We were able to open nets around midnight last night after a rainy evening. Then, we were forced to close them around 3:30 when it started to snow and become very gusty.
We did not band any owls during our short period of operation, but we did catch a flying squirrel!
I have some information about the recaptured owls that we’ve had so far this season. Two were previously banded last year in Whitefish Point. One was banded at Point LaBarbe last fall and one was banded in Newark, Indiana last fall.
On March 26th, we recaptured a bird that was banded here at Cheboygan Sate Park in the spring of 2011. It was originally banded as a second year bird, making it seven years old this year! Learning how long birds can live in the wild is just one of the many fascinating aspects of banding.
It looks like we will be able to get a full night in tonight. There may be some precipitation early in the evening, but it should end around 8pm. The forecast for the remainder of the night shows cloudy skies, temperatures in the low 30’s and upper 20’s, and winds out of the northwest.
