded Merganser  1    channel along east dike
Ruddy Duck  7
Great Blue Heron  2
Turkey Vulture  1
Northern Harrier  4
Bald Eagle  1    
Red-shouldered Hawk  1    
Greater Yellowlegs  1    Heard
Dunlin  150
Herring Gull  5
Snowy Owl  1   Immature male. 
Peregrine Falcon  2
Blue Jay  1    Heard, upland portion
American Crow  2    Near Jen's trail
American Robin  50