RTY Photography Blog

While looking for Snowy Owls along the Jersey Shore, I stumbled upon Project Snowstorm in the process of a capture and release of a NJ Snowy. After the capture, they fitted the owl with a solar GPS transmitter to track and study it’s behavior. This Snowy, named “Island Beach” observed the bait pigeon from a distance for about 45 minutes. Finally it launched and came in for the bait. They use a soft net that looks similar to a hockey goal and a bait pigeon fitted with a leather jacket for protection against the talons. Once it was captured they weighed the owl to make sure it was strong enough for a transmitter. It was a healthy juvenile male.  “Island Beach” seemed quite calm through the entire process, but I’m sure he wasn’t thrilled. Shortly after, it was released near the dunes. A second Snowy, “Lenape” was also captured later that same day. You can follow their journey on the Project Snowstorm website by clicking on the “Owls” dropdown tab. Keep an eye out for my next post with several Snowy Owl photos from this year’s irruption.

Just prior to his release.

The Approach

Lightweight Transmitter