Last week LuAnn and I decided to visit Cape May for the holidays.  We were stationed there for back-to-back tours from 1996-2002.  Known primarily as a summer resort, we’ve come to enjoy the seaside town during the slower months.

There are several parks and trails around town that are nice to explore.  We made it a point to go down to Cape May Point State Park and stroll the beaches (when the temperatures climbed out of the 20s and the winds were less than 40mph!).  One of those strolls we came across a Snowy Owl on the beach and were able to get several photographs from a respectable distance, but I was concerned.  It was sitting on the beach with its wings splayed out.  Since this was on state park property, we went to talk to the park ranger.  They were going to contact the Audubon society, but she seemed to think that it was covering its prey.  Bob Armstrong, a good friend of mine, and a biologist/naturalist based in Alaska indicated that these owls often head south when their normal food in the Arctic is not as plentiful.

Seeing such a beautiful bird is always a rewarding experience.  Here are a couple of photos: