Banding has slowed down over the last week, with 2-3 owls banded per night. Temperatures are going below freezing at night, and the nets have been frosted up by about 11pm on several nights.

The 300th owl for the season was banded tonight. So far, the total (301) includes 289 Northern Saw-whet Owls and 12 Boreal Owls.

This season’s 265th Northern Saw-whet Owl was banded last night. This makes 2020 my best banding season yet for Saw-whets; the previous top season was Fall 2011, with 261 Saw-whets banded.

It remains to be seen whether or not 2011’s overall total of 317 banded owls will be surpassed. 2011 was also a good year for Boreal Owls, with 56 banded. Only 9 Boreals have been banded so far during 2020, but there are still a couple of weeks left in this season (I usually close things up at the end of October).

Continuing rainy weather has made banding slower during the last week. I’ve typically been banding 5-10 owls per night when it wasn’t raining.

The 2000th owl banded during 12 banding seasons at this location arrived tonight. Owl #2000 was a hatch-year Boreal Owl.

Seven Saw-whets and two Boreals were banded tonight after a relatively slow week- I only banded during a few nights over the last week due to near-constant rain. Totals for the season at this point: 233 Northern Saw-whets and 7 Boreals banded, plus three returning Saw-whets banded in previous years.

Although the Saw-whets seem to be slowing down, Boreals seem to be picking up- 4 of the season’s 7 were banded in the last 3 days. Another was seen watching the proceedings as the nets were being closed tonight: