Welcome back! It’s been an exciting week since our last update. The week was full of season firsts, starting with our first Long-eared Owl! That same night (Sept. 22), we also caught our first bird with retained juvenile plumage. This particular bird was starting to show the streaky brown and white breast feathers seen on adult birds but also still had many of the looser-textured, solid brown and buffy feathers seen on young birds during their first summer. Most young birds that we catch have finished molting these feathers by the time they reach us, so it’s fun to get to see some with juvenile plumage! A few nights later (Sept. 25), we caught our first Barred Owl of the season. Less exciting was our first full night off due to weather. (Though, after walking almost 100 miles in just over two weeks, the chance for some R&R was admittedly welcome.)
Here’s a sampling of the owls we caught this week:
From left to right: a young saw-whet that has finished molting its juvenile plumage; the first Long-eared Owl caught this fall; a young saw-whet that has retained some of its juvenile feathers; the first Barred Owl caught this fall.
We had three nights (Sept. 22, 23, 27) during which we caught over 20 owls and, after some fortuitous changes in the forecast over the weekend, we surpassed 100 Northern Saw-whet Owls banded in two weeks! In fact, despite some time off due to wind and rain, we ended the week with a total of 125 owls banded: 122 Northern Saw-whet Owls, 2 Long-eared Owls, and 1 Barred Owl.
This week was a great week for herps as well. We found several Blue-spotted Salamanders and Eastern Newts along the trails and near the lab after some recent rain. We even got to see a few frogs and toads, many of whom we frequently hear and no doubt walk past, hidden amongst the vegetation or just out of range of our headlamps.
It’s crazy to think that September is almost over. We’ve been lucky so far with both weather and owls and hope that luck continues into October. That said, who knows what October will bring? It’s impossible to predict at this point, but we are grateful to have had a great September! Thanks for following along with us!
– Fall Owl Banders Kate Maley and Eliana Fierro-Calderón
The 100th Northern Saw-whet Owl banded this season.
Herps seen near the nets this week (clockwise from left): a Blue-spotted Salamander, an American Toad, an Eastern Newt, a Green Frog, and a Spring Peeper.
Please Note
Out of an abundance of caution and to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, public observation of owl banding is not available this season.
If you have questions about the owl banding program, please feel free to reach out through social media (Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter) or email birds@michiganaudubon.org.
