In a previous post, I mentioned that I took exception to a particular chapter of the book I am defacing altering, in which the author (William J. Long) described killing a Snowy Owl that attacked his live Black Duck hunting decoy. I decided to start by painting over almost all of the text in the chapter with inexpensive acrylics, while leaving spaces for my own drawings.

I left only the words pertaining to owls and owl species, as well as a few of the owl illustrations, uncovered. The acrylic paint is not applied with any special care – the object is merely to cover up the text.

So far, I’ve added my own quick pen sketches of different owl species to three pages of the chapter.

In this way, I have continued to alter and repurpose the book, and in the case of the Snowy Visitors chapter, I think I’ve turned the book into something that would require re-cataloguing. I might consider printing out this blog post and gluing it onto one of the chapter pages, as an additional alteration method. Unlike reviewing grant proposals and writing critiques, there are no rules, templates, or deadlines for altering books.

The Snowy Owl (Nyctea nyctea) periodically migrates into southern Canada and the northern US, and the impact of this impressive predator on local bird and mammal species was of interest to the US Fish and Wildlife Service in the first half of the 20th century. Gross (1944) reported on the stomach contents of Snowy Owls collected in Ontario, New England, and New York, and found that “destructive mammals”, such as rats, mice, and moles, made up 46% of their diet. However, the owls also consumed a large number of birds, including Dovekies, Ruffed Grouse, Ring-Necked Pheasants, Black Ducks, American Scoters, and domestic chickens (!). Numerous field observations indicated that Snowy Owls consumed ducks that had been killed or wounded by human hunters. Poultry farmers also reported that their chickens, sometimes larger than the predator itself, had been taken by Snowy Owls. The consumption of Dovekies by Snowy Owls was thought to coincide with violent storms that blew these Atlantic auks inland, where they were relatively vulnerable to predation.

Murie (1929) reported on the nesting habits of Snowy Owls near Hooper Bay, at the mouth of the Yukon River. The owls didn’t make proper nests, but rather laid their eggs in hummocks of grass on the high tundra. Male Snowy Owls are nearly pure white, and are thus very conspicuous on the nest; females have a heavily barred plumage. The average number of eggs per nest in the study area was eight, and the incubation period about 32 days. The main predator on Snowy Owl eggs and nestlings at the Hooper Bay site was the Jaeger (Stercorarius parasiticus). Murie also mentions that Snowy Owls near marshy areas preyed predominantly on waterfowl, such as young Emperor Geese, Oldsquaw, and Eiders. Therefore, Long was correct that Snowy Owls take significant numbers of ducks; however, I don’t think blasting the owl and stuffing it was an appropriate response.

References:

Gross, A.O. (1944) Food of the Snowy Owl. Auk 61, 1-18

Murie, O.J. (1929) Nesting of the Snowy Owl. Condor 31, 3-12