This past week started with some productive nights, but then strong north winds and periods of snow shut down the owl migration for a few nights. That said, along with more saw-whets and long-eareds, we banded the first Barred Owls and American Woodcock of the spring this week. Although the owls are our favorites, we always appreciate the chance to see a woodcock in hand. Their plumage is beautiful, and they have some cool adaptations that we always take the opportunity to check out up close. One of these adaptations is the placement of their eyes. Woodcock’s eyes are placed so far back on the sides of their heads that they have as much area of binocular vision behind them as they do to the front. It is strange to be able to look at a bird’s head directly from behind and see just as much of its eyes as you do when looking at it directly from the front. It can seem as if you are looking at it directly in the face, but it has no bill.
An American Woodcock’s eyes as viewed directly from the front and from the back.
Our season totals to date are 476 Northern Saw-whet Owls, seven Boreal Owls, 212 Long-eared Owls, and two Barred Owls banded. We have also recaptured 39 previously banded saw-whets and one previously banded long-eared.
2021 WPBO Owl Banders
Chris Neri & Nova Mackentley
You can read Chris and Nova’s weekly blog post and follow WPBO’s social media (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) for owl banding highlights this season.
Owl Banding Presentations — We apologize, but live education demonstrations of our owl banding program will not be offered in 2021 due to COVID-related risks and restrictions.
If you visit WPBO, please practice social distancing while doing so. Although not required, we encourage you to wear masks if you are in close proximity to other people, even if outdoors. You may read the full 2021 COVID-19 Updates for Michigan Audubon and Whitefish Point Bird Observatory here.
