Losing Higbee - Snowy Owl Perishes In Blizzard

WILDWOOD NJ - Higbee, one of the prized "Jersey Boys" snowy owls, did not make it through the recent blizzard, according to the Project Snowstorm website.

Volunteers first knew something was wrong on Monday, Jan. 4., when the immense coastal storm hit. Higbee's transmitter recorded only a handful of GPS locations, all along the ramp to the Grassy Sound Bridge on Ocean Drive, a busy road that connects Wildwood and Stone Harbor.

Mike Lanzone, a reseach biologist and CEO of Cellular Tracking Technologies, and his wife, Dr. Trish Miller — both of whom had tagged Higbee on Dec. 5 — went out to search for him the next day. But the blizzard had dumped 18 inches of snow and 50 mile per hour winds, which created whiteout conditions and drifts up to six feet.

The storm slammed into the coast during a full-moon high tide that was 5.5 feet above normal.

"Higbee apparently tried to roost in the back marshes north of Grassy Sound, but high, wind-driven waves were swamping the tidal marsh," the post states. "Possibly to get out of those conditions, he flew toward Nummy Island near Stone Harbor. Crossing Ocean Drive, it seems he was hit by either a car or a snow plow — though, given the conditions, it’s possible the driver never even realized it."

It was tough going when the two arrived on Tuesday morning. Ice, snow, marsh vegetation and twisted and jammed cedar trees were frozen solid. But Higbee's transmitter was still pinging sporadically.

They returned with a metal detector, but soon determined that Higbeee's transmitter was buried, still sending sporadic pings.

When the weather warmed later in the week, an army from CTT - biologists, programmers, administrative personnel and members of the Cape May birding community - began to search with pitchforks and rakes after more precise locations where Higbee might be.

Higbee’s final data shows that he moved from the back bay marshes, which were flooded by the extreme high tide, to the busy bridge crossing at Nummy Island.

Higbee's body was found two feet down, frozen in a block of ice.

"It quickly became apparent that he’d been struck by a vehicle, with a lot of damage to his right wing, although our wildlife pathology team will conduct a full necropsy," the post states.

But he was in good physical condition at the time he died. His body weight and muscle mass were similar to what they were when he had been tagged in December.

Almost all of Higbee’s hunting took place in nearby tidal marshes that had been restored by The Nature Conservancy in New Jersey, working with the state Department of Environmental Protection and other partners. The Nature Conservancy also underwrote the cost of Higbee’s transmitter.

“We are deeply saddened that Higbee did not survive," said Patty Doerr, director of coastal and marine projects for The Nature Conservancy. "During his short time as a science ambassador, he showed us in no uncertain terms how valuable New Jersey’s salt marshes are to snowy owls as a species. Having this insight only intensifies The Nature Conservancy’s commitment to continue working to make our state’s salt marshes as healthy and resilient as possible.”

Photos: Courtesy of Project SNOWstorm. First photo - Higbee before his release on Dec. 15, 2017.