We did the three-hour drive over to Indiana Dunes State Park to check out the interpreter Brad’s saw-whet owl banding operation. The trip started in what has lately become typical Schools’ birding trip weather conditions. Nice enough to start followed by biblical rains. I suggest buying ark stocks.
A birding trip with Ed and Lise.
Anyway, the weather turned nicer by the time we got there. We did a nice little walk waiting for dark and got some birding in. Interestingly, we had a flock of fox sparrows. Typically we see individual fox sparrows and only occasionally at that. We saw more fox sparrows in 15 minutes than we have seen in the past 15 years. Had an early migrating Northern shrike, a Lincoln’s sparrow, swamp sparrow, golden crowned and ruby crowned kinglets (not just yellow and red crowned but golden and ruby crowned mind you), brown creeper, red-breasted nuthatches, bunches of white crowned and white throated sparrows, and all the other usual suspects.
Dunes is a nice place,
Once it turned dark we did the owl gig. Brad’s banding effort is part of the Northwest Indiana Migratory Bird Association (http://nimbabirds.weebly.com/) program. Trapping the owls entails using mist nets, loose baggy nets strung in an X shaped pattern. A call is used to lure the owls to the nets. The call is loud and can be heard pretty far from the nets. A team of volunteers check the nets on a timed cycle. The nets are designed to entangle the birds without harming anything except their dignity. The volunteers have to disentangle the owls without harming the owl or the fairly expensive nets. I did this with neo-tropical songbirds about 15 years ago and it can be really challenging to get the birds out without causing any harm.
Opening mist nets.
Lise opening mist nets.
Brad explaining the nets.
The mesh.
Once removed from the nets, the owls are put in a bag and transported back to the nature center for processing and banding. They are measured, weighed, sexed and banded. The band has a unique number that identifies the bird and aids in identifying the individual wherever they go. I have a coworker that banded a piping plover in Michigan, saw the same bird on the Georgia coast, then saw the same bird back in Michigan the following season.
I am soooo humiliated.
I will get you for this!
Untangling owls. That’s a crochet hook in her mouth.
Untangling owls. That’s a crochet hook in her mouth.
Free at last.
Our baby. #0924-35997.
In the bag you go.
The night we were there Brad incorporated the banding effort into a public program. He had over 150 people show up wanting to see an owl. Pretty gutsy doing any public program that depends on wild animals showing up on schedule. First of all, this isn’t Mutual of Omaha ’s Wild Kingdom. This is real time and most animals don’t have the schedule. Brad started with an informational powerpoint program presented by a really sharp 13-year-old young lady. Not many 13-year-olds would be willing to do a public program in front of 150 people. Not many adults want to do a program in front of 150 people.
Then the volunteers would bring back the netted owls and Brad would process them in front of the crowd. He has a camera setup that projects the processing up on a screen and shares it on the web. While Brad was processing, people were logged in watching the operation along with the live audience. This was pretty cool. Eventually the birds are released and fly away, having contributed to science that may help conserve their species and to the entertainment of a host of park campers.
Processing before a crowd. The young lady in the background gave a presentation to 150+ people.
Processing.
Measuring.
Live feed.
Brad’s operation is pretty impressive, especially considering it is run on volunteers and donations. He and his volunteers are doing science that expands our knowledge while incorporating and educating the general public at the same time.
This was as much fun as watching people at Chicago’s Bean. It’s all about the interactions people have with something. Everyone wants to touch it. So, it doesn’t hurt that he’s using adorable little owls. He probably would not have the same response if he was banding banana slugs. These things have a patent on cute. You would have to be a Nazi or a Republican to not be enamored with these little guys. OK, they’re actually little gals. Eighty percent of the owls they catch are females because the males are still up north on territories. What is important is that while he was gathering research data, everyone that got to see these adorable balls of feathers was infused with the idea that this is something worth conserving. This went way past entertaining people stuck in their campers. These are the kind of moments that help kids pick careers.
Crowd pleaser.
These are the moments that change people’s lives.
For $25 you can adopt an owl. These donations fund the banding program. Things like mist nets and game callers don’t come cheap. Brad has the pictures of “orphan” owls that need adopting outside the program room. Just pull off the picture and write the check. The staff will take care of the rest. We are the proud adoptive parents of 0924-35997, the bird we helped pull out of the nets. OK, we helped by staying the hell out of the way of the volunteers that know what they are doing. Our little darling is a hatch year female that weighs 90 grams.
This is an effort worth supporting. If you have any questions contact Brad at bumgbj01@hotmail.com.
Kudo’s to Brad and his volunteers for making a difference! I thank you.
Ed's and Lise's Biggish Years 