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 the month, this has proven to be the most productive July for juvenile NSWO, with 420 banded. As is typical, adult NSWO have been virtually nonexistent this week. Conversely, this is typically within the more productive part of the season for Long-eared Owls; that is not the case this summer, and it may prove to be a down season for them.
A juvenile Northern Saw-whet Owl molting into its adult plumage. Photo by Chris Neri
Season Totals of Banded Owls
Northern Saw-whet Owls: 463
Long-eared Owls: 10
Total Owls: 473
~ 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.
