Last summer I wrote a piece entitled “Sharing the Adventure” in which I described a mountain trek with a friend. I received quite a bit of positive feedback from readers who were kind enough to send me their thoughts. The common theme harmonized from the responses was that these readers enjoyed the story of two friends enjoying the wilderness together. One person wrote to me that they found my shared experience “positive and uplifting.” Thank you, dear reader, I really appreciate that.

My last blog post “Adventures with the Majestic Snowy,” also received more responses than I originally anticipated. This only further corroborates that these owls enchant many people, from the wildlife enthusiast to the casual observer. I found the responses to both articles similar in nature. In one instance, people expressed their passion for sharing the poignant moments that nature bestows, and in the other, people expressed that passion for an animal that is commonly shared by a diverse set of observers. While I am always inspired by nature, it is just as important to share that experience with your fellow man.

With the continuing presence of Snowy Owls (Bubo scandiacus) all over the region it is becoming common to read reports of people acting unethically. Whether overzealous and/or ignorant, wildlife communities are constantly showing people flushing birds by venturing too close or photographers doing the same thing to get a flight shot. The outrage at these unfortunate instances is warranted but I want to focus on the majority of people; good people who act ethically and share the adventure.

This past weekend as I continued my journey of documenting the lands of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, and its neighboring coastal watershed, I gave myself the goal of locating more Snowy Owls for images and video and, hopefully, a seal. As I began my morning hike I soon noticed four people facing a dune that appeared to have a white bubble on top. A quick look through the binoculars confirmed my suspicion of a Snowy Owl. This irruption is so wild; I had only been on the dunes for about 10 minutes and already located one owl. Sometimes the wildlife makes it easy for you.

I spent the early morning photographing and chatting with two nice guys, Clay and Vince, and a nice woman, Sue, and another friend she had brought along. Everyone was gregarious and congenial and having a great time. Not long afterwards another woman joined us along with a father, Nate, and his young son. Nate informed us that this was the first Snowy Owl for himself and his son, which made the morning all the more enjoyable.

Eventually everyone went their separate ways and I continued to work on shooting video of the Owl and swap stories with Nate. Eventually an overzealous individual appeared, and began to belly crawl upon the dune, flushing the owl. After I had such a great morning with so many wonderful people it took one person to stop the enjoyment for everyone. Following this Nate, his son, and I said good-bye and I attempted to relocate the owl. Before I was able to take out the binoculars I saw the nice woman (whose name I regrettably can not remember, but will update this if I ever meet her again) from earlier and her boyfriend and updated them on what happened with the owl. I saw that after she had photographed the owl, she and her boyfriend spent the rest of the morning picking up trash along the beach. Good people.

In the midst of our conversation a truck pulled up beside us and I heard a “Mark we found a seal a few miles down the beach.”

It was Clay and Vince and they had driven along the off shore vehicle zone looking for more wildlife. Earlier, when I had first met them, I told them I was also hoping to see a seal this weekend. When I used to work in marine mammal training and marine rescue I loved working with rescued seals. Since I have left those fields I have not seen a wild seal, let alone one that was healthy. Clay and Vince came back to find me and let me know this information. They then gave me a ride to where they found the seal, which was a healthy juvenile harp seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus). Photographing the many species that can be found along the coastal watershed allows me to paint a broader picture of biodiversity. Thanks to the altruism of Clay and Vince, I was able to document a pinniped. They went out of their way to locate me and share the seal. They did not have to do that but they did and I am forever grateful. Really great dudes.

Everyone I met that morning was a good, nice person, and we all came together because we all happened to be searching for Snowy Owls.

Mom viewing a Snowy Owl on Assateague Island

The next day I wanted to continue looking for Owls, specifically for video work, and my mother joined me on the adventure. The pressure was on though, as this would be the third time I would convince my mother to go searching for Snowy Owls as the previous two times we came up short. I also feel a tad guilty when you ask someone, who is not accustomed to waking up at unconventional times, to be on location before sunrise. The pressure for success is augmented when you add the unfavorable winter wind on a beach. I wanted to film the owls, of course, but I really wanted Mom to see one.

 Fate was in our favor and we located a male Snowy within 10 minutes into our winter beach hike. Success! The excitement that came over my mom was the same I experienced when I located my first Snowy. The intoxicating allure of these owls definitely caught my mom within a few seconds. We were able to get great still images and video until a Red Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensi) flew overhead and the owl took off. Using our trusty binoculars we were able to relocate the owl and were ecstatic to find that there was another on the neighboring dune! We spent the rest of the morning photographing and videoing the two males and met a very nice couple afterwards and shared stories about Snowy Owls and other wildlife.

Video of a Snowy Owl on Assateague Island

In closing I would encourage you to think about all the good people out there sharing this big blue marble. It is easy to become dreary when we are constantly bombarded by negative news and depressing current events. However the reality is that most people are generally decent. As we learn more of the implications of this irruption it is going to be good people coming together to create meaningful change that can benefit Snowy Owls and all the other creatures that inhabit the Arctic, our planet’s air conditioning system.

As always feel free to contact me here.

By the way I recently was humbled to have received an honorable mention in the Art Wolfe and Shutterlove sponsored contest “The Compelling Image.” To receive that type of recognition from a major influence of mine is incredible. You can view the gallery of winners here. My image can be seen in Chapter 2 entitled “The Art of Photographing Nature.”

Be well everyone.

Old Man Winter sure is showing off his biceps this year! Between the Polar Vortex bringing the coldest temperatures felt in decades to some parts of the country and the constant onslaught of snow and ice, some of the local wildlife is doing whatever it can to stay warm. Some visitors, however, are thriving in this cold.

Snowy Owls (Bubo scandiacus) have taken up residence throughout the Mid-Atlantic much to the ecstasy of wildlife enthusiasts, birders, photographers, and fans of the actor Daniel Radcliffe.

I mean Harry Potter. I digress; let’s get back to Hedwig……

Snowy Owl Merrill Creek Reservoir December 2011

This may be the biggest irruption of the majestic species to ever hit the lower 48, with one owl seen as far south as Jacksonville, Florida. This is not the first time a Snowy Owl has been seen in North Florida, nor is it the first irruption to ever hit the United States, but the magnitude of the size of this irruption is amazing. It has been particularly exceptional in the eastern and Mid-Atlantic region where a new Snowy Owl is being reported almost everyday in terrain ranging from farmland to downtown city rooftops. Never before has the Mid-Atlantic hosted this many of the regal species.

“Hold on there, Hendricks. Didn’t I read something about Snowy Owls wintering here a few years ago?”

Yes, dear reader, that is correct. The winter of 2011-2012 also brought an irruption of Snowy Owls which spread across most of the United States. However while at that time it reached as far south as Oklahoma, it was not as apparent in the Mid-Atlantic. Nevertheless I thought that irruption was one for the record books, until November of 2013 when the owls were spotted all over Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, and New England. They were even seen along the shores of the North Carolina, Georgia, and, wait for it, Bermuda!

My first wild Snowy Owl experience came in early December, 2011 as I left my home at 12:30 AM to make the trek to the Merrill Creek Reservoir located in Harmony Township, New Jersey. I received a report of a Snowy Owl who took up residence at the creek and naïvely thought I should make the journey and attempt to see the bird. I had never visited this area before and I remember asking a hunter at five in the morning if he had seen the bird and some joggers an hour and a half later. None of them knew there was a Snowy Owl at their doorstep! As I circled around the reservoir I eventually came across a father and son, cameras and tripod setup, viewing the owl. “These are my people,” I thought to myself and they were kind enough to allow me to spend the rest of the morning with them. We had a pretty fun time and were able to watch the owl for quite awhile. What was more important about that day is that the father, Tom, became a very good friend of mine. He wrote about that day on his excellent blog here.

So what makes a top predator of the Arctic seek wintering grounds far out of its normal range? Snowy Owls, while opportunistic predators, primarily feed on Lemmings, a species they are cyclically linked to. When Lemming populations are abundant, Snowy Owls will lay more eggs and have greater levels of chick survival. This high level of fecundity will eventually drive the younger owls to feeding grounds much farther away when the Lemming population becomes scarce. More owls and less food correlates with an irruption.

A few days ago I walked for miles amongst sand dunes on a cold, windy day in hopes of locating a Snowy Owl. I am purposely avoiding “Hot Spot” locations posted on the internet because of so many instances involving photographers and amateur wildlife enthusiasts flushing birds due to venturing too close. Everyone wants to see these owls! I think it is fantastic because it hopefully will be the catalyst for more people to enjoy and appreciate wildlife. With that though, comes proper viewing etiquette. Too often people will think of wild animals with a theme park/zoological facility mindset, which is very detrimental to a wild animal. Snowy Owls are very sensitive and come from areas where few humans reside. Always respect the wild of the animal and of the land.

As I hiked amongst the dunes and continuously scanned the area my heart rate quadrupled as I came across a Snowy Owl sitting on top of a dune about six feet in front of me! How I did not see it prior to this is a testament to the elusive nature of the species. I slowly backed away and lowered to my side on the sand and slid backwards. I was far too close and did not want to scare this bird. I then laid in the sand for about 15 minutes to allow the bird to become acclimated to my presence and see I was not a threat. The strong wind muted any sound I made from setting up my gear and as I came to one knee to compose the first shot the bird flew over to the fence around the dune to check me out. What an inquisitive Snowy Owl! She continued to watch me for a few moments until she flew back further from where she was before and I saw she had a meal. Unfortunately her back was turned to me and I couldn’t see too well of what she was consuming. I watched for a few minutes until she flew back to the fence to watch me again! She allowed me to fire off image after image. It began to get darker and I decided it was time to leave. I still had a long way to go back as I was not camping and she flew forward to another part of the fence to watch me off. I fired off another image under the setting sun and she flew back to her meal.

Having the cold wind and sand engulf me was not the most enjoyable experience in the world but sitting patiently for that time, I believe, allowed the owl to become comfortable with my presence. Every grain of sand that smacked me in the face was worth the experience of photographing this amazing creature.

Are you hoping to come across a Snowy Owl? If so make sure to scan open fields as these areas are most similar to the tundra where they nest. Farmland, sand dunes, and airports seem to be particularly popular with this irruption. Also scan fences and light poles that surround these areas as they are likely to perch on them. Most importantly be patient and keep your distance. If you do not stress the owl you may be rewarded by witnessing it exhibit a wide array of behavior.

It is very rare to have an irruption of this level and to have two separated by one year is unheard of. The historic implications of this arctic mass exodus may shed some information about the overall health of this precarious ecosystem which is rapidly changing as the climate warms. Maybe the presence of this incredible, resilient, animal will inspire people to think more proactively of how they use their natural resources and how they too can help protect the land. Maybe I am just being an eternal optimist. Regardless, I hope.

As always feel free to contact me here.

Snowy Owl January 2014. Under a Blood Orange Sky.