It has been really tough to get quality netting hours in the last few nights due to wind and rain. We have only been able to open nets 3 of the last 6 nights, and strong winds look to continue through Saturday night. Luckily the winds look to be slowing down for Sunday, setting up for a good night of netting and hopefully a chance to enjoy the supermoon.
Even with less than ideal netting conditions lately we were able to come up with 5 new Barred owls on Thursday night bringing our season total to 13. This year is turning out to be a really good season for Barred’s for the site. Last fall they only caught 2 for the entire season. In addition to the new Barreds we added 11 new saw-whets to our season total.
Species Totals:
Northern saw-whets – 168
Barred – 13
Long-eared – 9
Non-owl sightings include a a garter snake on the 10th and a northern green frog on the 11th. We encountered a hare on the night of 13th. The peepers have gone quiet with the colder temperatures.
Also this past week we entertained our 100th visitor of the season. It has been great to see so many people showing interest in the owl research we are conducting here and just to be excited about owls in general. Thanks for stopping by the banding station and an extra thanks to those who have kindly adopted an owl!
Barred-owl talons
Long-eared owl talons
Northern Saw-whet Owl talons
Raina and Keegan
I heard on the radio that you have programs about owls on Thursday and Saturday nights in October. What are the times for Saturdays?
Thanks,
Patty
Hi Patty,
Our owl programs start at 7:45pm. There are only four more left for the season and the next one will be held on Thursday, October 20th.
Hope to see you soon,
Keegan
Thanks!
My wife and I are planning to be there Saturday night. Any tips you can give us? Also, during the day time we would like to wander around looking for owls. I heard there are around 4-5 species this time of the year in the Whitefish point area – any recommendations on where we should go? I am really looking forward to this weekend 🙂
Thanks
Hi Rajh,
We should have a rain free night on Saturday, so that is a good start. I would recommend stopping by for the evening owl program at 745, which is a full of great information. Then stick around for a net run or two. The nights are very unpredictable as to what we will catch. As far as seeing owls during the day, your best chance is to possibly see a roosting saw-whet but it requires a good bit of luck.
See you Saturday!
Keegan