Another Tagged New Jersey Snowy Owl Has Been Found Dead

STONE HARBOR, NJ - Hereford, one of the "Jersey Boys" snowy owls, was found dead recently, near where Higbee, another of the tagged birds, perished in a blizzard in January, according to Project Snowstorm.

And just what killed him has not yet been determined.

Hereford had just been tagged a month ago. But his signal had become stationary around Feb. 26-27, in the tidal marshes very close to a roadway where Higbee had been struck and killed by a vehicle in January.

"It wasn't until the March 1 transmission that we realized there was a problem, however, getting to him was goin to be a problem," the website states.

That's because a boat was needed to get to Hereford's location and another nasty Nor'easter with high tides and dangerous winds was approaching. It wasn't until March 5 that Project Snowstorm members Bob Fogg and Mike Lanzone were able to reach him. Fogg donned a wetsuit and worked his way across the channel using a stand-up paddleboard to reach Hereford.

"Bob quickly found Hereford and brought him back," the post states.

Just what happened to Hereford is still unknown. He could have been attacked by a predator, like a bald eagle spotted in the area. But no signs of an attack were visible.

"There’s also the very real chance he was hit by a vehicle on the same busy road where Higbee was killed just a few hundred yards from where he was found — perhaps able to fly across the channel but succumbing later to, say, a head injury, which is all too common with raptors along roads," the post states.

Tagging snowy owls in that area was a risk, but one that Project Snowstorm and the New Jersey chapter of the Nature Conservancy - which underwrote the cost of the transmitters - felt was worth taking.

"Understanding the winter ecology of these birds means also understanding the risks, and each time we lose an owl we gain another sad insight into that facet of their ecology," the post states.

Higbee was apparently struck by a vehicle or a snow plow on Ocean Drive in Wildwood. He had tried to roost in the tidal marshes. But he apparently fled the marshes in the teeth of a January blizzard with 18 inches of snow and 50 mile per hour winds. He was found buried under two feet of ice.

Project SNOWstorm is a collaboration between dozens of scientists and organizations. It was founded in 2014.

Photos: Courtesy of Project Snowstorm. Top shot - Hereford's tagging on Feb. 12. Bottom shot: Hig bee's tagging in December 2017.