Hey there, folks! It’s been a steady week here at the banding station. Wednesday and Thursday night, each brought seven Northern Saw-whet Owls. Friday was busier; we hit double digits for the third time this season, banding 11 Northern Saw-whets and one Barred Owl. The pace slowed slightly on Saturday night — we only banded three saw-whets. It was a pretty wet night; we didn’t get rained out, but it was thick with fog, which is not ideal for migration. On Sunday, we closed nets due to high winds and caught up on some much-appreciated rest.
We reopened on Monday for our fourth double-digits night, banding 10 Northern Saw-whets and two Barred Owls. We also got our first encounter of the season, a Northern Saw-whet Owl banded here at WPBO in the spring of 2021, which was super exciting! Wednesday night, the tempo slowed back down, with only two saw-whets and one barred. September brought us lots of great birds, and we hope for more of the same in October.
Season Totals of Banded Owls
Northern Saw-whet Owls: 124
Barred Owls: 11
Long-eared Owl: 1
Total Owls: 136
~ Liv Ridley
2023 Fall Lead Owl Bander
Northern Saw-whet Owl. Photo by Liv Ridley
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.
The fall owl banding season runs from Sept. 15 through Oct. 31.
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.
A red eft visiting the banding station doorstep. Photo by Liv Ridley
