BIRDS OF NANTUCKET
by Kenneth Turner Blackshaw

Snowy Owl

DAY OWL - NIGHT OWL

Imagine over 50 years ago, you could drive to the end of Smith's Point without even going on the beach. I would ride my bike out to the 'key post,' a security device left over from World War II. From there I could walk the dunes looking for birds, an adventure for a young teenager. I remember coming over a dune to where I could look through a sandy ravine to the beach and being astounded when a large white bird jumped into the air almost next to me and silently flew off - my first Snowy Owl!

This is the time of year for these white wanderers to appear. We've found them on 32 of our 52 Christmas Bird Counts, but not this year. Where are they? Why are some years 'Snowy Owl years' and others not? The answers to these questions delve into many life and death issues, and also what it means to just 'be' a bird.

This is a bird found all around the Northern Hemisphere. It's actually the heaviest owl, weighing around four pounds, although not the largest. It bears the Latin name Nyctea scandiaca, which translates to a 'night bird of southern Scandinavia.' Doing research I noted that during the early part of the last century it was known as Nyctea nyctea, or 'night-night!'

This frustrated me some since I keep a list of birds I've seen that are 'doubles,' having the same genus and species name. Apparently this bird has lost the distinction, demoted, so to speak. Why?

Dr. Bob Kennedy, our Maria Mitchell Association Director of Natural Sciences, provided the answer. Strange to say, in 1758 the eminent Swedish naturalist, Carolus Linnaeus, referred to this bird by one name on page 92 of his book, and then by another name on page 93. Scientists use something known as the "Law of Priority" in naming birds, and once a name is given, it sticks, even if it is misleading or misspelled! So, "Rose is a roce is a rows is a roes!" with apologies to Gertrude Stein. And to tie it back to owl lore, since this week's bird is the trademark for White Owl cigars, from Rudyard Kipling we have - "A woman is only a woman, but a good cigar is a smoke."

Owls are birds of prey, otherwise known as 'raptors,' but they are not closely related to hawks, eagles and vultures which are also raptors. All the shorebirds, auks, and even pigeons, fall between hawks and owls when looking in the avian family tree.

Humans refer to owls as wise, but this is just an anthropogenic feeling us humans have that anything that looks like 'us' must have our wisdom. Owls, with their two eyes facing forward, make us think they are more like us than other birds. Sad to say, falconers tell me that owls are way below hawks on the intelligence scale, being almost impossible to train. But of course, owls are wise in the ways of being owls!

So, Snowy Owls are large and white. Young owls and females are barred with gray. If you are lucky enough to see one on our remote beaches, you have probably been struck by their startling yellow eyes that stare at you, slowly blinking, and also how their heads seem to swivel more than 360 degrees with no visible neck. You have an image that will stay with you for a lifetime.

A Snowy Owl's year depends on whether

its principal food supply, the lemming, a

small Arctic rodent, is having a good year or a population crash. So, faced with starvation, these owls resort to a bird-like solution - flight! In some ways birds score very high on the intelligence scale, but being able to fly has always given them an easy way out. If you can fly away from your problems, you don't have to solve them.

Historically humans have been stunned by these Snowy Owl invasions. The first one noted was in 1876-77, and they tend to recur in five-year intervals, or multiples thereof. Unfortunately humans have a tendency to take a shot at something unusual so the documentation of these invasions lists the hundreds of them brought in for taxidermy.

Snowy Owls nest beyond the tree line in the Arctic, often in a depression on the ground near a high point from which they can hunt. One of the earliest naturalists to find a nest noted the number of the eggs, their shape and color, and then commented on how good they tasted! It's amazing that we are still able to see any Snowy Owls at all.

In addition to hunting lemmings these owls are noted for their fishing ability. Imagine seeing a frozen pond with an air hole in the middle. Near the hole a Snowy Owl lies, perhaps a casualty to the cold. But no! In the blink of an eye, a foot lashes out and snares a fish that has strayed too close to the surface. The owl trots off and devours the fish and then is shortly back to the hole, lying in wait. Is this a 'wise' owl or what?

Birds are all around us and easy to observe. Their behavior is often amazing and inspiring. Imagine being able to spread your arms and soar into the sky. Even the dullest 'little brown job' (LBJ) can do that. If you are outside there is almost always a bird in view. Take a moment to watch and your life will be richer in something money

cannot buy. I

George C. West creates illustrations for these articles. If you enjoy 'social' birding, join the Nantucket Bird Club at 8 a.m. Sundays in front of Nantucket High School for a two to three hour birding trip. Call 228-1693 for more information.

To hear about rare birds, or to leave a bird report call the Massachusetts Audubon hot line at 1-781-259-8805. Ask Ken a question at: kenandcindy1@comcast.net.