State sees shift in bird populations

Occasionally the distribution or status of a specific bird will change. We are familiar with that phenomenon here in Central Virginia. Prior to the 1960s, the house finch simply was not found in the state and today it is one of the more common residents. Bald eagles now nest along the James River near Lynchburg and western hummingbirds appear sporadically during the winter months. These sightings are almost certainly reflections of a real shift in the range of the species.

On the other hand, sometimes the relative abundance of a bird remains undetected until we develop methods to determine its actual status. This is particularly true of those birds that migrate through our area. If we don’t know when, where, or how to look for a bird, it is likely that we will underestimate the population.

This was certainly the case in our understanding of saw-whet owl distribution across Virginia. This secretive northern owl, which is highly nocturnal and non-vocal off the breeding ground, was considered a rare visitor in the state. At the end of 2001, we had only two records of saw-whet owls in our area, a bird seen in 1959 and another in 1980.

During the fall of 2002, Gene Sattler, who teaches biology at Liberty University, opened a saw-whet banding station in Lynchburg. From Nov. 1 through Dec. 3 of that year, a total of 39 saw-whet owls were netted and banded. Since 2002, the autumn banding operation has operated for most years. The lowest number of saw-whet owls, only seven birds, were banded in 2005 and the best year was 2007 when 71 owls were caught and banded.

The banding station is operating this year on a limited basis, but on Saturday the nets were open and a group of us went out to see if any saw-whet owls would be captured that evening. The first check of the nets revealed nothing, but at 9 p.m. we had a “little visitor.” This bird already had a band so the only tasks were to note the band number, weigh the owl, and examine the wing moult pattern.

Forrest Taylor, a young man who has recently completed his bird study merit badge, was given the honor of taking the tiny saw-whet owl outside to be released. Initially the bird is placed in a small holding cage so that its eyes can adjust to the dark and after a few minutes, the cage door is opened.

The owl didn’t waste much time and within seconds made its bid for freedom and fluttered up into the dark sky. The banding station not only generates valuable data on the once virtually unknown migratory patterns of this species, it also provides an exciting opportunity to get a really close look at these beautiful little birds.

News and Notes

The Lynchburg Bird Club will sponsor a field trip to the Amherst County lakes on Saturday, Nov. 21. Meet at 7 a.m. at Amelon Square Shopping Center at the intersection of Virginia 130 and U.S. 29 North. Mark Johnson and I were out at the lakes on Nov. 12, where we found 11 species of waterfowl, including two long-tailed ducks.

w Dalmas, a naturalist, writes a weekly column for The News & Advance. Readers may e-mail her at jtdalmas@juno.com.