The weather this past week was a mix of cool, pleasant nights, hot, buggy nights, and some severe thunderstorms that knocked the power out for 10 hours. The owls have remained slow but steady. The most productive night was July 7, with the banding of 18 Northern Saw-whet Owls (NSWO) and one Long-eared Owl (LEOW). The 18 NSWO comprised three juveniles and 15 adults. This will likely be the peak night for the adults this summer. During the summer, the adults peak during the season’s first two weeks. Conversely, the juveniles typically start slow, building toward their peak during the second half of July into early August. The juveniles have become a little more consistent in recent nights, but it’s still too early to know what they have in store for us this season.
One of the early season’s juvenile Northern Saw-whet Owls. Photo by Chris Neri
Season Totals of Banded Owls
Northern Saw-whet Owls: 59 (8 juveniles & 51 adults)
Long-eared Owls: 2
Total owls banded: 61
Season Totals of Recaptured Owls
Northern Saw-whet Owls: 1
~ Chris Neri & Jess Cosentino
2023 Spring Owl Banders
You can read the owl banders’ 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. For the safety of the owls, flash photography and recording video is prohibited.
