Simcoe County Banding Group

What Winter!

2012-01-01T09:06:00.000-08:00

Well so far this seems to be the Winter that isn't! Some like it and others don't!

I don't!

We were hoping for a cold winter with average snows, to help bringalong our Winter Targets of Snowy Owls,Rough-legged HAwks and Snow Buntings. So far there have been few if any of these Species. The last week has brought more winter like weather, but we haven't ssen the Birds. We are still seeing lots of Summer Birds, such as Starlings,Robins and Flickers.
Such is life, when you set your Expectations High, you are often let down! We will still get a few of our Target Birds, that I am quite confident about, but "When?" is the question!
Our friend Mike Blom in Alberta, has had an Excellent year for Snowy Owls with atleast 18 Banded, plus some Hawk Owls.
Apparently from the Central Great Lakes and West, There is a huge push of Snowy Owls! These are mostly younger Birds. They had great Nesting Seasons with lots of Food, so they produced lots of Young. Now they are driven out by, "not lack of Food, but increased Competition with the many Snowy Owls" mostly Females that are larger than the Males.

All we can do is wait and see, and try to be prepared for when our moment arises!

Happy New Years, and heres to a productive 2012!

Closed for the Season

2011-11-22T11:08:00.001-08:00

Well, I closed everything down this week! I just haven't had much time to get out,and thought I had better get it done before the Snow Flies.
It was not a great season in general, but I will accept it for what it was, after all I am in it for the long haul and each year is diffeent for whatever reasons.
The weather was the biggest factor,as it always is ,for good or bad!
We had far to many days of South winds that just don't help with the overall flight of migrating Raptors.Much of the winds were very strong and warm. Rain kept me from getting out on more than a dozen days and work got in the way!
Overall individual species numbers were down in comparison to previous years. We did how ever set 2 new "Station Highs" both on the same day!
Broad-winged Hawks and Bald Eagles

They came on an All-time High Count day at the station , and if it wasn't for this day the Season would have been a total Crash!

I finished with 14 Hawks Banded ,which is the lowest total in 6 years of Operation.
Red-tailed Hawks seemed to fail breeding wise , with mostly Adults being caught and not many being seen! The summer weather I thought was near perfect for Breeding, but maybe the Food Source just wasn't that great! They usually make up 75% of Hawks banded at the station, but this season made up for about 25%.

The Owl migration was also slow, due to the same problems as the Hawk migration.
I finished the year with 76 new Northern Saw-whet Owls and 1 Screech Owl.

6 Owls were caught that had been previously banded. Last year I caught 100 Owls and none were previously banded. 2 of them were from Whitefish Point!
I had one week that kept me busy with 54 Owls.

There were many highlights, such as when Minna came out and the night of the Northern Lights, so not all was lost!

Hopefully we will have a good winter and catch some Snowy Owls and hope for some surprises!

Northern Lights Oct 24 2011

2011-11-22T10:39:00.001-08:00

On the 24th of October I opened my Nets for another night of Owl Banding! Hoping to continue where I left off on the previous Saturday(Feel like a Bander Again). Under cool clear skies with a hint of a Northwest wind conditions seemed perfect!
After 2 netchecks of nothing I was starting to get a little discouraged! As I walked out for the 3rd netcheck, I thought that it was seemingly brighter! I looked half heartedly and saw no Moon in site and dismissed it as being tired. I checked my nets and found 1 Northern Saw-whet hanging in the Back nets. I did the normal thing of Banding,weighing, measuring and recording then proceeded to go out and release the Owl. As I watched the Owl fly off my hand , my eyes turned to the Skies! They were on fire with Greens,Whites and Reds of Northern Lights!
Wow,wow,wow Holly @$#% were the first words out of my mouth! I couldn't believe the pagentry of it all, they were quite litterally engulfing the night sky! I have never seen such colours this far south,! Only in northern Alberta and Ontario had I seen such spectular displays!
I called my kids and told them to" get outside and look up" !Todd who had answered the phone went out (with the phone in hand) and exclaimed "Holly @#$%, everyone get out here and see the Northern Lights they are so F*&^ing Awesome" ! I couldn't help but laugh with joy, although I told him he didn't need to swear!
I could everyone coming out and asking "what ", then hear thier excited comments of how amazing it was.
I told him to enjoy them while they lasted ! He said"thanks for letting us know about them , It is so bloody awesome" . I wished I could have taken credit for the Display, but was very happy to atleast been able to share with him and his Brother Liam, Sister Michaela and their mother!
Next I called Nigel at Scanlon Creek, who was also banding and had a large group of people from the Brereton Field Naturalists with him. He said thanks and out they went! He called back later in the evening and told me how everyone enjoyed the Light Show!It was definately a highlight for them.

I know that it is another night that I won't soon forget, even though I only caught the one Owl that night!

These are borrowed images!

Pics from Minnas Visit !

2011-11-21T17:04:00.001-08:00

Minna and her first Encounter with a Northern Saw-whet Owl!

This Eastern Screech Owl was a surprise Bonus!

Liam releases the Screech Owl!

A visitor from Ft. Laudon Pennsylvania! Previously Banded!

Paul watches as he releases a Saw-whet !

Ocean prepares to release her first Saw-whet Owl!

Rain , a milli-second after releasing a Saw-whet.............................His expression is priceless!

This is a Hatch-year's wing under Blacklight! Even amounts of pink luminson tells us the feathers are all the same age!

Preparing to release the last Owl of the night!

The Saw-whet Owl and Minna making a connection! This was a powerful moment for me!

I couldn't add the images directly to my original post for some reason, so you will have to read the previous post to learn a little more! Thanks Pat for taking the photos!

FINALLY............I feel like a Bander again!

2011-10-29T08:31:00.000-07:00

Over the past week, I have been able to get out 3 nights for Owls(will go again tonight) with great results!

Last Saturday with a crowd of friends we were able to catch and Band 12 Northern Saw-whet Owls, and 1 |Eastern Screech Owl. We also caught a previously Banded NSWO that was originally banded Nov 7th 2010 in FT. Laudon , Pennsylvania.

This was a special night as one of my Guest is a Parapelegic and also has ALS. Minna has been very been an inspiration to me since I meet her in 2008. I know that with her there is no BS , that what she has to say is sincere and meaninful.

I don't think I have ever meet someone that makes me feel so at ease with my self ! It was so very important for me to have Minna come out and get a chance to experience the "Power and Excitment" that these little Owls offer. Time is of the essance for Minna and unfortunately She lives with the inevitable thought of "Is Today the Day?"! I don't know how she manages to move forward with such Strength, that she offers to others. I am forever grateful for the fact that our Paths have crossed!

When Minna let the final Owl of the evening go, I was choked up with emotion. The Owl got out of her Grip and sat for a moment on her Hand. Looked around at all the people,back at Minna and clacked it's Bill. Finally it flew up and landed on the Peak of the Barn Roof and looked back down on Us, on Minna and flew off into the Darkness. For me I thought it had said something to Minna ! It made the connection, that so few ever get a chance to have !

It is a moment that I will forever remember!

On the following Wednesday I caught another 12 new NSWO's and 2 previously Banded birds on what was a Night that others gave up on. And on Thursday another 16 new Owls before having to go to work.

I almost called in sick as there were Owls all around and I think I would have easily beaten the Stations 1 night record of 22.

On Tuesday I had my best Hawk banding day of the season, catching 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk and 3 Red-tailed Hawks.

I wished I had a camer to show some of the Hawks, but that was in a previous post! I will have pics of last Saturday with Minna , when my Friend Pat gets a chance to send them to me!

Thanks Pat, for bring Minna and the Kids out ! And Paul for the treats ! You all made that night one Very Special Night!, I could never do Her justice with words!

Bllllllllllllaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh !

2011-10-11T05:54:00.001-07:00

Well, this is not what it is supposed to be! The weather although has been more than Stellar for people who like warm temps year round, Sucks for those of us that Band Raptors!

With over 32 hours of effort in the Owl Banding, only 19 Owls have been Banded at the Innisfree site. This is our second slowest start since we started in 2006. At the Scanlon site, Nigel hasn't done much better with about 22 Owls. He has put in about double the effort(it's his Job) than me, so it is even worse !

On the Hawk side of things, Nigel continues to get 1 every couple days, but we are well below where we expected to be by this time! I have banded 6 Hawks sofar, which is a 70% decrease from last year. We just aren't seeing many Birds either.

This is all weather related and we really want the "warm nice "weather to Piss Off !

Come on Already!

2011-09-28T17:51:00.000-07:00

Well, aside from the Big Day on the 15th, it is back to a slow Crawl! There has been next to no flight and the weather isn't helping!

We can only wait for the change to trigger the Birds! It is a definate test of ones patients of watching the Skies and seeing only a handful of Birds at most!

Owl Season is also upon us and we have managed 1 night with no success. Tonight was supposed to be Raining when I checked at 3:30 so I went for a nap(I am sleepdeprived)! When I got up at 7:30 the weather was perfect to try, but I am not going to try! Could be I am tired of sitting and getting nothing, or because I am still recouping from this Cold! Or maybe it is both!

I know we will have Great Days and Nights ahead and , we have to be patient. They are only just getting Owls in Picton, so this weekend should give us our first Taste of NSWO's of the season.

On a differant note(Station Based), I was robbed ! Someone broke into our Station and stole My Digtal Camera, a pair of Speakers and a pair of Binoculars! I had taken for granted that we are on Private Property and about 1/4 mile from the Road, so I figured I didn't need actual Locks on the Door! Well that has now changed , unfortunately I cannot be as Trusting anymore!

It was probably Teenagers, but it could be disgruntled Hunters(Poachers) that are not supposed to be on the property as it is a Non-hunting /Conservation Property!

It is the 2nd act of Vandals in the last 2 years! Last fall , one of our Nets were cut and the Pole removed! Possibly related and perhaps more trouble is on the Horizon, but I am trying to remain Optimistc that nothing else will happen! I don't want to totally lose my Trust in the Human Race !

Till next Time!

Broadwings,Eagles and Great-horned Owl!

2011-09-18T06:20:00.001-07:00

We are rolling along...........sort of!

This past week saw the weather change , with strong Northwest Winds and cold Temps,. This made for ideal Broadwing Days on Thursday and Friday. I was able to count on the Thursday but not Friday though I was not disappointed.

Thursday started slow, but quickly picked up steam. The first Broad-wings were seen alittle after 9 am. they started as singles then small kettles of 5-10 birds and escilated to Kettles of 100's! The largest one was in excess of 400 Broadwings. What a spectacular site!

Amid the Broad-wings were the occaisional Sharp-shinned and Red-tail and also Eagles.

Yes the Eagles came in larger numbers aswell ! A total of 9 were seen during the day, 8 were Bald Eagles of varying ages and a single Golden Eagle.

This was our single largest Count day for both Broadwings and Eagles with a total of 2089 Raptors observed.

On the banding side of the Operation , It is comparibly slower than last year! Nigel has now banded 8 Hawks at Scanlon Creek and I have banded 2 at Innisfree.Nigel managed to catch a Broad-winged Hawk on Thursday amid the Chaos of Kettles!

My second was a Hatchyear male Coopers Hawk that was caught in our Swedish Goshawk Trap yesterday. It was the second bird caught in the Trap this season, the first was a Second Year Great-horned Owl caught on Friday! Nigel was the lucky person to Band it! It is our 1st GHOW that we have caught at the Station and smelled greatly of Skunk! This is there favourite meal and they are not bothered by the Spray!

Yesterday afternoon my Son Liam and I got the Owl nets setup. We are still atleast a week away from Banding NSWO, but we are atleast ready for when the time comes! Unfortunately we lost the Hydro to the Barn as is was deemed Unsafe and also to costly for the Insurance! I will try my Generator and see how cost effective and LOUD it will be !

Up and walking!

2011-09-14T18:27:00.000-07:00

Well we are set-up for Raptors, but it has been slowwwwwwwwwwwwwww! I have only caught a single HY Red-tail so far. At this point last season I was already at 10 birds. The weather does seem to be changing and this should start the push! Broad-winged Hawks have begun to Kettle and head south, but I suspect the Big Day will be either Friday or Satuday. Today an Adult Bald Eagle circled lazily !

At Scanlon Creek, Nigel is also setup and has caught 3 Raptors to date. 1 Adult Red-tail, 1 HY Coopers(F) and 1 HY Sharp-shinned(M).

We will be hopefully setup for the Saw-whet Owl Migration by next weekend!

Cheer's

Wow , I am a Slacker!

2011-07-20T18:16:00.000-07:00

I know ,it's been a long time since I Blogged anything!

Spring Banding at Innisfree was ...........................non-existent! The Nets were set up, but only one Night was put in and no Days due to poor weather or Work! That dreaded 4 -letter word seems to get in the way alot!

The Only Banding done was by Nigel under contract with the Lake Simcoe Regional Conservation Authority. Nigel banded 1 Owl and only a few Hawks ! There seemed to be no Flight due to the North Winds and Snow/Rain that came far to often . In April Nigel turned his attention to "Dickie " Birds . He got off to a good start with many new Species for the LSRCA. He banded his 2nd ever Pileated Woodpecker in over 25 years of Banding!

At the end of June I banded 5 Young Kestrels at the Innisfree Station ! They were a couple weeks from Fledging.

The next day Nigel and I banded the Osprey Chicks , of which there were 3 !

This is the 3 rd year out of 4 that we have Banded them that they had 3 Chicks. The other year produced only 1! An interesting note to the Osprey was the fact that we thought they had Fledged that day due to 4 Osprey flying in the vicinity of the Nest. After I climbed up an saw the Chicks(2-3 weeks before they would Fledge) we concluded that there was another Nest in the Vicinty, but all Adults came in quite close and were Vocal.

While on the Platform a 5th Adult Osprey came over for a look!

We then decided to check our other Kestrel Boxes . The 1st and 3rd had been used, but Fledged, the 2nd and 4th had been used by Starlings and the 5th surprisingly had 4 Chicks atleast 2 weeks younger than the ones at the Banding Station! They were old enough to sex and Band !

And now we are waiting patiently for the Fall Banding Season!

Still Kicking!

2010-10-24T08:59:00.000-07:00

Yes I am still Alive and Kicking! Haven't had permanent Internet for several months and I will lean on that as my excuse for not posting!

Red-tailed Hawk that was Cloured Banded(unusual).

2010 has been a successful Season ! The Satelite Station at Scanlon Creek was re-employed for the Fall and although the Terrain is somewhat differant than our Innisfree Station the numbers for Fall Raptors are nearly identical.

Hatch Year Northern Goshawk.

Hatch Year Northern Harrier.

Hatch Year Sharp-shinned Hawk.

To date we are about 70 Saw-whets each and close to 30 Hawks each. The weather plagues us both differantly for the most part, and when one is not having any Success the other is. We are hoping for 200 Saw-whets and 100 Hawks in total and we have a few more weeks to try and achieve this.

Osprey Young in Nest.

The Osprey were again successful this year and Fledged 3 Young. All were healthy and about 2-3 weeks from fledging. We tried unsuccessfully to capture the Adults! We will try again next season and hopefully can Colour Band them and determine if it is the same Pair returning each year.

Bring on 2010!

2010-04-06T07:56:00.000-07:00

Well it was not a very productive winter as far as Captures, but we did get a few. Snowy Owls were not as abundant as last year and only 1 was caught although we had a few hit the Traps. A few Red-tailed Hawks and a couple American Kestrels were also caught. The Best one of the winter no doubt was a Northern Hawk Owl that was caught and banded in the Collingwood area.

Spring has arrived and the Nets have been set up. We are also running a Satelite Station 8 miles to the south. It is a Scanlon Creek and is being funded by the Lake Simcoe Conservation Authority on a trial Basis. So far it has produced 2 Northern Harriers and 1 Red-tailed Hawk at the Hawk Station, and 2 Long-eared Owls and 3 Northern Saw-whets at the Owl Station.
This will also be site of a Passerine Banding Station. If the numbers are good and funding approved it could be a very good Tool for teaching others .

At our Innisfree Station we have caught 3 Red-tailed Hawks , 1 Long-eared Owl and 3 Northern Saw-whets.
Screech Owls are noticably absent at both Stations and hot weather has not produced a very good Flight of Raptors.

New Kestrel Boxes are being put up this Spring in an effort to try help the Species. 5 new boxes are up with 5 more to go! We also have material to build another 10.

AS a Group we attended the AGM for the Ontario Bird Banders Association in Port Rowan/Long Point. It was a nice time and Names were put to some Faces, new friends were made and Ideas shared. Nigel reaquaintted himself with many he hadn't seen in years as this was where he Trained .

A banding demo was held on the SundayTraps were set for Horned Larks and Snow Buntings with the Highlight being a Lapland Longspur being caught and banded(Tick for Nigel).

Migration Stations Closed for the Season!

2009-11-17T05:56:00.000-08:00

Well the Fall Migration has come to an end here in Central Ontario! We furled up the nets for the final time on Saturday after a couple of nights that were near "Perfect Conditions" with nothing caught at the Owl Nets and several none productive "Days " at the Hawk Station.
The Saw-whet Banding started rather slow, but ended up being about average with 131 New Owls, and 4 Foreign Retraps. We also had 1 retrap of one of our own Owls 3 seasons after the original Encounter! Although" our data" has been submitted by us, 2 of the Owls do not have any data from the Original Bander as of yet!
3 Long-eared Owls were also caught and Banded, and we will try aggressively for them again in the Spring!
During our final week of Owl Banding we had a Barred Owl come into the site, but we were unable to catch and Band it. This is our first encounter with this Species at our Station during 5 years of Operation.

Up on the Hill we ended the season with about 30 Hawks caught. The final Count will be determined over the next few days and Totals added to this post.

The next Season is almost upon us, and we are setting our sites toward the Winter Survey sites! Pre scouting has not picked up much as of yet, but when the weather changes so to will the Bird Counts at these locations.

There's a Surprise!

2009-11-01T06:21:00.000-08:00

While the weather has been anything but Stellar for Hawk Banding , it has allowed us to get a few nights in for Owl Banding . We are now over 100 new Saw-whets for the season and it is slowing down to 1 or 2 a night with nights of none aswell.

When I went Banding on Thursday night I found our Goshawk Trap had been setoff. After setting up the nets and Audiolure, I checked the Trap . As I approached I couldn't see anything sitting(using my Headlamp) in it and was about to think that it was triggered by the wind. Just as I got up beside it something moved and jumped around.......................what.............a Northern Shrike??????????????????

Shrikes may be small, but are aggressive! They are a "Songbird" and have a very pretty song. They look similar to a Northern Mockingbird in colour and size. They are also nicknamed the "Butcher Bird" due to the habit of impaling its Prey on the Thorns of Hawthorn Bushes and Barbed wire Fences. Yes you read correctly "its Prey" ! They are Carnivores that hunt for Mice, and Small Birds in the winter, and will add large Insects(Dragonflies,Grasshoppers) , small Frogs and Snakes in the Summer.

Well this was totally unexpected as the Trap is designed to be triggered by something about "Crow Sized " not "Blue Jay Size". Well it was a Bird species that I had not banded before, so that is what I did!

Now I had prior warnings about how "Nasty" they could be, so I took no chances and wore Leather Gloves. It didn't seem to aggressive at first, but eventually it was trying to bite and you could feel it through the Glove. After banding I put it in a Box to keep for the Night as it was Dark . The next morning it was released, but not before drawing some "Blood" first!

I did also catch a couple Saw-whets also!

Saw-whet Returns!

2009-10-25T21:45:00.000-07:00

Well ,the main reason that we Band Hawks and Owls is for the purpose of trying to figure out where they might go and how long they live for in the wild! They have found that some birds travel Great distances each Spring and Fall. They are even using Geolocating Devices and GPS Units on some Species to track them more closely.

They have found that the Larger Birds can live for a long time(ie Red-tailed Hawk 28 yrs) in the wild.

For me , this year has really been a good year for getting Info from Birds that I have either Captured and Banded previously, or Birds I have Banded and then retrapped years later.

On the 24th I was again the recepient of some worthy Info. I retrapped a Northern Saw-whet Owl that I had previously Banded. I caught this Owl on Oct 26 2006 about 500 meters from where it was originally Banded! When I initially caught and Banded this Owl it was a Hatch Year(born in the Current Year) and sexed as a Female. Well I now know that this Owl has survived 3 years out in the Wilds, but we do not exactly where it has been!

It is our first Owl that we have recaptured at our site in 5 years of Banding there, and are thrilled about this!

We have now caught 95 New Saw-whets(4 Foreign/ 1 Control), 28 New Hawks(1 Foreign/3 Control) and 3 New Long-eared Owls and 2 (Control) Eastern Screech Owls.

Fall Banding in Full Swing!........finally!

2009-10-23T16:13:00.000-07:00

Well we are finally experiencing an influx of Banding this past week! Saw-whet Owls arrived in earnest on the 13th with 22 New Owls banded and 1 Foreign Retrap. This previously Banded Owl was caught and banded in Pennsylvania Nov 11/07. The 22 new Owls set the new station 1 day (night) record high.

We have now banded 88 Saw-whets for the season and caught 4 previously Banded Owls.

On the Hawk side of the Banding we are over the 20 Bird mark! We achived this quicker than last year, although we haven't had great weather or terrific Flight Days.

Of the Hawks caught was 1 ASY Red-tailed Hawk that was previously Banded at another Station in Ontario in 2007. We are waiting for more specific information on this Hawk. It was my first Foreign Retrap of a Hawk and the second for our Station.

We also had a Red-tailed Hawk caught and relocated from the Cleveland Airport. I banded it as a HY in September 2007. This is my first Retrap of one of my Hawks at another location.

We are continueing to plug along, but once again the weather is keeping us indoors!

Wild Rains and Winds are Holding us Back!

2009-10-07T16:20:00.000-07:00

Well we have not managed alot of Banding Hours lately, especially for Owls due to Weather. Rain almost every night and Winds gusting up to 60 Km an hour.

We have only caught 3 NSWO's thus far , which is about 15-20 less than previous Seasons. 2 EASO's have been retrapped. 1 was originally banded in the Spring 09, and the other Nov 08 at our Innisfree Location.

We are at about 15 Hawks Banded this year, but the weather again is not helping. Cold Fronts continue to move through, but they are not bringing much but low Ceilings and Rain.

Of note on the Hawks we have recaught 3 Hawks previously Banded.

1) ASY COHA banded originally Sept. 26 2009 , was recaught Oct 01 2009 - 5 miles from the original Banding Site.

2) HY RTHA banded originally Sept 03 2009 , was recaught at the same location on Oct 5 2009.

3) ATY RTHA banded originally Dec 2005, was recaught Oct 6 2009 about 1/2 a mile from its orignal Banding Location.

Will possible try for Owls tonight if the wind dies down !

2009 Season............so far!

2009-09-28T17:57:00.000-07:00

Well aren't I just the lamest Blogger!

Here we are almost through 2009(3months) and I haven't come up with a post since early 2009.
We have had a soso season this Fall compared to last Fall. But using last Fall as a comparison may not be the best tool as it was miserable to say the least , especially the Diurnal Species(Hawks).

We have done better than last years Hawk Banding numbers to date, but weather is hampering our efforts. South easterly winds make it far to muggy and push the Birds away from our site. A large Cold front is continueing to move through today and tomorrow which should bring significant change for the better.
Our ratio of Hatch Year birds caught, compared to this time last year is also better, which shows that even though our summer wasn't the warmest or driest, it is better than last season.
We are pleased to announce that Bruce Wilson will be learning the craft of Raptor Banding this season. He is a very skilled Birder and no doubt will bring something to the Group(aside from Timbits;)).Also we have had experienced Raptor Bander Mike Blom leave our midst, but not totally leave the Group. He has set up an experimental Banding Station in his home province of Saskatchewan. He voes to come back, but with all the Raptors Species that he has potential to band there, we do not see him running back for atleast a Season. We wish Mike the Best with this venture and will see him in the future at some point!

Here at our Innisfree Raptor Station we have started for Saw-whet Owls ,but no success as of yet. It will hopefully be a good season, but time will tell. Last fall proved to be better than expected as their cycle should have been lowered. Perhaps our Geological location will not show to many flunctuations in the normal 4 year Cycle(2007 was the last spike). Time will tell also and it will require many years of Data to prove this either way.

Spring Banding was a complete surprise here at Innisfree. Trying for Saw-whet Owls in March only brought us 6! In complete surprise was the 28 Long-eared Owls that we caught. It was so not expected as we had only caught 2 in the previous 2 fall seasons.So you know what we will be trying for in the Spring again, just to ensure that it wasn't some kind of fluke event!

This spring also saw my oldest Son Todd band his very first Northern Saw-whet Owl. He was very happy to have the chance to do so and is looking forward to becoming a Licenced Bander.

None the less I will try to get some photos together and hopefully a few good stories as they unfold.

Cheer's Garth

Road Trapping/My first Snowy Experience!

2009-02-04T13:45:00.000-08:00

I finally had a channce to get out and do some Road Trapping! Nigel and a I set out for the Holland Marsh Agricultural Fields on Tuesday the 3rd.
We were there only a few minutes when we saw our first Snowy of theday. It was a very heavily Barred SY female.We set up and waited a few minutes as she checked the Bait and head bobbed.Finally she took flight, but stopped short of the Net. After afew more minutes she flew back to her Perch and seemed disinterested. We took down the setup and drove along afew more minutes and found a Pure White ASY male. We again set up and almost imediately he came off his Perch , but something put him off and he landed off to the side. After a few minutes he took flight and went well out into the Onion Fields . It was then we noticed another Female further down the same road. She could have been the reason he gave up. We decided to change our setup a little and right away she came in and hit the Trap but did not get caught.She made a second pass, but decided something was up and proceeded to go back to her Perch.
Three Owls in 30 minutes,but unforunately nothing caught.
We drove west of the Hwy 400 and immediately found another female on the ground. We set up again, and came in straight away, but turned back when a Kestrel flew in and Hovered over the Trap. The Kestrel was already Banded an amazing 3 years earlier inthe same location, and had been caught a week earlier by Nigel.He was not about to get caught again!
A fifth Owl was spotted over on the next concession and we drove around and again did our modified setup. She looked and bobbed her head for several minutes, then finally came off her Perch and wasted no time coming in and getting caught. Nigel allowed me to go and retrieve her and take her out of the Trap. I then proceeded to Band her,and we weighed and measured her, before taking a couple of pics with the Cell Phone Camera. I released her and after a high five on my first Snowy we packed up and looked for more. We saw our first Owl again, but did not try again and called it a day.

Still Plugging Away

2008-10-30T05:56:00.000-07:00

WE continue to plug away at the Owl and Hawk Banding at Innisfree Raptor Station. Weather has been a big factor with High Winds and Rain making it impossible to get out and do anything. We have had our first bit of Snow, thankfully it hasn't decided to stay yet! The weather is shaping up to be an almost Mirror Image of last year, and if that is the case we will only get another couple of weeks in.

Owls are still being caught but at a lesser or maybe a more managable rate. We are sitting at just under 200 Saw-whets and Banded our first Long-eared Owl last Saturday. Photos of this Bird will be posted as soon as I recieve them!

Some of the Stations furter North have closed for the Season, but we will continue on.

Hawks have been disappointing this Season , especially in comparison to last Season! We have just now managed to break the 20 Bird barrier with the help of Nigels 5 caught yesterday. Hawk numbers are down significantly in "Count Numbers" at most of the other Hawkwatch sites also, so we do not feel as bad . The first Northern Goshawk (in 2 years)was Banded yesterday along with 4 Juvie Red-tails. Unfortunately no Photos are available for those.

We'll try to keep this updated as time permits!

Owls good, Hawks poor!

2008-10-20T20:29:00.000-07:00

Saw-whets continue to move through our location in good numbers. On Saturday a new Station High and personal Best for Masterbander Nigel Shaw saw 21 Owls Banded. That beat our previous Station high of 20 last season by me and beat Nigels previous best one night of 19. On the Sunday I banded another 18 Owls. We have had a better than last year Season sofar, as other Stations report fewer Birds. Our total is around 160 Owls which is atleast 50 Owls more than this time last Season!

Hawks continue to move through at a slower than normal pace and we are at less than 20 Hawks sofar this Fall. This is atleast 20 Hawks less than last Season at this time! Most of our Hawks have been Red-tails and surprisingly they are mostly Adults that are being caught. This seems to Help our theory that Hawks did not have a great Breeding Season and we suspect it is primarily due to the Wet and Cooler Summer.

Saw-whets moving well!

2008-10-08T15:41:00.000-07:00

We started Banding for Saw-whets on September 26th this year. It started off rather slowly with 1 or 2 Owls a night until the 29th we caught 6 Saw-whets and 1 Screech Owl. This included a Foreign Retrap that was Banded somewhere else in Ontario on October 10th 2007. On Sept 30th 1 Saw-whet was netted .
On Friday and Saturday Nights I was doing a Banding Demonstration at the WYE Marsh in Midland Ontario. It is 85 km's north of our Banding Station. It was poor Owl wise with only 1 Bird on the last night, and this was only after the Guests had departed .
Subsequently my Banding Partner was at the Station and netted a few on Friday and 20 on Saturday, which included 2 Foreign Retraps. One was banded elsewhere in Ontario and the Other from Assateague Island ,Worcester CO. Maryland. It was banded Oct. 30 2007 by David Brinker , who spearheads Project Owlnet that many of us particpate in!
On Sunday I caught 14 more unbanded Saw-whets and Monday another 18 , which one is a Foreign Retrap of unknown Origin as of yet. Last night we caugt 8 more and our Total is 75 on the Season , which is 30 Birds higher than this time last year!
This is supposed to be a poor year campared to last year, as most other Stations are reporting, but we are actually seeing it busier! GO FIGURE!

We will carry on as we can(tonight is raining) and hopefully will have some Pics to post.

Back Again!!!!!

2008-10-05T13:52:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a while since I have posted anything. I was without a computor most of the Summer and I guess I am not really cut out to be a Big Time Blogger!

Anyhow, we are Banding again this Fall although the Migration of all Birds of Prey appear smaller this year. Weather may have played havoc on the Nesting and food supply of many of the Raptors. Northern Saw-whet Owls are moving through but nowhere near last years numbers, which is right in line with the 4-5 year Trend of thier Populations. They seem to crash heavily after a great year. This year we are catching more Foreign Birds than Hatch Year Birds (3 Foreign to 2 Hatch Year) out of 30 Saw-whets to date.

I banded my first ever Peregrine Falcon on the 23rd of September. We have now caught a Peregrine 3 of 4 years since we opened the Banding Station. Other birds banded to date are 4Red-tailed Hawks,2 Merlins , 2 Sharp-shinned Hawks and 1 Coopers Hawk.

We had our largest count Day on Septmber 16th with a total of 1671 Birds of Prey counted.In this total were 1568 Broad-winged Hawks. It a day I will soon not forget!

Our Osprey Platform was a Huge success ,and the pair was able to raise 3 chicks and have them Fledge! We banded the young Osprey on July 09. I was the charged with the Task of climbing the pole and lowering the Chicks one at a time to be Banded. One of the Adults keep a close Eye on me and made many Swooping Dives about 10 feet above my Head.

Untill next time !

Osprey Platform Construction

2008-05-05T16:51:00.000-07:00

Here is a pictorial of the Osprey Platform that we under took this past Winter!
The Photos may be a little confusing to follow, as I haven't mastered the art of Labelling!
The Pole was delivered in January after a Huge thaw, that saw most of the Snow all but disappear. It snowed the night before delivery of Materials,and the Truck struggled to negotiate the Site.
Construction was completed in February and the Pole and Platform were set in March, after yet more snow.We were glad to have the Equipment with Tracks come for this.
I spent a few days hauling the Materials from the old Nest Site and constructed the Base of the Nest, using wire to secure it to the Meshing.
The Osprey arrived on April 7th and I am glad to say that they now appear to be settled into the Incubation Stage! We are extremely happy with the outcome and hope it will be used for years to come!

We're Back!!

2008-04-23T18:27:00.000-07:00

Well sorry for the lapse in entries! Winter came with a Vengence and didn't want to quit!

Winter Road trapping was dismal due to the large amounts of Snow we recieved.I am not complaining about the Snow as most of it was "Good Snow". People think I am nuts because I refer to some Snow like that. For us here in the Great Lakes Region the water Levels have continually gone down over the past number of years. With the Good Snow from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Coast we will see the Levels rise somewhat this Summer.

During the Couse of the Winter we were to Build and Erect an Osprey Platform. We managed to get it done admidst all of the Weather Delays. I am glad to say that it is already in Use and Nest Construction and Mating are underway!

We have done some Spring Hawk Banding , but the weather went straight from Winter to Summer it seems and the migration seems to reflex this somewhat. None the less we have Banded 11 New Hawks this Spring . We will continue for another week or 2 and than move over to Dickey Birds!

Closed for the Season!

2007-12-07T21:48:00.000-08:00

Well it has been a while since my last post. Work has a bad habit of getting in the way of everything. We closed the station down 2 weeks ago account of impending Bad Weather. We have had almost 2 feet of snow since and are glad we didn't leave it one more day.A few more Hawks were caught prior to Closing down and we ended on a very High Note.

The Goshawk Traps were ran for another week with a couple of Birds being Caught.

We are working on a new Osprey Platform in partnership with Natural Resources and Go Transit. The local Rail Line is being put back in Service with Passenger(Commutor) Trains. They have taken all the old Telegraph Poles down except 1 account it has been used for the past couple of years for a Nest Structure by aair of Osprey. It is right near a Level Crossing and attracts alot of attention from the General Public.Because of the Public getting very near the Nesting Birds, the coming of Commutor Train Service and the fact that the Pole is not sturdy enough to withstand many more years and the Nest Falls down every winter it will be relocated.

It took some time to find a Local Land Owner who would accept having a Nest Pole on their property account the High volume of People wanting to claim the Osprey as their own and Trespassing was high on the list of Concerns. With the Landowners that did volunteer their Properties for a possible Nest Site, we looked at what would be the most Central to their Hunting Grounds and previous Nest Sites , that would help the Osprey to accept a New Location.The weather has slowed us down on this, as we can not get our Materials to the sitedue to 3-4 foot Snowdrifts.

Today (friday) I found a Turkey Vulture eating a Road Killed Racoon on my way to work.It was less than a mile from my House and is a little Late in the season for them.

Well I will try to get all of our Stats for the season and post them when I have a chance.I hope everyone has a Safe and Healthy Christmas Season. Cheer's Garth

Still Going Strong!

2007-11-12T08:34:00.000-08:00

Although we had some snow this past week, we are still catching Hawks and Owls! 11 more owls have been caught since last Saturday(3rd) and we caught 4 Red-tails on this Saturday(10th).

Of the Owls caught the majority (10 of 11) have been Hatch Year Birds ,which seems to indicate that the Migration is still going strong although the largest Flights have probably past!

We had another Foreign Retrap , which is No. 2 this Season. It was banded on Oct 15th in Lakefield Ontario. As a Crow flies that is about 100 kms(60miles) to the East in 25 days. That is an average of 4kms a night, which is not much. Since we have Lake Simcoe between us, it now makes us wonder if it went North to come around or South to come back North again. We do not think it flew directly across the Bay which is about 6 kms, but there is still that posibility.(I'll post a pic soon)

Of the Hawks we caught on Saturday, there were 2 Adults and 2 Juvies. The Adults normally have a Brown Eye and the Juvies a Yellow Eye, so it is confusing that we caught this "Adult" RTHA with yellow Eyes

The first photo is the Confusing one, the 2nd is a typical Adult(dark eyes) and typical Juvie, the 3rd is the Typical Adult.

100 Swets and counting!

2007-11-05T14:03:00.001-08:00

On Friday night I banded my 100 Saw-whet of the season.It was the 6th of 8 Owls caught that night. This is of course an all time High for me as I have only banding a couple of years!.

Collectively between 3 Banders in 2 locations we have 215 Saw-whets,3 Screech,1 Barred and as of Saturday a Long-eared Owl.When I recieve photos I will add them to this!

We will be lucky to get another week or so of Owls and the Raptor Station will be closing down also. We will in the winter months start Road Trapping for Snowy Owls and other winter Raptors around Simcoe County.

This is not a fluke that we are having a Banner Year for Owls as almost all Stations in North America are having incredible Nights. Thousands of Saw-whet Owls have been banded this Fall and many have been retrapped as they Move south. I will give a pretty good picture of how the Owls move. They have had an exceptional Breeding Season and we now get a chance to scratch the Surface of the Magnitude of their Migration!

All Banders that participate in the Owl Migration Monitoring deserve a Big Round of Applause for all thier efforts. Many of us are not paid to do this and put in incredible amounts of Time to make it all work. We are normal working Stiffs with Families,Men, Woman,Young and Old of many backgrounds and Beliefs. We all work together as Individuals or small Groups for one common Goal. It is an experience all should have atleast once in their Lives. It is important for Children especially as they wil be the ones that will carry on after us.

Great Day & Night!

2007-10-28T22:22:00.000-07:00

Today was a Great Day! It started off wet and dreary, but once the first Front pushed through the Hawks came in Droves.The first great sight was our 2nd Golden Eagle of the season, which is now a Season High.
Next came the Red-tails! I don't have the offical numbers ,but there were in excess of 130 observed.This is a Daytime High for the Species.
And we manged to Band 10 RTHA's which is also a 1 Day Station High.
The Red-tails were everywhere, like the Broadwings a month earlier.It was nothing like I had ever seen before,WOW!

This evening we decided to cap off a Great Banding Day with a Good Banding Night! A total of 13
Northern Saw-whets were Banded.This brings the Station total to 88 on site and 66 off site!
Our Hawk totals are 68 on site.

No photos were taken today,but many memorable sights are etched in my mind!

A Roughed Week!

2007-10-24T10:58:00.000-07:00

Well it has been over a week since my last post. Things slowed way down due to the unseasonably warm Temps. The southerly winds brought very Strong Gusts and lots of Rain.When it wasn't raining it was Hot and Humid with Fog.That makes it very difficult to See anything yet alone Band them.

WE did however have a couple days where the weather co-operated a little. It brought us our first Rough-legged Hawk of the Season which was also our first Ever Roughie ever Banded at our Station. It was a Light phased Morph of this Species.Unfortunately the Camera was not available for Photos.

Today however I was lucky enough to Catch our 2nd Ever Roughie and had the Camera on hand! It is a Dark Phase of the Species which is not as common as the Light phased. They recieved their name because of the fact that the Feathers cover the entire Leg to the Foot. Other Hawks do not have a Feathered Tarsus(leg). They are very long winged with a longer Tail than other Buteos. Their Feet or Talons are very small aswell compare to the other Hawks in the Class of Buteo .

The Owl Banding is still progressing,but at a slower pace.We are a modest 78 Northern Saw-whets at the Station with an additional 60+ banded at other locations under the Same Permit!

A little Brown Bat came by for a Visit at the Banding Station on last Thursday!

Big Owl Night!

2007-10-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

Last night I had my biggest Owl Night ever! It was pretty much a constant from 8pm t 2 am. I finished the night with 20 Northern Saw-whets, with as many as 5 in a Netcheck. I did not have time for many Photos as I like to process them a quickly as possible in order to put as little Stress on them as possible. It also keeps my net checks somewhat regular at 1/2 hr intervals(give or take)

There is something that I have noted during my past couple of Owling nights and that is when there is cloud cover I don't catch many if any Owls. As soon as stars come back out,the Owls seem to find the Nets. It is nothing Scientific yet,but I will continue to monitor this in the Future to see if there is any Basis to it.

The one photo is from last night (all I had time for)when I had 5 NSWO's to process. They are in Bags which are used to carry the Owls from the Nets to the Station for processing. The bags are 100% Cotton and very Breathable.They not only make it easy to carry them,but they remain in the Bags for weighing aswell!The Owls are then fitted with a Leg Band of a size specified by the Bird Banding Office(4 short). They then have their Wing measured from the Wrist to the Tips of the Primary Feathers.This is know as Wing Cord! From the Weight and Wing Cord we can determine their Sex to a degree(nothing is Fool Proof). By examining their Feather Molts we can determine Age. I will try to get Photos under UV Lights to show this part of it. They are then taken outside and Released! For the most part it takes about 7 minutes to process 1 Owl.

Piece of Tails!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-10-14T13:50:00.000-07:00

Here are the Pics that I referred to in my last post.Note the differance in Tail Patterns on the 4 Juvies! It is remarkable how the plummages can vary as young birds.

Big Day! Great Week!!!

2007-10-13T06:21:00.000-07:00

Well it started slow,but ended up an excellant Day. With a light North wind for most of the day the Birds kept on coming.Turkey Vultures and Red-tailed Hawks were the big show, but not the only ones. A total of 257 Raptors were seen and 5 Red-tails were Banded(Pics to be posted soon).Along with the Raptors were 22 Common Loons and 6 Sandhill Cranes.

Last night I banded another 5 Saw-whets which puts me at 51 for the year.This is double last years numbers and a Station High.

Highlight of the Week goes to a sub-Adult Golden Eagle which gave us good looks for 20 minutes,before disappearing out of sight!This is our 2nd ever Golden seen at the Station , the Bald Eagles should start to be seen soon also.

Peregrine Day!(aka Thanksgiving Day)

2007-10-09T22:31:00.000-07:00

Well as I have said in the past" The weather is not very codusive for Hawk Migration and Banding". Until now!

A week Cold front pushed through on the weekend which brought a decent flight of Birds on Thanksgiving Day(07/10/08). My Banding partner was at the station and had 3 Peregrine Falcons all of the Tundrius Race came by. Attempts were made to lure them all in ,but only the 2nd reacted and was subsequently Banded. It was a Female HY(Hatch Year) Tundrius Race. This is only the 2nd Peregrine that we have Banded at our Station, but we have only been up and running for 3 Seasons. So I guess we are doing fairly well considering! This did however better our 1 Day total which was 2 last year, and we have now seen 4 on the year which is also a High for us!

Lets not forget the Red-tail and Sharp-shinned that were also banded on Thanksgiving Day.

The weather looks like it is starting to turn for the Better( Colder, and Colder) and will get the Migration back underway. I did manage to Band 6 Saw-whet Owls tonight (07/10/09)

Liam's first Saw-whet!

2007-10-05T21:28:00.000-07:00

Tonight I was out Banding again ,although it feels more like a July Night!. I was able to set up Early and play a Screech Call for 1/2 an hour . I retrapped a EASO that was 1 of 2 I caught on Wednesday. These are my first Screech Owls I have ever Banded. To date I have banded 31 Northern Saw-whets and we haven't really had good Owl weather here in Central Ontario.We have surpassed last years numbers and have been going for 2 weeks .Normally we don't start until October 1st week sometime!

Good news is that my youngest Son finally had a chance to release a Saw-whet Owl. Last year everytime He came along we were Skunked .He had been along twice this season with the Same results until tonight!

The Hawk migration and Banding has been extremely slow with only 2 Hawks caught in a week with about 75 Hawks seen in the same week!We are sure the weather will return to more seasonable conditions soon! Hopefully!!!!!!

Saw-whets have Arrived!

2007-09-29T10:55:00.000-07:00

On thursday night I tried for Owls after work.I thought I would be skunked until the last Net Check at midnight! There they were! 2 little Blobs hanging in the Botom Shelf. They were glad to see me aswell by the numerous times they shook Hands with me. So I did 2 more Net Checks after, but none where to be found in the Nets,only calling from the Sumacs.
Last night I went out again after work and together with my 12 yr old Son we managed another 8 NSWO's. We could of caught more I am sure if we stayed, but he fell asleep after midnight and I was going on little sleep and having to be up for Hawk Banding in the morning!
When I load my new Camera Disc on the Computor I wil post som photos!

Life on Hold!

2007-09-27T10:57:00.000-07:00

Well we have now surpassed our yearly Hawk Count Numbers in respect to Migrating Raptors. We are naw over 1200 Raptors seen and still counting with only 125 hours in. Last year we had 1158 with 220 hours of Data. We have only Banded 35 Hawks so far and no Owls as of yet. Either we don't have the Weather our we don't have the Time as we are also a couple of Working Stiffs with young Families.
I can be a fine Line to walk sometimes when it comes to Raptor Banding and Family, and we try our Best to have Both! We try to include our Families in our endeavors whenever possible, but not everyone wants to be in a Blind when the Hawks are hardly Moving or sitting in a Car at the Side of the Road in the middle of the Night at 0 degrees. We do know that somewhere within there is still some sort of Passion for our Spouses, but it just doesn't seem to rear its Head much during Banding Season!!!!

So for our Families we Say:

Thanks for sticking with us ,and we will once again comeback to some sort of Reality in the Near Future!

Mid Sept Heatwave

2007-09-19T18:40:00.001-07:00

Well we are having a mini Heatwave this week and it doesn't help very much. Numbers today compared to last Wednesday 446-19. We have probably had our best Migration Day, but not our best Banding Day. Our biggest Banding day this year was 5 Birds(3Merlins,2 Sharp-shins) on the 11th. Last Season we had an 8 Bird Day!We are still getting a few Hawks Banded and have a Season total of 28 as of today. Last Season was a total of 65 Hawks and 24 Owls.

We will be starting Owl Banding very soon and we hope to surpass last years total.

What a Day!!!

2007-09-12T19:23:00.000-07:00

Although the Banding totals don't reflect it , it was a Record Breaking Day at Innisfree Raptor Station. We had great weather as the 3rd of 3 Cold Fronts pushed through this morning, leaving in its wake a Trail of Hawks . Broad-winged Hawks started going by about 11am an were in Kettles of 20 to 100+ Birds. We have never seen these size of Kettles at our station and it was an amazing sight to see as Kettle after Kettle went over us. Obviously this was by far the largest movement of Broad-wings thus far this season and was reflected at other Stations on the Shores of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.
Well over 400 Hawks were seen today, which is a Record. Hopefully as we record more years we will see a larger picture of Hawk Migrations in Simcoe County.

Slooooooow Week!

2007-09-07T11:13:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a very slow week with few Hawks Banded and not a whole lot have been seen. The primarily Southerly winds are not very productive days for us and I am sure many of the other larger stations have seen this as well. The extremely Hot and Humid days are more condusive to July than September and make it very uncomfortable in the Blind!
The long Range Forecast is calling for more Seasonal Temps in the low to mid 20's and more west-Northwest winds. This will get things rolling we hope.

Still Banding!

2007-09-02T18:19:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a few days since the last post and will probably make a weekly posting.The Banding has been slow,but as stated before it is still early in the Season. WE now have all of our Nets in place.We have caught an additional 5 Hawks in the past five days( 2 COHA,1AMKE,1MERL,1RTHA).
We are using a Large Triangle with the main Lure and a Smaller Triangle to the side with a Smaller Lure. The Large Lure is the Primary Bait to get the Hawks attention. If it is a Large Hawk(ieRTHA,COHA) we keep them focused on the Primary Lure. If it is a smaller Hawk(ie AMKE,SSHA) we will switch to the smaller Lure. I can be quite Tedious some days as you watch the Skies for hours and not have any Hawks within distance(naked Eye). Then we just count the Raptors for Hawkcount.org . With the Changing of the Seasons we will be getting more productive days as the Number of Hawks increases each and every day................Stay Tuned

Consolation Prize?

2007-08-28T18:03:00.001-07:00

Today was another Hohum day with Bad Winds, and hardly any Raptor movements. Consolation was a HY COHA that made several attempts at the Lure before finally getting caught .
An oddity (I Thought) was a fly by of a Common Nighthawk at 10 am. They are not generally seen in the Daytime. Their name is derived from the fact that they "Hawk" Insects at Night and are not a Hawk at all.

Where's the Hawks?

2007-08-27T19:05:00.000-07:00

Well , it was nothing short of a Dead Day at the Station today. Early morning Fog rolled out about 9-9:30 and the skies were Blue.Winds were unfavourable out of the ESE.Only Raptors were a couple of distant Red-tails and 15 Turkey Vultures. The Monarchs were steadily moving through with another couple hundred over 3 hours. Flocks of CAGO,RWBB and BLJA's were abundant. Other notables wer Ruby-throated Hummingbirds(3) and a SHRIKE Species. Given the time of year I would say a migrating Loggerhead.I did not have my Scope with me to try see coloured Leg Bands!Hopefully tomorrow will be a little Better as my 2 Boys really get a kick out of Catching and Releasing the Hawks.

Not what I expected!

2007-08-26T18:00:00.000-07:00

This morning I was at the Banding Station at 7:30 waiting for the Hawks to pour over. They must have got their feathers caught in Mollasses! No they didnt pour over as expected ,even with great conditions, but I managed 37 Raptors of 9 Species. It is very early in the season, and better days are ahead. I did Band 2 Hawks today, 1 HY RTHA and 1 HY BWHA(photo included).The Broad-wing was un expected, as it appeared to be a Coopers from afar.

Fall 2007 Banding Kickoff

2007-08-25T17:07:00.000-07:00

Today , I got the Banding Station going. After the heavy rains of lastnight, and few remaining showers this morning, Myself and my oldest son Banded 2 HY RTHA's. We also had a 3rd Red-tail fly by and a 2nd Year Cooper's Hawk miss getting caught. From 11 am to 2 pm 30 Raptors were observed, and many differant Passerines and Monarch's flew past.

More favourable Winds and weather are forecasted for Tomorrow, so I will be at it Bright and Early!

2007-08-22T22:02:00.000-07:00

Here's looking at you!

2007-08-22T21:45:00.000-07:00

Simcoe County Banding Group is located in Innisfil,Ontario,Canada. We are a Raptor Banding Station that began in the Fall of 2005. We are located on Private Land and thus can't have tours or groups come out, but we do get out and Do Public Banding Demo's whenever possible. I hope that we can put together some good happenings of our Banding Seasons aswell as a Photo or 2.