November 2, 2024

This year I was vigilant or lucky enough to reserve places on a convenient dte for saw-whet owl banding at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center, part of Project Owlnet. The weekend spots sometimes go quickly. Who doesn’t want to spend their Saturday night watching saw-whet owls get measured, weighed, and banded before taking flight while wondering, “What was that all about?”

First, though, there was Casper, the ambassador barn owl from Humane Indiana Wildlife. She reminded me how much I miss handling birds of prey, especially barn owl Alba.

After that, there was a wait — it felt like at least 45 minutes. I thought I felt the buzz of an owl being delivered. Until then, I’d been worried this might be a wasted trip. Nope. I lost track, but I’d guess we saw at least five saw-whet owls. This particular set seemed more expressive than some in the past. I think all of them clicked their displeasure or indignation to the handlers.

The last owl, however, didn’t fly off immediately when offered freedom from atop a participant’s arm. It perched for several minutes, so long I began to wonder if it would ever leave. At last, it flew toward the woods, accompanied by the usual “ooohs” from the awestruck participants.

In the middle of the program, J told me there was an owl in a tree. So there was, visible in the harsh lights of the parking lot. I don’t know if it was one of the newly banded owls or one that had escaped being caught in the clutches of the mist nets. It attracted its own fan club, several of them with long lenses.

What started out as a slow night for owl banding turned into a successful one. If only I were six inches taller so I could see better (and get better photos and videos).

Saw-whet owl banding

19 photos