Back in October, I was able to sit in on a night of banding Northern Saw-whet Owls held by the Pocono Avian Research Center at Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center. We caught, and re-caught, only one bird, however, it was still great to be able to see it in hand and up close.
Northern Saw-whet Owl in hand, taken with my iPhone
The coolest part about it was seeing the bird under a black light. Birds feathers display UV patterns which can indicate the age of a bird. This Northern Saw-whet Owl’s feathers were glowing pink across the under side of its wing, which showed that it was a hatch-year bird.
Left wing under UV light
Right wing under UV light
If the bird had older feathers, they would not glow as bright as the newly grown feathers. For more information on this, check out my friend Ann Nightingale’s article on BirdFellow, Pretty in Pink: The Northern Saw-whet Owl’s Flashy Secret.
Once all of the measurements were taken, the banders allowed me to release the bird. It’s so tiny!
Me holding the Owl before release; photo taken by my friend, Steve
Once the bird was released for the second time, it stuck around in a nearby tree, allowing us to get some nice photos. I used the light from our headlamps to lighten the bird up rather than using a flash. It was a great experience to see this tiny owl up close. I hope to do it again next year!
Northern Saw-whet Owl hiding behind the leaves
Northern Saw-whet Owl perched, after getting banded