Welcome to the Mackinac Straits Raptor watch 2023 fall owl banding season blog! We wanted to kick things off by introducing this year’s crew!
Hi everyone my name is Hannah Landwerlen, I will be the Lead Owl Bander this fall at Mackinac Straits Raptor Watch! I am a Michigan native, graduating from Michigan State University with a degree in Fisheries & Wildlife in 2021. I have a passion for all things birds, and have been working with birds since my early college years. I am lucky enough to have worked with some pretty special species like the Eastern whip-poor-will, Kirtland’s warbler, and Florida grasshopper sparrow. I have also spent some time in Kaua’i with the Hawaiian honeycreepers, and Guam with the Micronesian Starling aka Såli! I love talking about my bird work so feel free to come by and chat! I love reading and puzzling in between net runs, and my favorite late night snack is goldfish crackers. I love owls, they are so fascinating and I am excited to see what is in store for us this season at MSRW!
Pictured: Hannah with a hatch-year Red-tailed hawk banded last fall 2022.
Hey everyone, I’m Jadine Lee and I’m the Assistant Owl Bander this fall at MSRW. I grew up in Wisconsin, and graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2018 with a degree in zoology, and conservation biology. I have worked with Spotted Owls in Northern California, North American Cranes in Wisconsin, Passerines in Yosemite, and now Northern Saw-whet Owls in Michigan. During slow times I like to read, create silly haikus, and munch on my favorite snacks which are apples and popcorn. Please reach out with any book recommendations, but no true crime. I work in the woods at night and have a vivid enough imagination. 🙂
Pictured: Jadine banding a hatch-year Downy Woodpecker in Yosemite National Park in the summer of 2023.
Our first night opening the nets was September 15th and so far we have caught 8 Northern saw-whet owls! Our busiest night so far was Sept. 18th when we caught 4 saw-whets. We are hoping migration will pick up here soon after this little warm spell we are having in the straits!
Pictured: Our first male of the season! This little guy was a hatch-year (meaning he hatched this spring/summer). Some of you may already know this but male saw-whets are considerably smaller than females!
