Unfortunately, another slow week in Mackinaw City! With another two days of wind and rainy weather, captures for this week were down compared to last. Most nights resulted in only catching 1 or 2 birds, and even a few nights with no captures.
Last week I recorded my first male, which was also the smallest NWSO of the season weighing only 80 grams, but this week I captured the LARGEST bird so far weighing in at 116 grams! From a distance she was noticeably big, but after removing her from the net I could feel how full she felt. She had most likely caught something for dinner earlier that evening!
It’s hard to tell without another to compare to but this was a hefty bird!
This week I only had 6 captures, but I had some other things to keep me busy! Thankfully not mending the nets again, but I had plenty of other animal sightings this week. I’ve been patiently waiting for my first owl that isn’t a Saw Whet, and finally I spotted a Barred Owl (BDOW) hanging close by the net arrays. The BDOW hung around for a night or two but never interacted with the nets or any NWSO captured. Now I’m just hoping I can band it!
The Barred Owl (BDOW) perched near the nets. Net checks are done more frequently when BDOW are present.
I also have found out the foreign recapture from last week is an After Third Year female, and was banded in October of 2022 in Cedar Grove, Wisconsin, just North of Milwaukee. After this slower week, I hope I can see some more activity in week 4! Overall, there has been 49 total captures with 5 being foreign recaptures, 1 male, and 6 sexed as unknown. I’m excited for what this week has in store, see you next week!
Left: A NSWO calmly sitting in my hand after recording her data. Right: The same NWSO after release watching me from her perch.
