We are in the home stretch of the fall banding season here at Whitefish Point Bird Observatory. The season officially ends the night of October 30. This past week brought us a couple of weather days, as well as some owls. Northern Saw-whet Owls continue to pass through the Point, with our best night this week bringing us 17 new owls. This is our third-best night of the season for Northern Saw-whet Owls, and we were pleasantly surprised to catch so many so late in the season.
![](https://wpbo.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/IMG_5983-225x300.jpg)
Northern Saw-whet Owl.
With this little push of Northern Saw-whet Owls, we could also band our 200th bird for the season. While Northern Saw-whet Owls dominate our numbers, this was the 200th bird for all bird species banded, not the 200th saw-whet of the season. We aim to get to 200 Northern Saw-whet Owls banded during these last few days of the banding season.
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The Northern Saw-whet Owl that marked the 200th bird banded this fall.
We were also excited to get another Long-eared Owl this week. As I’ve stated in a previous blog, this owl species is not as common in the fall as in the spring, so getting one of these birds is always a treat.
![](https://wpbo.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/IMG_5971-225x300.jpg)
Long-eared Owl.
Finally, the weather this past week brought out the salamanders. We haven’t seen as many of these guys this season, so it was a nice change. It also means we must watch our steps much more during our nightly net checks. Here are just a few of the salamanders we found this week.
![](https://wpbo.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/IMG_6020-300x225.jpg)
Eastern newt.
![](https://wpbo.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/IMG_6008-300x225.jpg)
Baby spotted salamander in comparison to Dana’s hand.
![](https://wpbo.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/IMG_5977-300x225.jpg)
Blue-spotted salamander.
Be sure to check in next week for our season wrap-up and see if we reach our goal of 200 Northern Saw-whet Owls banded.
Season Totals
Northern Saw-whet Owl: 195
Long-eared Owl: 3
Barred Owl: 7
~ Tori Steely and Dana Reid
2022 Fall Owl Banders
You can read Tori and Dana’s weekly blog posts 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.