Mid-April Update
Although the owls have picked up a bit since our last post, their migration has remained significantly slower than normal for this time of the year. Owl numbers vary significantly from year-to-year, and it might simply be a down year, only time will tell. We did band 38 saw-whets since our last post, doubling the season total for them. The long-eared migration has become steadier, with 1-3 banded on each of the last six nights, and we’re hoping that their numbers pick up soon.
Two recent long-eareds showing their personalities.
We have an update on one of the saw-whets that we placed a nanotag on last summer. The juvenile female that made her way to the mountains of western North Carolina last fall made her way back to Michigan last month. After releasing her at the Point on August 3 last year, she was first detected on the WI/IL border on October 20. She was then detected in Indiana and Kentucky before last checking in on November 3 in North Carolina. We had to laugh when we posted her map on our facebook page last fall and someone commented “Wise owl to avoid godforsaken Ohio.” Then, on March 10 this year she was detected in Ohio just south of the Michigan border, on an Ohio State University motus tower nonetheless. Five nights later she was detected near Bay City, Michigan. We haven’t heard from her since, but we’re hoping that she gets detected again before she finishes her first spring migration.
The juvenile saw-whet’s first fall migration (green) and first spring migration (yellow).
The below photograph is of the Crane Creek Preserve in the mountains of North Carolina where the saw-whet was detected last November.
A blue-spotted salamander being moved off the road.
One of our favorite parts of nocturnal life at the Point is seeing the emergence of the amphibians. We were shocked the first time we saw a salamander walking across the forest floor on several feet of snow. We thought it was just a freak occurrence, but have learned that it is a normal, annual event. It is the mole salamanders, blue-spotted and spotted, that are always the first to appear.
Banding Totals:
Saw-whet: 74 banded, 9 recaptured
Boreal: 1
Long-eared: 12
Barred: 1
Check out our upcoming spring events below- as the owls are running a bit on the late side this year, it seems like the next few weeks will be ideal for visiting the banding. You never know what we might get!
