Late-May Owl Update
Although it has recently been relatively slow for owls, they have picked up a bit again and it has been a busy time for us since our last update. We held our first Friends of Whitefish Point event and hosted a tour led by a former crew mate from our time at WPBO. The owls cooperated enough for the 30+ visitors we had at the owl banding over the last few days to have a great experience. I will leave the detailed update about our first annual Birdathon to Outreach Specialist Alison Vilag in our next blog. In the meantime, I simply want to thank our volunteers and all the participants for making it such a success. The response far exceeded our expectations when we began planning this event. Thank you all for making it such an amazing weekend!
The time since our last owl banding update started with us being in the mid-May lull, but finished with the first signs that the late-May push might be starting. We banded 56 owls, putting us over 700 for the season, and recaptured seven previously banded owls. The Long-eareds are down to a trickle as their migration draws to a close, but we’ve been pleasantly surprised by how steady they have remained, with 10 being banded in the last four nights. Tuesday night, May 20, we caught 16 saw-whets, which is the best nightly total for saw-whets so far for May. This has all been despite the unfavorable winds and cold temperatures that have dominated the weather pattern. Hopefully the weather will eventually improve, and the saw-whets will continue to pick up.
Two of our recent recaptures were return visitors to Whitefish Point. One was a saw-whet banded here as a juvenile last summer (photo below). It is estimated among certain raptor populations that more than 50% of young birds do not survive their first winter, so we always love seeing a juvenile saw-whet that was banded at the Point making its way north on its first spring migration.
The recaptured juvenile Northern Saw-whet Owl. © Chris Neri
The second was a Barred Owl that we caught here in 2022, 2023 and again this week (photos below). This owl weighed 822 grams, making it one of the largest Barred Owls we have ever had. The composite photo of the wing may be of interest to other owl banders. The upper photo is of this owl after its first molt when it had a mix of juvenile and adult flight feathers. The bottom photo is after three molts, showing it with two generations of adult flight feathers.
The recaptured Barred Owl with a mix of juvenile and adult feathers after its first molt (top) and with two generations of adult feathers after three molts (bottom). © Chris Neri
This recaptured Barred Owl. © Chris Neri
NATURE NOTES: The cold nights have kept the moth activity low, but we’ve had some activity. A few nights ago there were a pair of moths mating on one of our nets, I believe they were Major Sallows. They were still there when we had to close the net, so I attempted to move them to vegetation. They dropped down to the lichen where they blended in so incredibly they effectively disappeared (photos below).
The mating major sallows on my hand, then blending into the lichen. © Chris Neri
Spring Banding Totals:
Northern Saw-whet Owl: 476
Boreal Owl: 9
Long-eared Owl: 229
Barred Owl: 7
Great Horned Owl: 1
Other updates from the Friends of Whitefish Point:
Great news! We were just notified that the Friends of Whitefish Point organization has received a grant for $5000 from the Community Foundation of the Upper Peninsula. For those who are new to this blog, we are a new organization and are trying to raise a total of $75,000 for the three seasons of owl banding to take place in 2025. This grant will be incredibly helpful in our endeavor. If you are interested in learning more about our group or would like to donate to help fund the owl banding, visit us at: www.friendsofwp.org
Chris & Nova banding two Northern Saw-whet Owls in the new banding station which was partially funded by a grant from Paradise Area Community Foundation and a grant from the Community Foundation of the U.P.
Visit the Owl Banding:
Incredibly, we are in the last 10 days of the spring owl banding, which means the last two dates to visit the owl banding are this coming Friday & Saturday May 23 & 24. If you have been meaning to do this, now is a great time to register! www.friendsofwp.org/visitowlbanding
After these two dates, there will not be owl banding visitation until July.
Here is what one of our visitors has said about their experience: “My wife and I had a wonderful time. We were honored to be supporting this ongoing important research. It was a beautiful night, and we are grateful to Chris and Nova and our hospitable hosts, Curt and Jan. We highly recommend the experience. We are coming back soon, bringing our neighbors with us. Thanks again so much.” -John Pepin
A Long-eared Owl banded by Chris and admired by visitors while Nova explains ear tufts. Photo by Curt & Jan Vogel.