Owl update 7/12/19

The first juvenile Saw-whet of the season.

Well, despite getting a Northern Saw-whet and two Long-eareds on the first net check of the season, we have had a relatively slow start to the summer season. We started on July 1 and have banded 30 Saw-whets and three Long-eareds so far. The first two weeks of July has always been the period when we catch the majority of the adult Saw-whets during the summer. We have banded 24 so far this season, which certainly suggests that it will prove to be a low season for adults. The main focus of the summer owl research is the movement of juvenile Saw-whets. The first juvenile arrived on July 6, and we have now banded six. The juveniles typically start off slow in early July, then gradually increase for several weeks before tapering off again in mid-August. We’re between peaks in the reproductive cycle of Saw-whets this year, so we’re not expecting it to be a big year for juveniles, but hopefully 100 or so will make their way to the Point. We’ve only had one recapture so far, but it was a Saw-whet that we banded as a juvenile back in August, 2015, which is exciting. In addition to the owls, we have also banded an Eastern Whip-poor-will and a Black-billed Cuckoo. Hopefully the juvenile Saw-whets and the Long-eareds will pick up soon.