A new report released shows what contributed to the death of a rare snowy owl, which made an appearance in McHenry before it was fatally hit by a vehicle in December.
McHenry Police Department Public Affairs Officer Ashley O’Herron said midnight shift officers responded to a report of a dead bird on the morning of December 17.
Officers found a snowy owl deceased on the side of the road near Crystal Lake Road and Bull Valley Road.
The bird, which was taken to a veterinarian’s office, was found near The Church of Holy Apostles.
O’Herron said it appeared the owl was hit by a vehicle but no vehicle was found near the bird.
The snowy owl was first spotted in McHenry County earlier in the month, drawing many onlookers and photographers.
Project Snowstorm said the owl was a young male that was hatched during the summer of last year.
Justine Neslund told Lake and McHenry County Scanner she found out about the bird sighting from a local birding online chat forum.
She said the owl was different than other snowy owls she had previously photographed. Most instantly fly away when being photographed but he did not.
Neslund said she was trying to work with local businesses in the McHenry area to remove bait boxes since the owls can eat mice from them and die.
“As wildlife photographers we know the dangers of this as we have seen countless Owl species die a horrible death because of them. It’s everywhere and causing incredible harm,” she said.
Neslund also said that traffic collisions are a common cause of death. She said that she was “heartbroken” to learn of the owl’s death.
The snowy owl was transported to a laboratory for testing through the University of Illinois’ Zoological Pathology Program and a necropsy report was released by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources this week.
The report said marked lipid depletion and pancreatic zymogen depletion were suggestive of the owl having a “decreased nutritional status” prior to death.
The bird’s stomach was empty and the report said the owl, which tested negative for bird flu, also likely had a mild form of pneumonia.
The bird will be sent to Project SNOWstorm, which is partnered with the University of Pennsylvania, for further studies.