Snowy Owls have been showing up in high numbers across the United States. A friend and I went to Sandy Hook Gateway National Park in New Jersey to follow up on an early sighting of two owls. We had no idea where to look and just about gave up when a fisherman in the parking lot asked us if we saw the Owl. He told us where to go and led us to a very cooperative subject. She was resting on the beach with some photographers who already had their sights on her.
This Snowy Owl was resting near the dunes
She sat comfortably and preened for about an hour while we were there.
Snowy Owl preening some tail feathers
Snowy Owl cleaning her large feet
The setting was perfect as it neared dusk.
The sky was turning pink, but light was quickly fading so we left her where we found her.
One more shot as we were walking away
The reason why the sky was pink
Remember, these birds are tired and hungry from a long journey south – enjoy them at a distance and do not get so close that they need to use extra energy to fly away! All of my photos are cropped from my original 400mm focal length. All photographers that were with us respected her space!
