Welcome to the Fall 2025 Owl Banding season at Mackinac Straits Raptor Watch (MSRW)! Before we go over how our first week went, allow us to introduce ourselves.
Hi! I’m Josiah Gritter and I will be the Lead Owl Bander this season. I am a recent college graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point where I got my degree in Wildlife Ecology and Management. I was fortunate enough to work with MSRW in the Spring as the assistant raptor bander and I am excited to return this fall!
I’m the Assistant Owl Bander, Jake Brown, from Coventry, Rhode Island. I’m a wildlife technician currently doing seasonal work, mostly focusing on avian species. I have done professional wildlife work in Rhode Island, Maine, Connecticut, Montana, Utah, Oklahoma, and now Michigan with MSRW. Additionally, I’m grateful to have been heavily involved with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management by helping the incredible and hardworking staff at their Great Swamp Field Headquarters as either a seasonal or volunteer on various projects for more than 8 years!
Our first week, as expected, was rather slow. We first opened our nets on September 15th and caught our first northern saw-whet owl (NSWO) on the 17th. The next few days saw no birds and inclement weather (high winds and rain) forced us to close early on the 19th and not open our nets at all on the 20th. Our luck finally turned around on the 21st. Calmer winds and clearer skies brought us 3 new owls for a weekly total of 4. Consisting of 2 males and 2 females, this gives us a 1:1 sex ratio so far for the season. It will be interesting to see how much this ratio changes as the season goes on!
As temperatures get cooler, we’re anticipating many more owls to make their way through the Straits the next several weeks. Stay tuned for weekly updates from now to early November to learn more about owls and how our season goes!
Season Numbers:
Total: 4, NSWO: 4
Jake and Josiah