Although the weather conditions were not great again this past week, they did improve, and thankfully, the owl migration did, too. Given the weather, it was a relatively productive week, including a few highlights. We banded 51 owls and recaptured seven previously-banded owls. Species diversity has not kicked in yet, and 49 of the owls were Northern Saw-whet Owls (NSWO). Saw-whets also accounted for six of the week’s seven recaptures. We also banded the second Long-eared Owl (LEOW) of the season. We’re unsure what to expect from the LEOW migration this spring, but their migration should be picking up in the coming weeks.

This week’s highlight was the arrival of the first Boreal Owl of the season (BOOW). Boreal Owl numbers have been declining significantly in recent decades throughout much of their North American range, including at Whitefish Point. Not only have their numbers crashed at WPBO, but their irruptive cycle has become less predictable. Hopefully, there will be more to come this spring.

The first Boreal Owl of the season.

Another noteworthy event was that the first Barred Owl (BDOW) of the season happened to be one that we banded last spring on April 3. Then, it was recaptured by WPBO fall owl banders Liv Ridley and Sarah Montalvo last October. Then, nearly a year to the date it arrived last spring, we recaptured her on April 1 this spring. Another highlight from this week’s recaptures was a NSWO banded in Berrien County by friend, and former WPBO owl bander Tim Baerwald.

The recaptured Barred Owl.

Season Totals of Banded Owls
Northern Saw-whet Owls: 74
Long-eared Owls: 2
Boreal Owl: 1
Total Owls: 77

~ Chris Neri & Nova Mackentley
2024 Spring Owl Banders

You can read the owl banders’ weekly blog posts and follow WPBO’s social media (Facebook, Instagram, and X) for owl banding highlights this season.

The spring owl banding season runs from March 15 through May 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.

Nova Mackentley and Chris Neri: 2024 Spring Owl Banders

A lifelong birder, Chris became particularly fascinated with owls at the age of eight. He was introduced to owl banding by Katy Duffy in Cape May, NJ, in the mid-90s and knew after the first night that his life had just been changed. He has since worked with birds of prey in NV, NJ, NM, ID, CA, OR, MN, and his home state of PA. His life changed again when he arrived for his first season of owl banding at WPBO in the spring of 1999. As he puts it, “I have been fortunate enough to spend seasons at some of the premier raptor sites around the country working on some great research projects, but nothing has captured me the way the owl migration at Whitefish Point has.”

Originally from upstate New York, Nova first came to Michigan as a pianist and graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy. From there, it was an adventurous trek through Carnegie Mellon University and Oberlin College, studying abroad in Tanzania and earning her B.A. in Biology. Nova has loved Whitefish Point and the unique owl migration from the minute she was first hired as an owl bander back in 2005. She has worked with passerines, owls, hawks, parrots, ground squirrels, and ocelots at various field sites worldwide, but the owls always bring her back to Whitefish Point. 

During their many years at WPBO, Nova and Chris have substantially upgraded the spring owl banding, discovered a unique movement of juvenile Northern Saw-whet Owls during the summer, coauthored several papers on owls, and feel grateful to call the U.P. their home. As nature photographers, Whitefish Point and its wonders have inspired much of their photography.