Holly’s Farewell
The summer owl banding season is just about over, and we are amazed and grateful to all of you that it was able to occur! Here is a blog post from our assistant owl bander about her time here. Next week we will do a full summary of the season.
Holly with her first Long-eared Owl. Photo by Chris Neri.
On the 7th of July, I arrived in the Upper Peninsula having handled maybe 40 owls and banded one; as of this past Wednesday, August 20th, I have banded well over 100 owls and have loved every second of the summer season. Working with Chris throughout the past month and a half has taught me so much, not only about the owls, but also moths, frogs, and the Paradise area; I am so grateful for my time as the summer assistant owl bander with Friends of Whitefish Point. It has been wonderful to get to know the Paradise area and meet some of the lovely local birds and people. Yesterday, I drove back to Ohio to finish my undergrad and I already miss the sounds of the night—even the buzzing mosquitoes!
It’s too difficult for me to pick just one favorite part of the season, with so many owls and amazing nights, but it is easy to say that the juvenile saw-whets I have had the pleasure of working with are the cutest owls in North America. Photo by Holly Erickson.
One of the things I really enjoyed getting to see was the progression of body molt in the juveniles as the season went on. In these two photos, you can see some of the white adult spotting coming in on the back of the owl’s head and the beginnings of the white-streaked facial disks seen in adult birds. Photo by Holly Erickson.
Molt has been a particular interest of mine for the past couple years and we were fortunate enough to catch quite a few adults with multiple generations of flight feathers or new feathers growing in—the latter of which can be seen above. Photo by Holly Erickson.
Farewell Paradise! You live up to your name. Farewell to the owls and lovely people along the road leading to Whitefish Point! The eastern Upper Peninsula has long been one of my favorite places in the world and this summer has only cemented that. I won’t be able to stay away for long. Thank you for sharing your beautiful birds and their home in the great outdoors.
-Holly Erickson, Assistant Owl Bander