Saw-whet Owl Banding Project - Pilot Year

Hello everyone,

Northern Saw-whet Owls are one of North America's least understood birds. Ben Kehoe and Nick Liadis are looking for funding to help their conservation efforts. Better understanding how these owls use local habitats is critical to conserving them. Not to mention, they are pretty cute too!

Ben and Nick are in the pilot year of banding Northern Saw-whet Owls at Harrison Hills Park just outside Pittsburgh. While we were granted permission to use the site, we are having to fundraise to pay for this important research. That’s why we started this GoFundMe Page! Funds will be used for things like purchasing nets that capture the owls, reimbursing the cost of travel to the park, and paying for the time it takes to set up nets and conduct the fieldwork. Aside from the important data that will be collected and analyzed, we want to use owls as an outreach tool to create broader awareness of migratory birds and their population declines.

Illustration by Ben Kehoe for the project.

But I think a little background is in order.

What is the project? Why is the project? How does this project work?

Northern Saw-whet Owls are one of North America’s most secretive and elusive birds. They primarily breed in inaccessible areas across Canada and seek out dense habitat on their migration. Many aspects of their biology are still poorly understood, including their migratory patterns and wintering habits. These tiny, charismatic owls migrate through Southwestern PA in fall and winter here in small numbers too. By banding them, we have the chance to contribute data to a broader network of owl banding operations that seek to uncover aspects of how these birds migrate across the continent. We will also gain a sense for how they use local habitats. All essential aspects to their conservation.

Bird banding is conducted by highly trained individuals under Master Banding Permits from the Bird Banding Laboratory. Birds are captured in fine nets that are strung up in their habitat. Once an owl is captured, it is brought back to the banding table in a soft cotton bag and then identified with a unique band placed around its leg. Data is then collected which includes determining the age and sex of the bird plus the measure of its body size and fat stores. The birds are safely released within a few minutes of banding and continue on their migrations.

Who the heck are we??

The collaboration between Ben and Nick is ideal for studying Northern Saw-whet Owls. Their cross-disciplinary backgrounds and knowledge of local ecosystems will support the data that they collect from the owls. Here is a little more about Ben and Nick:

Nick Liadis is an avian conservation biologist based here in Pittsburgh. His work takes him across the human landscape gradient into urban, suburban, and rural areas to better understand how birds live alongside humans. Trained as an architect, he got into working with birds by way of bird-window collisions. He has recently started a non-profit called Bird Lab which will study and implement solutions to human sources of avian mortality. And in particular, those within cities.

Ben Kehoe is a full-time Park Ranger, nature lover (especially birds), and artist. He wanted to help coordinate this important project in a park that he loves. Seeing these cute owls up close is an amazing bonus but really, it’s all about the data, which will help guide the conservation of these amazing creatures going into an increasingly uncertain future.

Thank you for the support! If we happen to get over our goal amount, those funds will go toward next year's owl banding efforts. We are hoping to develop some programming around this project and possibly add a public element. We're excited to see how this project will evolve going into the future!

Note: "no raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or promotions are offered in exchange for any donations made to this GoFundMe"