NYCkayaker An arctic visitor off Piermont

[Richard Clifford]

 From today's Journal News:
http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070128/NEWS01/701280350/1229

P.S.Water on the Long Island Sound was fabulous this AM. 14 mile trip. 
Our constant Western wind was right where it belongs this time of year 
and at the right strength. No huge rollers coming down the Sound with 
Eastern winds kicked out by storms. RCC


  An arctic visitor off Piermont

By LAURA INCALCATERRA <MAILTO:LINCALCA at LOHUD.COM>
THE JOURNAL NEWS

**Arctic visitor to Hudson Valley**
A snowy owl has been seen in Piermont over the past three weeks.
*Facts about the species:*
- about 2 feet tall
- wing span of about 50 inches
- males mostly all white
- females usually have some color
- hunts for rodents in the day
- roosts at night
- breeds in the Arctic tundra, in the far northern hemisphere
- builds its nest in indentations on the ground in the treeless tundra
*Information*: Learn more about the owl in Rockland at 
www.rocklandaudubon.org <http://www.rocklandaudubon.org>.

Source: Audubon New York

*Related news from the Web*
Latest headlines by topic:
. Global Warming 
<http://www.topix.net/news/global-warming/?p=7063&s=PB&co=1> 

Powered by Topix.net <http://www.topix.net/>

(Original publication: January 28, 2007)

PIERMONT - Birdwatchers have been treated to views of an owl rarely 
found in the Lower Hudson Valley.

The snowy owl has been spotted over the past three weeks in Piermont, 
sometimes around the pier and the marsh.

A Rockland Audubon Society member was the first to see the white bird, 
and word quickly spread to others in the club. The group posted 
photographs of the owl on its Web site, under the "Rockland Rare Bird 
Alert" listing.

"It's extremely rare in Rockland County, so it's a big deal," said Della 
Wells, the society's president. "It's a really neat bird."

But one most often found in the Arctic tundra, said Jillian Liner, 
coordinator of the Important Bird Area program for Audubon New York, the 
National Audubon Society's New York chapter.

The Arctic tundra is in the far northern hemisphere and encircles the 
North Pole. The word "tundra" refers to areas where the subsoil - 
permafrost - is permanently frozen soil. No trees grow there and only a 
few types of plants do.

The region's birds migrate in winter to find food.

Liner said snowy owls typically migrate south only to the St. Lawrence 
Seaway, Lake Ontario and the coast of Long Island.

So finding one in the Lower Hudson Valley, Liner said, was "definitely 
unusual."

The local menu for the snowy owl probably includes moles, voles and 
mice, she said.

Apparently, they also like rats. Wells said the owl was recently seen in 
the Hudson River after eating one.

"It had gotten blood on its feathers and was washing it off," she said.

Wells, who has a degree in zoology and works as a director of quality 
assurance for a computer software company, said club members think the 
owl is female, due to its brown markings. Liner said that was likely 
because male snowy owls were mostly all white.

Despite their beauty, little is known about the number of snowy owls or 
the overall health of the population, Liner said. That's because they 
are based in such a remote area.

"We don't know because it's so hard to monitor them," Liner said.

Some scientists say the tundra that hosts the snowy owls is threatened 
by global warming, which may be contributing to the melting of the 
permafrost.

That in turn may impact which species can continue to survive in the 
region, which is also home to caribou, the arctic hare, the arctic fox, 
lemmings and, in the extreme north, polar bears.

The melting permafrost also releases carbon in the form of carbon 
dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas and further contributes to global 
warming.

As recently as the 1970s, the tundra absorbed carbon; today, it is a 
source of carbon.

Liner said the snowy owl was likely to make its way back north by March.

The species is one of many protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, 
which implements various treaties and conventions between the U.S. and 
Canada, Mexico, Japan and the former Soviet Union. The act declares that 
all migratory birds and their eggs, nests and feathers are fully 
protected. Under the act, taking, killing or possessing migratory birds 
is illegal.

Alan Wells, a member of the Rockland Audubon Society and the husband of 
Della Wells, said the last time a snowy owl was seen in Rockland was at 
least 15 years ago.

He said he has been lucky enough to view the species during fields trips 
to Jones Beach on Long Island. He photographed the snowy owl that has 
been visiting Piermont for the Rockland Audubon Society Web site.

"This is very unusual, to see one here," Wells said. "Seeing a snowy 
owl's always impressive."

/Reach Laura Incalcaterra at lincalca at lohud.com 
<mailto:lincalca at lohud.com> or 845-578-2486./




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