To HHOWLS Northern Saw-whet Owl Banding Team First, let me say that *__UN _*SCHEDULED VISITORS ARE A MAJOR CAUSE OF BANDING MISHAPS AND ARE NOT WELCOME.
Migration has formally started. There are reports from Montezuma by those who look for beaks that dip by about 2 mm as seen from about 500,000 mm away and who get chills and thrills when they find one that does. (Forgive limp attempt at humor) In contrast, imaging having a saw-whet in hand with its talons in your fingers and its bright little eyes staring at you from a foot (pun) away. How much more blessed is it to see the bird so close that you have to use your reading glasses. Last year the Hammond Hill Owl Site (that would be HHOWLS, which I can hear from you), which is about 3 miles southeast of Slaterville Springs, NY, had a phenomenal year. The banding crew was great in all aspects and we got banding data for 102 birds. That included three birds banded elsewhere that we recaptured and one Screech Owl that we banded the year before that was back trying to eat saw-whets again this year (just before it went for a longer car ride). We had one of our birds, which we banded the year before last, that was recaptured last year and one of the birds banded last year recaptured last year. Bob McGuire, Julia Gillis, Andy Myers, and I co-authored a paper about that wonderful year for The Kingbird (first issue of this year). I never imagined that there would be numerous saw-whet owls migrating through our yard, until I heard a seminar by Valerie Freer at the annual meeting of the New York State Ornithological Association describing her success in her yard. Now that the real migration is about to begin, I am hoping to have another great year of banding, literally, in Karen's and my front yard. I hope to work with another great banding team. As with last year, I expect that HHOWLS banders should come out at least three nights. The first two nights of "help" from those with a commitment to being part of the banding team are much more of a handicap than an asset. I can't give primary attention to the birds' welfare and the accuracy of the data recording with several banders-to-be around who are unfamiliar with the process and *UNSCHEDULED* visitors. This year I am going to ask the banding team to choose specific nights of the week and to try to come on those nights (or wee, early hours of the morning of the next day) for the duration from end of Se to 5^th or 10^th November. I will also need some additional help expanding the net lines for some new nets to be established sometime in mid- to late September. If you are interested in being a regular bander again this year or for the first time, please email me or call 607-539-6308 for further information. If you would like to see the banding process, I would be delighted to show those who have scheduled a visit, which allows me to control the number of visitors on any given night. Not even Karen can give someone else permission to come, if you hope to see our marriage continue, which was jeopardized last year. Cheers, John Confer -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
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