JULY 2015 • NEBRASKAland 27
this year with hopes to gain future
data about the owls. Historically, their
distribution and migration patterns
have not been well understood.
Perhaps these owls will be captured
at banding sites such as those of
Project Owlnet, a collaboration of more
than 100 locations focusing primarily
on saw-whet owls. The sites, mostly
on the East Coast and Upper Midwest,
use the owls' familiar call to lure them
into mist nets. By chance, the Rocky
Mountain Bird Observatory's annual
bird-banding site at Wildcat Hills
Nature Center captured a saw-whet last
fall.
Mollhoff said the biggest challenge
to his project has been the distance
involved. A round trip to check the
boxes, which occurs at least monthly
during breeding season, is about 1,400
miles.
But, Mollhoff is used to challenges.
He joined the Army in 1965 and did
a tour in Vietnam and was mobilized
again for two years during the second
Gulf War. He doesn't show much
sign of slowing down, either. Despite
suffering a broken foot during a 10k
race last Thanksgiving, he's not only
back to climbing trees but also is back
to running.
With diligence and a well-placed
box, more treasures such as saw-whet
eggs and chicks just might greet the
retired military man when he reaches
the pinnacle of his climbs. The rewards
come in the form of new data – not
to mention, looking into a box and
seeing the attractive face
of a saw-whet owlet.
Something that ranks so
high on the cute meter,
he says, is well worth the
trouble. ■
The adult female northern saw-whet owl
keeps a watchful eye from the nest box at
the Wildcat Hills Wildlife Management Area
near Gering.
Northern saw-whet chicks huddle in one of the nest boxes. A total of 11
saw-whet chicks were banded this year, also a first for Nebraska.
N th h t hi k h ddl i f th t b A t t l f 11
View additional
saw-whet owl photos.
V
s
Leaving Ladies
The nesting behavior of the northern saw-whet
owl often raises people's eyebrows, especially
women.
The female leaves the male behind to roost at
another location when the owlets reach 18 days.
He continues hunting for small mammals to feed to
the owlets. Because eggs are laid as many as three
days apart, the oldest of the owlets is oft en more
advanced than younger siblings and are believed to
help feed deliveries to younger ones in the nest.
Don't give the male and young too much credit,
though. The female keeps the nest clean and tidy,
but things get messy when she leaves. Sound
familiar, ladies?
Before owlets fledge, the nest has a thick layer of
feces, pellets and decaying prey parts.
