First week of Fall Banding
The first week of fall banding at Whitefish Point is in the books! We had a bit of a slow start to the season, banding only one Northern Saw-whet Owl (NSWO) on each of the first three nights. Wednesday night brought a small uptick with two NSWO arriving at the station early in the night, and Thursday was even better with a grand total of three NSWO. On Friday night we finally got some appreciable action - seven new birds plus an in season recapture (one of the NSWO from the night before) and a recapture from the summer season. Saturday we had our first visitors to the station, it was great to see such enthusiasm for our owls! Unfortunately, no new birds came through, although our visitors were treated to a recapture from the night before.
While it may not have been a record-breaking first week, we are still excited to see what the fall season has in store for us. Every bird we process gives us valuable insight into owl populations and movements, we’re grateful for each one and can’t wait to band more. The temperatures are slowly dropping and the leaves are starting to change, promising signs that birds are in our future.
Being an owl bander is an incredible and humbling job. The fact that NSWO are coming through our station is a great reminder that the trees around us are full of wildlife. It’s so nice to walk our routes and know that we’re surrounded by so many creatures, even if some of those creatures are mosquitoes. We are looking forward to more birds and strolls under starry skies.
Season Total: 15- Northern Saw-whet Owls
Liv Ridley, Fall Lead Owl Bander
Other News
The Benefit House Concert this coming week is now sold out! Many many thanks to those of you who bought a ticket to help us raise money for the fall owl banding while having a great time listening to some music! We look forward to seeing you there- stay tuned for some photos of the event next time.
