There is a book/movie called The Big Year which I think every bird lover should watch. Based on a true story, it is about a few obsessed birders who spend a year traveling the country to see as many birds as they can. It illustrates the fine line between competition and passion. Every tally is another tale of adventure. When Bostick, the main character, is asked which bird continues to elude him, he declares it the Snowy Owl.
The Snowy Owl first hit my radar late last year when I had rediscovered the Outer Banks in coastal North Carolina. I grew up vacationing in the Outer Banks and had not returned in many years. As a photographer and a storyteller, I have now found this magnificent landscape in a different light. It is a massive series of barrier islands spanning over 175miles along the coast with numerous wildlife refuges and parks peppering the area. It is a treasure trove.
There were whispers of a Snowy Owl who is known to migrate through the area. It seems odd that an owl native to the Arctic would ever be found as far south as coastal Carolina, but then thousands of Tundra Swans, Snow Geese and even the occasional Snow Buntings come here as well. As for the Snowy Owl, the dunes provide excellent camouflage. Without the use of super-telephoto camera lenses and the foresight to know where to look, it would be easy to scan the dunes and look right over the bird. The expansive dunes are like a desert along the sea.
Sally has been looking for the Snowy Owl every winter for many years and always seemed to be a day late. That trend would continue for us. The main difference was that we decided that when there were new sightings of the owl we would drop everything we were doing in “the real world” and zoom three hours east to the Outer Banks to search for this noble creature. I couldn’t tell you how many days, hours, and miles we dedicated to the search.
I gained empathy for Bostick in his tireless search for the same bird. It began to feel like a quest for the mystic. Sally and I are experienced at searching for elusive birds, but this one seemed to take the cake. We talked to many people who had observed it and we scoured the area. It seemed like we were on her tale, but just had not managed to be in the right place at the right time. Snowy Owls are cathemeral, which means they hunt both day and night. They are skittish, and normally only hunt an area for about an hour before moving to another location.
We left central North Carolina at 11pm on January 27th to resume our search. I drove us through a snowstorm that looked like Star Wars warp speed in the headlights. It seemed fitting to begin the trip searching for a Snowy Owl in the snow. We arrived in Nags Head at 2:30am Friday morning, and departed the Comfort Inn South Oceanfront at dawn with snow covered beaches below our window. We worked our way down the coast until we were on a trail in Hatteras at the southernmost part of the main Island. Gus even helped!
This is where the Snowy Owl had last been seen. At the very tip of the island there is an off-road Jeep trail through the sand pits that ended at the beach. I drove my little all wheel drive Ford down that road, not knowing whether it would make it. Being right beside a Coast Guard station, I figured it would not be a bad place to get stuck. I did not get stuck in the sand, but I got stuck rescuing a pelican instead. I jest. It was not a feeling of being stuck at all but instead an honor to save the life of a beautiful and innocent wild creature who needed help. The full story can be read here: https://isaacmcshane.com/?p=360.
It took us the rest of the day to get the bird to the nearest rescue center. In addition to saving his life, we were able to bond with a big bird, explore a new area, and score some major bird karma, which we undoubtedly needed as much of as we could get. It was dark by the time we returned to the Outer Banks. We rested up and prepared to go even further south the next day. In the morning we grabbed the best coffee available in the Outer Banks (or maybe anywhere for that matter) at Ashley’s Espresso Parlour and All Time Roasting Co., and headed back to Hatteras and boarded a ferry that goes to Ocracoke Island. We called this the “poor man’s pelagic bird tour” where we got great photos of Scoters, Loons, Gannets, and a damned decoy we initially thought was a Brant.
This little island is technically still part of the Outer Banks. I would say it is the outer Outer Banks. Here, life moves at a slower speed. There are no bridges to Ocracoke, far less tourism, and everyone knows everybody. We found Eurasian Collared-Doves, a flock of Pipits, countless Kestrels, Harriers, deer, and an adorable family of Nutria, which are little mammalian creatures that look like a mix between a beaver and a groundhog. I also saved a Cottonmouth from getting run over. We got a private tour of the Ocracoke Lighthouse, which is the second oldest lighthouse in the country. We saw a 55 foot yacht that had recently shipwrecked itself on the beach.
We walked many miles along this empty beach. It was one of the most beautiful and unique beaches I have ever experienced. I know I paint a pretty picture, but don’t go there. Part of the beauty is that there is no one else there. Again, I joke! You should totally go see it. No one should ever feel possessive about public land. We are simply the stewards of the land and must appreciate it with respect and diligence.
Ocracoke only covers 9.6 square miles of land. Sir Walter Raliegh ran his ship aground the beaches on this island in 1585. Over the next couple of hundred years there were numerous attempts at colonizing this piece of land, but it was also a pirate’s haven and resulted in massacres. Most notably, Edward Teach, also known as Blackbeard, used the island as his hideout until 1718 when he was killed while battling troops from Virginia. Ocracoke has a population of around 700 residents to date.
We had a wonderful day exploring this small island even though we seemed to again be a day late on spotting the Snowy Owl. After watching a beautiful sunset we boarded the ferry back to the main island and had a wonderful dinner at La Fogata Mexican Restaurant in Nags Head. This search went on for a couple more days. We saw countless beautiful birds, other wildlife and magnificent landscapes but eventually had to return to the real world. Was it discouraging? Maybe just a little bit.
However, it was far more exciting to know that this great gift was still waiting for our discovery. We had every confidence we would eventually find this bird, as well as the joy that the journey is just as important as the destination. Every time we searched for this unicorn of a bird, we made unexpected discoveries of other natural wonders.
Not completely a full day after our return home, I awoke to Sally exclaiming “You’re not going to believe it!” I didn’t have to ask what she was talking about. I knew. Instead, I responded with the question “When and Where?” She was looking at a recent photo of Ms. Snowy. The bird was at Oregon Inlet just a few miles from our HQ in Nags Head. Sally had talked to several different people who had just seen the owl in the area. We knew what we had to do. We hastily repacked our bags and laid the rubber to the road. We should have just left our gear at the hotel!
About: Isaac McShane is a birder, travel writer and photographer based in North Carolina. To read more of Isaac’s latest adventures, see his galleries and order prints visit his website at https://isaacmcshane.com/
