NYCkayaker An arctic visitor off Piermont

[janzevino at optonline.net]

The Hudson River Almanac has recently reported a Snowy owl in the lower valley.

Here's the website, but the owl was seen just in the past week, so it's not archived yet.

Jeff Anzevino


----- Original Message -----
From: Joy Hecht 
Date: Sunday, January 28, 2007 4:19 pm
Subject: Re: NYCkayaker An arctic visitor off Piermont
To: nyckayaker at rockandwater.net

> Could be a great horned. Very large and white. About twice the 
> size of a
> crow.
> 
> 
> 
> Joy
> 
> 
> :::-----Original Message-----
> :::From: nyckayaker-bounces at rockandwater.net [mailto:nyckayaker-
> :::bounces at rockandwater.net] On Behalf Of Erik Baard
> :::Sent: Sunday, January 28, 2007 3:59 PM
> :::To: Richard Clifford; nyckayaker at rockandwater.net
> :::Subject: Re: NYCkayaker An arctic visitor off Piermont
> :::
> :::Several of us sighted an owl (I dare not say "spotted" in the same
> :::sentence with "owl" lest older green get fired up) on the 
> Harlem River
> :::by Swindlers Cove twice in different years. It was rather 
> large and
> :::appeared white, though that could be in contrast with the 
> dark nights.
> :::
> :::Anyone out there have an idea what species it might have 
> been, if it's
> :::so unlikely to be a snowy owl?
> :::
> :::Hootingly yours,
> :::Erik
> :::
> :::> This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
> :::>
> :::> 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 
> :::> 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 .
> :::>
> :::> Source: Audubon New York
> :::>
> :::> *Related news from the Web*
> :::> Latest headlines by topic:
> :::> . Global Warming
> :::> 
> :::>
> :::> Powered by 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
> :::> or 845-578-2486./
> :::>
> :::>
> :::>
> :::>
> :::>
> :::>
> :::
> :::Erik Baard
> :::
> :::LIC Community Boathouse
> :::http://www.licboathouse.org
> :::
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> :::http://www.naturecalendar.com
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