We're in our third year of banding Northern Saw-whet Owls on the inner
Piedmont of Virginia in Campbell County just outside of Lynchburg, VA,
running from the very end of October until early December, with 39 and
38 owls netted in 2002 and 2003. We normally open from dusk until 11
PM as many other owl stations do, with hourly net checks of our line of
five nets with an audio lure playing in the middle of the net line. We
have had one of our birds recovered both last year and this year; in
both cases Scott Weidensaul in Pennsylvania has captured one of our
birds in October that was banded by us the previous November. In
November 2002 we recovered one banded Saw-whet, netted the previous
October at Kiptopeke, and in November 2003 we recaptured a Saw-whet
banded the previous October in Massachusetts. This year we have a
higher recovery rate of banded birds, having netted three banded birds
so far (Many Saw-whet banders are having a similar experience this year
as the number of banders has been on the increase). So far we know the
origin of only one of those banded owls, which was banded last October
at Long Point Bird Observatory in Ontario. Below are our total
Saw-whets netted to date. The year for us is going about average,
ahead of last years numbers and behind numbers from 2002 at this date.
We don't get the numbers Clair Mellinger nets in the mountains, but I am
optimistic that we will break 50 birds this year.
10/30 0
10/31 0
11/1 9
11/2 0
11/3 Not open
11/4 1
11/5 0
11/6 3
11/7 1
Gene Sattler
Lynchburg
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