If you’ve never seen a northern saw-whet owl, now’s the time to visit Pittsburgh’s Project Owlnet!
Bob Mulvihill of the National Aviary has been banding them at Sewickley Heights Park since 2013. Three years of statistics indicate that the best nights for northern saw-whets are dark evenings with a north wind in late October so I went out there last Wednesday, October 26.
Bob sets up the mist nets and “toot” speakers at dusk. Placed near the nets, the speakers play the owls’ own tooting sound to attract them. Helpers and spectators wait at the picnic tables for the periodic net checks.
I arrived late — at 10:00pm — and heard that I’d just missed an owl. Oh no! Would there be more?
At 10:15 the banding helpers came back with TWO owls. There’s one in the white bag in Bob’s hand.
The owls are very calm in the hand. Notice the feathers on her eyelids. (All the owls are female.)
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These talons are needle sharp for catching mice.
Receiving her band…
Bob spreads the bird’s wing to examine the color of her feathers. The combination of newer and older feathers indicates her age.
Northern saw-whets like to be scratched on the head. They close their eyes when you do it.
After the birds are banded, we get to see them up close. So soft!
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Two owls at once!
A close look …
Three owls are triple the fun!
Want to see these owls up close?
Project Owlnet continues on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, sunset to midnight, through December 3. Be sure to check the details here before you go. Weather is a factor!
(photos by Doug Cunzolo, Donna Foyle, Kathy Miller, Barb Griffith and Kate St. John)
as much as the pictures of the adorable owls, I love the joyous expressions on the human faces!
Always so timely Kate! My calendar was marked to go this evening!
And now I’m even more excited to go!
So very cool — wish I could’ve been there, too!
I didn’t make it last year, hoping to head out there tomorrow evening.
Joyous is a good word for the experience.
I have never been more jealous in my life!
ABC posted a video on Fb with the Saw-whet call.
https://m.facebook.com/AmericanBirdConserve/?refid=28&_ft_=qid.6347674811563664161%3Amf_story_key.4764456778328315551&__tn__=C
Kate thanks. What a neat little guy. The wise young owl. Thanks Rob for link to their calls. That “potoo” (sic) owl is quite an oddity. What a sense of humor the designer of it’s call. I will put it on my phone to use at inappropriate times.