Seasons take on their own forms at Whitefish Point, but in the current progression of summer and advance of fall, the wild blueberries are coming on amidst the jack pines, mushrooms are beginning to push up from the lichens, and warblers, subdued in song and plumage, mill around the point while the new wave of [...]
This week, as some of you saw on social media, we broke the previous record of 538 juvenile saw-whet owls set in 2007 with a total of 560 on August 4th! We are currently up to 573 juvies, 33 adults, and 38 Long-eared Owls for a record breaking 644 owls banded in the summer (previously [...]
Well, the grind has continued, but thankfully, so have the owls. We've been able to band on 32 of 33 nights so far this summer and have banded 483 owls; 461 Northern Saw-whet Owls (NSWO) and 22 Long-eared Owls. We mentioned in our previous posts that we were not expecting it to be a peak [...]
Here are three bits of exciting news from WPBO this past week: 1. We received three juvenile Piping Plovers from the Great Lakes Piping Plover captive rearing program! Since 1992, eggs from nests compromised by storm surge, parent plover mortality, or “side chick” situations (yes, that’s exactly what you think it is!) have been salvaged, [...]
We've been able to band 22 of 23 nights so far, and the strong start to the season has continued. To date, we have banded 316 Northern Saw-whet Owls and 13 Long-eared Owls. Of the saw-whets, 28 have been adults and 288 have been juveniles. The 288 juveniles is our best total for a non-peak [...]
...and, he has been since July 3. Hannah (who you’ll recognize as WPBO's summer assistant bander) and I were enjoying one of those rare times of the day that we’re both awake with an afternoon beach walk. We paused at the nest exclosure; when I’d been out earlier that day, the adult plovers were still [...]
Although this year should not be the peak in the reproductive cycle of Northern Saw-whet Owls (NSWO), we are off to the best start ever for juvenile NSWO this summer. To date, we have banded 180 owls; 172 saw-whets and eight Long-eared Owls. Of the 172 NSWO we've banded, 148 have been juveniles. This strong [...]
The ephemerality of the shoreline at Whitefish Point is subtle, except to those who spend significant time there. Every windy day takes away some beach in exchange for new driftwood deposits--but if you did not walk here regularly, this would be difficult to discern. The passage of shorebirds contributes a further element to the changeability [...]
It's hard to believe that this is the fifteenth year of summer owl banding. A lot of sweat has gone into working in the woods at night through July and August over the years. Thanks to the mosquitoes, even more of our blood has gone into this project. I have been fortunate to have great [...]
There are certain subjects that dominate conversation around WPBO. Weather, migrations, and our latest spoils from out-of-town grocery hauls are trusty standbys. I’ve noticed, though, that we’ve added some summer specials to the mix, like the tenuous relationship between black bears and bird feeders, and the mosquito hatch. This is, actually, my first full summer [...]
