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Northern Saw-whet Owl |
The 2009
season was the fifth autumn that
systematic owl trapping has been conducted at the Big Bald Banding
Station. Northern Saw-whet Owls (NSWO) have been documented at
Big Bald through incidental diurnal capture in passerine mist nets
since the autumn of 2003 and from aural surveys since 2000.
Southern Appalachian Raptor Research (SARR) is motivated to monitor
NSWO
migration through the southern high Appalachians by Project
Owlnet, a
web based organization that encourages the on-going investigation and
monitoring of owl population and movement trends through banding and
information sharing. Data gathered by banding NSWO in 2005 led
the Cherokee National Forest to install potential owl nest boxes on the
northern flanks of Big Bald.
 Recently SARR was
awarded two grants through the Tennessee Ornithological Society and the
North Carolina Appalachian Trail License Plate Grant Program. Grant
funding will allow us to monitor the NSWO population, habitat, and
breeding at Big Bald.
Preliminary call surveys conducted by SARR in March and April 2010
indicate the presence of NSWO in the Big Bald habitat. Saw-whet nest
boxes located at Big Bald were checked twice this spring, however, no
nesting activity was observed. As the season progresses, SARR
will track Saw-whets with radio telemetry to learn more about
their use of the area.
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