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OWL
MIGRATION MONITORING PROGRAM 2004 |
The
McGill Bird Observatory is currently experimenting with owl migration
monitoring techniques. Below are summaries of each outing.
Comments or questions are welcome at mbo@migrationresearch.org.
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Wednesday
October 27, 2004 |
| Bander
in charge: Marcel
Gahbauer |
Banding
assistants:
Shawn Craik, Crissy Ranellucci |
| Hours:
4.5 (1830-2300) |
Nets:
5 |
Net
hours: 22.5 |
| Opening
weather: |
10%
cloud |
5C |
NE
(Beaufort 1) |
no
precipitation |
| Closing
weather: |
0%
cloud |
-1C |
- |
no
precipitation |
| Northern
Saw-whet Owls: |
Banded:
1 |
Repeats:
0 |
Returns:
0 |
| Other species: |
2 Long-eared Owls
and 1 Eastern Screech-Owl heard. |
| NOTES:
For the first couple of hours the full moon cast an incredibly
light on the landscape. Then the lunar eclipse occurred
around 10 pm, and the change was remarkable. Interestingly,
the one owl we caught came in before the eclipse started. A
second-year female, it turned out she was our last of 2004.
Twice this week we've had good conditions and hardly any captures,
so it's time to put away the audiolure until next year.
While we only had one owl tonight, it was a great evening all the
same, between the eclipse, the other two owl species calling, and
a small pack of coyotes howling (at the moon?) just after we
opened the nets.
|
| Bander
in charge:
Joanna Coleman |
Banding
assistants:
Shawn Craik, Amélie Côté, Barbara Macduff, Paul Payette, Jen
Pearson, Alain Theriault |
| Hours:
3.75 (1845-2230) |
Nets:
5 |
Net
hours: 18.75 |
| Opening
weather: |
80%
cloud |
5C |
- |
no
precipitation |
| Closing
weather: |
90%
cloud |
4C |
- |
no
precipitation |
| Northern
Saw-whet Owls: |
Banded:
0 |
Repeats:
0 |
Returns:
0 |
| Other species: |
Raccoon heard
behind station |
| NOTES:
Calm but cloudy. No owls heard or seen at all.
However, the wood stove in the cabin was put to use for the first
time, so at least one important milestone was achieved
tonight.
|
| Bander
in charge: Marcel
Gahbauer |
Banding
assistants:
Shawn Craik, Marie-Anne Hudson |
| Hours:
3.5 (1845-2215) |
Nets:
5 |
Net
hours: 17.5 |
| Opening
weather: |
90%
cloud |
8C |
NE
(Beaufort 3) |
no
precipitation |
| Closing
weather: |
90%
cloud |
7C |
NE
(Beaufort 3) |
no
precipitation |
| Northern
Saw-whet Owls: |
Banded:
0 |
Repeats:
0 |
Returns:
0 |
| NOTES:
Cloudy and windy - not a good combination. Even the
Long-eared Owls failed to put in an appearance tonight.
|
| Bander
in charge: Marcel
Gahbauer |
Banding
assistants:
Shawn Craik, Marie-Anne Hudson |
| Hours:
4.0 (1840-2240) |
Nets:
5 |
Net
hours: 20 |
| Opening
weather: |
0%
cloud |
5C |
NE
(Beaufort 2) |
no
precipitation |
| Closing
weather: |
20%
cloud |
2C |
NE
(Beaufort 4) |
no
precipitation |
| Northern
Saw-whet Owls: |
Banded:
0 |
Repeats:
0 |
Returns:
0 |
| Other species: |
2 Long-eared Owls
heard |
| NOTES:
No evidence tonight of any Saw-whets being around. The wind
kept increasing through the evening, likely eliminating any
chances we had at catching anything other than leaves
tonight.
|
| Bander
in charge: Marcel
Gahbauer |
Banding
assistants:
Tanya Drapeau, Gay Gruner, Marylise Lefevre, Crissy Ranellucci |
| Hours:
4.0 (1845-2245) |
Nets:
5 |
Net
hours: 20 |
| Opening
weather: |
10%
cloud |
5C |
W
(Beaufort 2) |
no
precipitation |
| Closing
weather: |
0%
cloud |
0C |
NW
(Beaufort 1) |
no
precipitation |
| Northern
Saw-whet Owls: |
Banded:
0 |
Repeats:
0 |
Returns:
1 |
| Other species: |
1 Long-eared Owl
heard; 1 Eastern Screech-Owl seen |
| NOTES:
Seemingly very suitable weather conditions (clear and calm
following a cold front), but only one owl caught.
Nonetheless, a very interesting one. It was banded three
years earlier at Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory in Ontario,
southwest of Kingston. At the time it was identified as a
second-year bird, making it now a fifth-year individual. We
took detailed notes on the moult pattern of the wings, which we
hope to be able to compare with future captures.
|
| Bander
in charge: Marcel
Gahbauer |
Banding
assistants:
Shawn Craik, Marie-Anne Hudson |
| Hours:
4.5 (1900-2330) |
Nets:
5 |
Net
hours: 22.5 |
| Opening
weather: |
0%
cloud |
13C |
W
(Beaufort 3) |
no
precipitation |
| Closing
weather: |
0%
cloud |
7C |
W
(Beaufort 3) |
no
precipitation |
| Northern
Saw-whet Owls: |
Banded:
2 |
Repeats:
1 |
Returns:
0 |
| Other species: |
2 Long-eared Owls
heard |
| NOTES:
Much less activity than last night. The wind was forecast to
die down during the evening but never did, and likely accounts for
the low capture rate.
|
| Bander
in charge: Marcel
Gahbauer |
Banding
assistants:
Joanna Coleman, Shawn Craik, Paul Payette |
| Hours:
5.5 (1855-0025) |
Nets:
5 |
Net
hours: 27.5 |
| Opening
weather: |
90%
cloud |
10C |
N
(Beaufort 1) |
no
precipitation |
| Closing
weather: |
50%
cloud |
6C |
N
(Beaufort 1) |
no
precipitation |
| Northern
Saw-whet Owls: |
Banded:
13 |
Repeats:
1 |
Returns:
0 |
| Other species: |
1 Eastern Screech
Owl banded, 2 Long-eared Owls and 1 Great Horned Owl heard |
| NOTES:
At last our fortunes have taken a dramatic turn for the
better! With the temperature dropping into single digits
overnight and light winds from the north, some owls appear to have
resumed their southward movements. Our first capture
came roughly an hour after sunset, and they came in steadily after
that, with a total of 15 owls caught by a bit after
midnight. Among them, to our great surprise, was an Eastern
Screech Owl. A wonderful evening; hopefully we'll have
several more like this before the season is over.
|
| Bander
in charge: Marcel
Gahbauer |
Banding
assistants:
Melisa Brunet, Isabel Julian, Teresa Julian |
| Hours:
3.0 (1855-2155) |
Nets:
5 |
Net
hours: 15 |
| Opening
weather: |
100%
cloud |
12C |
N
(Beaufort 3) |
no
precipitation |
| Closing
weather: |
80%
cloud |
11C |
N
(Beaufort 4) |
no
precipitation |
| Northern
Saw-whet Owls: |
Banded:
0 |
Repeats:
0 |
Returns:
0 |
| Other species: |
1-2 Long-eared
Owls heard |
| NOTES:
Still quite warm at night, and on this occasion also far too
windy. At least the Long-eared Owls were vocalizing again,
as before flying back and forth along Stoneycroft Pond.
|
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Wednesday
October 6, 2004 |
| Bander
in charge: Marcel
Gahbauer |
Banding
assistants:
Lise Amarasekera, Joanna Coleman, Shawn Craik, Tanya Drapeau,
Robin Goldstein, Paul Payette |
| Hours:
4.0 (1855-2255) |
Nets:
5 |
Net
hours: 20 |
| Opening
weather: |
10%
cloud |
15C |
SW
(Beaufort 1) |
no
precipitation |
| Closing
weather: |
20%
cloud |
13C |
SW
(Beaufort 3) |
no
precipitation |
| Northern
Saw-whet Owls: |
Banded:
0 |
Repeats:
0 |
Returns:
0 |
| Other species: |
none observed |
| NOTES:
Another warm night, with the wind picking up over the course of
the evening, further inhibiting any potential owl movement.
As pleasant as this weather is for most purposes, we really need a
cold front to get the owls moving toward us again.
|
| Bander
in charge: Marcel
Gahbauer |
Banding
assistants:
Robin Goldstein, Emily Wallace |
| Hours:
2.0 (1900-2100) |
Nets:
5 |
Net
hours: 10.0 |
| Opening
weather: |
10%
cloud |
18C |
none |
no
precipitation |
| Closing
weather: |
20%
cloud |
15C |
S
(Beaufort 1) |
no
precipitation |
| Northern
Saw-whet Owls: |
Banded:
0 |
Repeats:
0 |
Returns:
0 |
| Other species: |
none observed |
| NOTES:
No luck tonight. With an overnight low of 14 Celsius, it was
simply too warm for the owls to be migrating, and we closed down
early.
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|
Tuesday
September 28, 2004 |
| Bander
in charge: Marcel
Gahbauer |
Banding
assistants:
Shawn Craik, Christina Donehower, Marie-Anne Hudson |
| Hours:
4.5 (1800-2230) |
Nets:
5 |
Net
hours: 15 |
| Opening
weather: |
30%
cloud |
17C |
N
(Beaufort 1) |
no
precipitation |
| Closing
weather: |
50%
cloud |
13C |
none |
no
precipitation |
| Northern
Saw-whet Owls: |
Banded:
1 |
Repeats:
0 |
Returns:
0 |
| Other species: |
2-3 Long-eared
Owls heard |
| NOTES:
Our first attempt at owl banding, a few days earlier than
originally planned, due to suitable cloud and wind conditions and
reports of owl migration at other stations to the west and
east. Within the first hour of operating the audiolure, we
heard owls vocalizing around Stoneycroft Pond. After
listening to them for a while, we concluded that the variety of
yelps and barks were characteristic of Long-eared Owls, and a
brief silhouette glimpsed in flight away from the large dead tree
by the pond confirmed our suspicion. They remained vocal
throughout the evening, but did not come close to the nets.
However, on our second last net round, just before 10 pm, we
caught our first Saw-whet Owl, a large hatch-year female. A
most enjoyable evening.
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