First Boreal Owl of the season.

We mentioned in our last post that the forecast at the time contained both conditions that would keep us from being able to open the nets and conditions that looked very good for migration. The forecast proved true on both counts. Heavy rain on the 9th washed out the entire night and high winds significantly limited our efforts on the 10th. However, the conditions on the other five nights since our last post were good for nocturnal migration resulting in some very productive nights, including a night of 92 owls and a night of 70. A total of 229 owls were banded on these nights and seven previously banded owls were also captured. The 229 new birds were comprised of 151 Northern Saw-whets, 76 Long-eareds, and the season’s first Boreal & Great Horned Owls. We were also excited that one of the seven recaptures was a Long-eared Owl. We originally banded her on April 15, 2015 and recaptured her on April 12. These nights have given us a run for our money, so we were very grateful to have the help of fellow owl bander Tori Steely for a couple of nights during this run, including the night of 92.

The season’s first, and possibly only, Great Horned Owl.

Chris Neri & Nova Mackentley