Please be advised, Fall Owl Banding for 2024 is currently suspended. Owl banding is WPBO’s most resource-intensive program. We’re using this pause to thoroughly evaluate its structure, costs, and impact, aiming to enhance efficiency and sustainability. This period allows us to optimize resources, ensuring the program maximizes conservation outcomes and cost-effectiveness when it resumes. This [...]
Things started to heat up during the second week of the fall waterbird count at Whitefish Point. While some species from the first week, such as Piping Plover, have already departed, the influx of several new species kept things interesting. We had 32 waterbird species pass by the Point over the past week: three [...]
The first week of the fall count at Whitefish Point has officially wrapped up, and the waterbirds are starting to move. We had 29 species of waterbird pass by the Point during our counts this week, with the most numerous being Red-necked Grebes. Our peak day for them was 8/18, when the winds started [...]
After the record July for juvenile Norther Saw-whet Owls (NSWO), August has continued to be slow. There was some poor weather conditions this past week, but it is clear that the owls are winding down. We banded 11 juvenile NSWO on August 14, which is the only night in August that we have hit [...]
We simply don’t have a lot of news to share this week. The biggest news was that we had our second and third nights off this season. The juvenile Northern Saw-whet Owls have continued most nights, but only in single-digit numbers. This past week, we banded 17 more juvenile saw-whets. Not to jinx [...]
For the past two weeks, Whitefish Point has been virtually ploverless. On August 5, a fledgling from Vermilion stopped by for a brief rest and has not returned since. The exclosure at the Point. Photo by Stephanie Owens Sunday struck a nostalgic chord as I ventured to the beach to clean up [...]
After experiencing a record month for juvenile Northern Saw-whet Owls (NSWO) in July, August unfortunately began with a whimper. As those in the region know, August started hot and humid. The first three nights of the month produced just 11 juvenile NSWO. We figured the slowdown was a product of the unfavorable weather and [...]
It appears that the Piping Plover breeding season is practically at its close. I last saw Little Bill Bob with his chick on July 28. Now, I hike the beach from end to end, with my plover findings turning up short. O chick has shown sporadically, and I feel a twinge of sadness when [...]
We believed the juvenile Northern Saw-whet Owls (NSWO) had peaked last week after experiencing the third biggest night for them when we banded 46 on July 18. We were wrong. We banded 53 on July 25, a new record for the number of juvenile NSWO banded in a night. With one night left in [...]
Baby takes flight! Little Bill Bob peeping to Baby. Photo by Stephanie Owens On July 21, I observed Little Bill Bob with his chick lounging around near their old exclosure. Suddenly, Bob flew away out of sight. I sat there looking at Baby, a bit puzzled, wondering why Bob left in such [...]
