We experienced a wide variety of weather conditions this past week. Although periods of rain and high winds shut us down frequently, we also had periods of good weather that had us hoping that the owls would pick up again. Unfortunately, things have remained slow, with nightly totals ranging from one to seven owls [...]
Since my last blog post, seven Piping Plover chicks have officially fledged! This means that they survived their first 23 days and can now fly. This is excellent news and one of the better years for the number of chicks fledged. Unfortunately, four of the 11 chicks that hatched either went missing or were [...]
Well, we have thunderstorms and high winds right now, and the lights just flickered. So, here's a quick update before a potential power outage. The weather has been more unsettled this week, and the owls have been relatively slow during recent nights. Our season now stands at 118 juvenile and 99 adult Northern Saw-whet [...]
Since the last posting, the transition from the movement of adult Northern Saw-whet Owls (NSWO) to juvenile NSWO took full effect. Over the past week, we banded 50 juveniles and six adults. It's become apparent that we most likely are not going to see a continuation of the 5-year cycle of peak NSWO reproductive [...]
Since my last blog post, the fourth and final Piping Plover nest has hatched. Unfortunately, only one of the three eggs hatched. The two unhatched eggs were turned over to the Great Lakes Piping Plover Conservation Team and determined to have not developed. Also, since my last blog post, 10 of the 11 chicks on [...]
The expected transition from banding adult to juvenile Northern Saw-whet Owls (NSWO) has recently begun. Adult NSWO numbers are highest during the first two weeks of July. Their numbers then typically remain steadily in low single-digit numbers into the beginning of August. Juvenile NSWO numbers vary significantly from year to year, but relative to [...]
A section of the shoreline will be closed through Aug. 5. People can still access the tip of the Point from the bayside shoreline. Before I talk about the recent Piping Plover activity, I want to give a quick update on the beach closures at Whitefish Point. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife [...]
We were able to band all seven nights since our last post, but things have been relatively slow. Adult Northern Saw-whet Owls (NSWO) have remained steady, but they are never numerous during the summer season. Their numbers have also always dropped off after the second week of the season, so we are prepared to [...]
The summer owl banding season started on the night of June 30. As is the case every year, we have primarily banded adult Northern Saw-whet Owls (NSWO) during the first six nights of the season. So far, we have banded 36 adult NSWO, three juvenile NSWO, and one Long-eared Owl. If you have followed [...]
Piping Plover Chick Over the weekend, we were fortunate to have two nests of Piping Plovers hatch at the Point! Nest 2 hatched first, and all four eggs hatched. Nest 1 hatched a couple of days later, and both eggs hatched as well. As of today, July 5, all six chicks are [...]
