Greetings once again fellow raptor enthusiasts! I’m here with another owl banding update from Cheboygan State Park!
Our nights have been up and down recently in regards to both owls and the weather. We’ve been lucky enough to have a few nights with 10 or more owls. Our best night being the night of March 30th with a total of 19 owls! Our cumulative total so far for the season is 76 saw-whet owls. We have yet to capture any other species, however, we are optimistic that soon we’ll be able to capture and band long-eared owls as they begin their migration back north. Also on the night of April 2nd while walking back to the cabin from a net check we heard a male and female great horned owl calling back and forth to each other for about 5 minutes.
As I mentioned earlier the weather hasn’t been the best lately with a big snowstorm blowing through the on April 3rd and 4th with high winds continuing the night of April 4th/5th. For those reasons we kept the nets closed and let the storm pass. Now the winds are calm and we’re back in business and eager to band more owls!
Thanks for reading and remember to check back often for more owl banding updates as well as hawk and waterbird counts!
saw-whet owls: 76
