We experienced another fairly productive owl migration this past week. We banded 110 owls, including 58 Northern Saw-whet Owls, which has us currently at 300 saw-whets banded for the season. We banded 46 more Long-eared Owls, which has us at 194 Long-eared Owls for the season. Unfortunately, no Boreal Owls were banded this past week. It is not uncommon to catch a straggler in late May, but it appears their migration this spring has effectively ended for the season.
Although it has still regularly dropped to just below freezing during some nights this week, the last couple of nights have finally warmed up a bit. As is often the case, the first warmer nights of mid-May have ushered in the return of Eastern Whip-poor-wills. The sound of their call never fails to give us hope that spring is finally truly returning to the Point. We band at least one in most spring seasons, and we banded the first two of this spring this past week. It’s always amazing to have the chance to see the fine detail of their cryptic plumage up close. It’s also very cool to see their rictal bristles, the long bristles extending out around its bill to help it sense and catch flying insects as it hunts them.
Eastern Whip-poor-will.
The whip-poor-will’s rictal bristles.
-Chris Neri & Nova Mackentley
2022 WPBO Spring Owl Banders
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 — Visitors may observe owls that have been banded on Friday and Saturday evenings from dusk until midnight. Please note that banding is weather dependent and it is at the banders’ discretion to cancel banding accordingly. Observation will be limited to outdoors only and we encourage participants to wear masks and continue to practice social distancing whenever possible. For the safety of the owls, flash photography and recording video is prohibited.
Support WPBO’s Research During Birdathon on May 28
Our skilled team of bird counters and volunteers at Whitefish Point Bird Observatory will set out on a mission to count as many bird species as possible in one day on May 28, 2022, as part of an annual fundraising event supporting the amazing work happening at WPBO! In 2021, a whopping 152 species were counted and the event brought in $6,826.65! Let’s hope this year is just as successful.
This is where you come in! Because our work is 100% donor-funded, Birdathon provides all of our supporters with an opportunity to make a significant impact on our work by making a pledge or direct donation to Birdathon (even after the event). Any amount is helpful, but have some fun with it and consider letting your donation or pledge be inspired by a per-species amount.
Learn more about Birdathon and find links to donate at wpbo.org/birdathon.
Thank you so much to everyone who supports the work being done at WPBO!
