Views from the Drumlin

Rain, Rain, Go Away

It's a rainy, rainy day here on the farm.

While some of the animals don't mind the rain at all...

Others are staying in their barns.

 

In other news from Drumlin Farm it’s been a phenomenal season for saw-whet owl banding. Banding these small owls is part of an ongoing research project. For more information on how the banding is performed and why check out this post from a few years back. One night this week, when the conditions for owls to be out migrating were just perfect (clear skies, crisp weather) the team caught 53 owls. Eventually they had to shut down for the night because they ran out of bands! It was definitely the busiest night of the season, and was the second highest number of owls they’ve ever banded in one night. (In 2007 there was one evening they banded 62!)

Here’s a really wonderful picture of the saw-whet owl  taken by Kathy Seymour who runs our banding station with a number of very dedicated volunteers!

 

It should be clear day tomorrow. If you're looking for an outdoor activity check out our Saturday morning bird walks. Preregistration is not necessary and you can call 781-259-2200, ext. BIRD (2473) today for the exact time and location.

If you're planning a visit this weekend, please note that since it's getting darker earlier and earlier, we're now on our winter schedule. The farm will close at 4:00 pm each day. The last hayride is at 2:45 pm.

Saw Whet Owl Banding

I had the great pleasure to join our Citizen Science bird banding team last week for a night of saw whet owl banding. Kathy, Jackie, and Susan are three of our fabulous Drumlin Farm volunteers who brave the cold and darkness on fall nights to monitor migrating saw whet owls as they pass through our area on their fall journey.

 

We met around 6:30 pm and set up the delicate nets in the woods that are used to catch the owls without injuring them. A “lure” (recorded owl call) is played to attract passing owls, who then fly down to investigate and are captured in the netting. The male saw whet call sounds something like a truck backing up – not at all the stereotypical “hoot.” We checked the nets every 45 minutes until about 11 pm, although some nights they are out until 1-2 am if it is a good “owling” night. The migration seemed to be nearly over last week, so we caught only a single owl, bringing the total for this season at Drumlin Farm to just under 100.

After Kathy gently removed the owl from the netting, she placed it in a small bag,where it seemed very calm – not at all agitated by what must have been a strange experience! We brought it back to our indoor banding station, where the owl was weighed, its wingspan measured, and its feathers inspected for molting patterns. Based on our observations, the team judged the owl to be a second-year female. We placed a small metal band around one of her legs and recorded the band number to identify her as being caught at Drumlin Farm on this date. The data will be compiled with other saw whet banding teams around the northeast to monitor migration patterns and learn more about their development. As the visitor, I had the privilege of releasing the owl outside, where she got her bearings for a minute or two and then flew into a nearby maple tree.

 

 

Even though we caught only a single bird that night, we had a great time hiking through the woods, watching the moon come up, listening to the sounds of screech owls calling to each other, and also the amazing experience of hearing and then seeing a barred owl up in the trees (perhaps looking for an easy meal at the nets). I encourage everyone to check out our evening owl programs to get your own up-close look at these fascinating birds.

 

- Posted by Renata, Drumlin Farm's visitor education coordinator