At each site, researchers set up a temporary array of fine “mist nets” and played an audio loop of a saw-whet owl call to lure owls toward the nets. Although saw-whet owl banding stations exist in Maine, Vermont, and Massachusetts, ours is the only such project in New Hampshire at this time.īanding took place at three different sites on Harris Center lands, which were selected based on land ownership, forest cover, slope, access, and distance from residential areas.
Banding is one of the best tools we have for monitoring changes in saw-whet populations and migration patterns over time, and for identifying critical migration routes and overwintering habitat. In addition, although they are currently common, they may be particularly vulnerable to climate change the National Audubon Society considers them a “climate-endangered” species, predicting a 99% loss in their wintering habitat by 2080. Saw-whet owls are small, secretive, and nocturnal, which can make them difficult to study. In the fall of 2022, the Harris Center launched a pilot season of Northern Saw-whet Owl ( Aegolius acadicus) banding on SuperSanctuary lands, as part of an international research effort ( ) to better understand the fall migration of this charismatic bird of prey. Monadnock Region Natural History Conference.
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