The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

As the new year unfolds on our human calendar, nature is busy keeping up with her own calendar. Her winter checklist in our area no doubt includes the usual periods of dormancy, the arrival of migrant birds to our still open waters, and the vagaries of winter weather, both normal and unusual. If you’ve lived here a while you know we are experiencing milder than usual winters, and we are far from alone in this. Climate change is impacting humans, but also nature in general.

Synchronicity is an important element in the survival of many species. Certain birds seem programmed to arrive to take advantage of the flowering stages of many shrubs and trees while slumbering reptiles and amphibians begin to stir when the temperatures at night begin to warm. The timing of events like these is very important. If the plants flower too early the birds will lose an important source of necessary nutrients. If the nights warm too soon and the salamanders emerge prematurely, they can be killed by a sudden plunge in temperature, even if that is a traditional seasonal norm.

Some species that are usually seen much farther north are wintering here on the Cape. Snowy owls in particular have become almost common in some places along the New England shore and even farther south. Back in the day, and that day wasn’t that long ago, we would have an occasional snowy owl when it was an extremely cold winter, but over the last few years, we’ve had an influx of young owls that seems unprecedented. Some of these owls are brought here on purpose because they were considered dangers to aviation at Logan airport, but others have arrived here on their own.

Snowy owls are native to the tundra areas of the Canadian provinces. Some young birds travel great distances to establish winter territories and find easier food sources. Snowy owls prey on small mammals such as lemmings, mice, and voles, but they are also expert hunters of ducks and even occasionally gulls. The dunes and marshes of Cape Cod resemble their familiar hunting grounds up north, and once here, the young owls often settle in for an extended time.

Young snowy owls have probably never seen a human before they show up in a populated area such as New England. They may seem unimpressed by us, even tame, often allowing people to get quite close to them. All birds and animals have a danger zone, similar to a force field, around them that lets them know when something or someone is simply too close for comfort, however. Then, they flee, or in the owl’s case, fly.

Snowy owls are a favorite of many people, iconic even. People flock to see them when they learn there is one in the area. This would be great if everyone behaved, but unfortunately some people just don’t know how to behave.

Getting your own photograph of a snowy owl seems to be something special on many people’s wish list. This would be fine if everyone kept their distance while doing so. Unfortunately, some people want a cell phone picture, even a selfie, meaning they have to get way too close to the bird. A bird that is not used to people will allow them to get pretty close before they panic and fly off. Guess what’s also on a lot of people’s photo dream list. If you guessed a snowy owl in flight, bingo.

The problem with forcing an owl to fly is that it wastes their energy. Owls need a lot of energy to hunt, and although snowy owls appear to be awake during the day, they should probably be sleeping. Many young owls don’t make it through the winter. Some freeze to death or die of starvation because they don’t have enough energy reserves to keep warm or find their prey. Is the death of a young owl worth a selfie or photo of a bird in flight?

Obviously, there are many photographers that do the right thing. They have cameras with lenses that allow them to take photos from good distances and they don’t need to disturb the birds at all. Many of these people post their amazing photos. If only everyone could be happy to share those instead of having to prove that they, too, saw and photographed the owl.

Conservation and birding groups all over the country are limiting the information they share when it comes to a rare or endangered bird, animal, or even a plant due to the overly enthusiastic response any notification of a sighting or finding can provoke. This means that only certain people are aware of where to find certain species and they are often accused of being part of an elite group.

It's a conundrum for sure. We can blame social media for the surge of interest in taking photos and especially of selfies in certain fragile environments or with endangered species, but in the end, it seems to come down to a lack of common sense and self-control.

If you go out looking for snowy owls or short-eared owls this winter, please be conscious of your behavior. Keep a good distance away. Take your binoculars. If all you have is a cell phone, please refrain from trying to take a close picture. Enjoy the photos of those who have the long lenses and experience to really capture a nice photo. We don’t need to document everything we see. Sometimes the experience itself is worth way more than the picture, which often doesn’t do the subject justice anyway.

When we are out in nature, we have a choice. We can be good, bad, or really ugly and totally misbehave. Remember how it felt when the teacher punished the whole class because of the behavior of one or two? Yup, that is what is going on when locations are being kept secret. We all need to mind our manners and not just with each other. In the meantime, if you happen upon a snowy owl, please don’t broadcast it.