Owl Banding

About a week ago (May 10), Allicia and I had an amazing opportunity to band Great Horned Owl chicks with 2 seasoned raptor banders - Al and Hardy. Here's a photo journal of that experience.


The first nest of the day (there were 3 total).


Al climbing the tree.


Retrieving the owlets from the nest.


Lowering the owlets from the nest in a canvas sack to where we banded them on the ground.


Aw, they're so....cute?


Hardy banding the first one of the day.


These chicks are around 16-18 days old.




I'm attempting to close the band - very tough.


Owl parents can be very aggressive in defense of their young - their large talons are the part to watch out for. None attacked that day, but look how close this one got to Allicia's head.


28-30 day old chicks. Al says that they have already fledged (left the nest) since we banded them.




Al and Hardy instructing Allicia.


Allicia wearing all the climbing gear (spikes, belt to wrap around the tree). She climbed two of the trees.


30 day old chicks doing a threat display to make themselves look bigger. They also make quite a racket by clacking their bills to express their displeasure at the whole situation. It sounds like hitting two sticks together.


One of the parents.


Mom and Dad owl watching over the proceedings.


Allicia from the top of the last tree after she returned the owlets to the nest.

Pictures galore

Welcome! The first post of my summer blog dedicated to telling my bird banding stories, but it will mostly be pictures because I am lazy and sleepy most of the time. Perhaps because of the hours of my employment - 1/2 hour before sunrise is the start time and it only gets earlier until June 21. Even though I wake up with the birds, I feel very blessed to have this job. I could not have designed better myself: experience with bird handling and identification, in a beautiful location, but close enough to see my lovely husband at least once a week, and I'm working with a great girl, Allicia. And lots of variety in the position as you will see...
This first posting will be a doosy since I have already been working for a few weeks and we have done many things. Enjoy!

First catches of the season: a young Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, a tiny male Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and, very rare in the area, a Brown Creeper.




Attempting to catch tree swallows by luring them with feathers (which they use for nests).



Extracting birds from the mist net.


Myself (with a Dark-eyed Junco) and Allicia (with a Myrtle Warbler).


Banding a Clay-colored Sparrow.


View of the lab.