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JERSEY SHORE IMAGES
WINTERTIME ALONG BARNEGAT BAY, continued from page 71
Left: Snowy Owl, Island Beach State Park.
The snowy owl is probably my favorite bird
to photograph. They are extremely rare in
New Jersey. The "irruption" a few years ago
brought several to the Jersey Shore. Snowy
owls come south in unpredictable invasions
called irruptions. It's mostly about food and
babies, but we have a lot to learn about this
phenomenon. They travel thousands of miles
from the Arctic to get here. Most are juveniles
and are exhausted when they arrive. This
image was taken as the sun was setting, a
magic time for photographers.
Below: Snowy Owl, Island Beach State Park.
This was my first encounter with the beautiful
snowy owl. I had heard that a snowy owl was
spotted along the dunes in Island Beach State
Park. The park is almost ten miles long, and
the odds of finding it were small, but I decid-
ed to give it a try. After walking about two
miles down the beach, I caught a glimpse of
a large silhouette on the edge of the dunes.
There it was—a gorgeous, juvenile snowy owl.
I was looking into the big yellow eyes of this
visitor from the Arctic. A moment I will never
forget.
