The summer owl banding season began on July 1 and has gotten off to a productive start. Although adult Northern Saw-whet Owl (NSWO) numbers are below average, juvenile NSWO numbers are above average. We have banded 86 owls over the first nine nights — 84 NSWO and two Long-eared Owls. The 84 NSWO comprised 17 adults and 67 juveniles. We also recaptured two previously banded saw-whets.

A juvenile Northern Saw-whet Owl. Photo by Chris Neri

Season Totals of Banded Owls
Northern Saw-whet Owls: 84
Long-eared Owls: 2
Total Owls: 86

~ Chris Neri & Tim Baerwald
2024 Summer 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 summer owl banding season runs from July 1 through August 25.

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.

Chris Neri
Chris Neri2024 Summer Lead Owl Bander
Chris Neri arrived at WPBO in 1999. Chris has been fortunate to spend seasons at some of the premier raptor sites around the country, working on some great research projects, but as he reports, “Nothing has captured me the way owl migration at Whitefish Point has.”
Tim Baerwald
Tim Baerwald2024 Summer Assistant Owl Bander
Tim Baerwald has been working as an avian field tech for 10+ years on projects across the country ranging from shorebird banding to raptor counting.