Owl Update 5/3/2023

There seem to be times in every field season when you feel you are just along for the ride. They aren’t always the busy times but are actually often some of the slower times. This past week was definitely one of those times when we felt we just needed to control the things we could and get through the week. The weather presented a challenge for all of the field staff this past week, but unlike us and Raptor Counter Jess Cosentino, Waterbird Counter Alison Világ had to power through some seriously unpleasant weather out at the waterbird shack.

The owls were relatively slow in recent nights, but given the return of winter this past week, it could have been much worse. During the nights we were able to band, numbers ranged from five to 28 owls banded. We have been surprised by how few Northern Saw-whet Owls we have banded during this period. We will have to wait and see just how much of an effect the weather has had on the Long-eared Owl migration, but at this point, we cannot help but believe that we are at a low point in their natural cycle this spring. Barred Owls were the one owl species that occurred in good numbers relative to what we have experienced in past springs. We banded another nine this past week, bringing the season totals for the species to 15 banded and one recapture (initially banded in the spring of 2022).

In lieu of owl images, please enjoy some of the amphibians we saw at the Point this week.

Eastern newt. Photo by Chris Neri

Eastern red-backed salamander — just the second we have seen here. Photo by Chris Neri

Season Totals to Date of Banded Owls
Northern Saw-whet Owls: 452
Long-eared Owls: 102
Boreal Owls: 2
Barred Owls: 15
Total owls banded: 571

Season Totals to Date of Recaptured Owls
Northern Saw-whet Owls: 35
Barred Owl: 1

~ Chris Neri & Nova Mackentley
2023 Spring Owl Banders