owl nights - update on October 11

Owl banding so far has been a great success: it seems that we are catching more owls than we have in similar conditions in past years, leading me to conclude that larger-scale weather conditions are more favorable for movement of the little feathery beasts, or that populations are high. Given that weather conditions locally have been as usual blustery and rainy, I lean toward the latter conclusion. Other banding stations have also reported high numbers and have suggested that saw-whet owl populations are high this year.

In any case, it is always a pleasure and a gift to behold these tiny owls! We have been fortunate to share one night so far of owl banding with visitors, a record night during which we trapped 5 saw-whets. We are looking forward to more people coming, and learning a little about these small predators.

Interestingly, on Monday night, weather conditions were perfect for owl movement: there was a gentle north wind, the water was calm and quiet allowing our broadcast call to be heard from afar, the moon was shrouded in cloud affording saw-whets cover of darkness and protection from great-horneds who would prey on them. I fully expected a great night: hundreds of saw-whets (or at least a few)! But each check turned up empty nets and I mused that perhaps a weather system was approaching. The next morning, as we opened nets for songbirds, the very same phenomenon occurred. The birds were silent for most of the day, and were certainly not flying in the pathways of our nets. The owls and the songbirds must have known the same thing: the slanting rains and winds of today were coming. They started at 12 am last night, after I banded the lone and fiesty saw-whet of the night, and I hurriedly closed nets and retreated to bed!

Christina, the owl bander