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Avian enthusiasts who are bummed about the recent death of Washington Square's red-tailed hawk Violet may find solace in the fluffy bosom of New Jersey's new snowy owl. That's right: an owl that normally makes the Arctic tundra its home has been roosting at the Merrill Creek Reservoir in Warren County New Jersey for two months. Experts the Star-Ledger spoke to seem to think that there may be a "baby boom" of snowy owls in Canada, forcing them to travel further south. We're eagerly awaiting Chris Christie's demand that the owl "get the hell over to the Jersey Shore's fabulous casinos and fine dining."

What does the Merrill Creek Reservoir have to do with New York City? Well, Debbie, it's connected to the Delaware River by and underwater tunnel, so technically we're joined at the tap. Birders are flocking (sorry) to catch a glimpse of the owl, which isn't terribly difficult to do because it's diurnal, and hunts day and night for small rodents.

Not everyone is enthusiastic about the owl's new home. Commenter TheyFooledUAgain has sage advice for Jersey's most famous bird:

BEWARE MR OWL IF YOU DONT PAY TAXES IN NJ -- THEY WILL HAVE AN OWL HUNT AND KILL YOU FOR LIVING NEAR THE WATER. THEY WILL SAY YOU ARE A DANGER TO CHILDREN AND ATTACKED A GARBAGE CAN. MAYBE YOU POOPED ON CAR CAR .... RUN MR OWL FROM NJ

Indeed. Given this picture of an adorable snowy owl preparing to feast on a rat, we'd like to formally invite Merrill Creek's owl to New York City. We can promise fame, and lots and lots of food. May we recommend a certain Foot Locker in Brooklyn?