Volunteer Hours for Owls: Saw-whet Owls need your help!

Call for Volunteers! Saw-whet Owls need your help!

Mike Avara from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is working with local owl bander Kurt Reed to study saw-whet owl nesting behavior in Bayfield County, and they need volunteers! There are two different tasks you could volunteer for:

Nest Box Checker

• Assist Kurt with visiting 20 nest boxes three times per year.
• Nest boxes are located in southern Bayfield County.
• Most are located within 50 yards of a road.
• Nest boxes need to be cleaned in the late winter and early fall, and checked for chicks in spring.
• Hauling and using a ladder will be necessary at some nest boxes, so a certain level of physical fitness is necessary for safety.

Motus Station Caretaker

• Motus stations are antennas that track tagged birds who fly near them.
• There are three Motus stations in Bayfield County. Check out the attached map to see if one is near your home or cabin!
• Each station needs to be checked once per month throughout the year.
• Look for damage.
• Clear snow off the solar panels.
• Download receiver data onto a laptop using the station’s Wi-Fi signal.
• Upload the data to a shared folder for scientists to access.
• We would like one or more people who live nearby to commit to caring for a tower throughout the year, or share care duties with a neighbor. Kurt is also available as an alternate caretaker if you are unavailable for certain months.

Bonus Activities:

• As a member of this project, you will also have opportunities to:
• participate in owl netting and banding events
• track owls using radio telemetry
• observe the chick banding process.

To volunteer:

• Fill out this form with your name and contact information, and which task(s) you’re interested in, OR email emily@cablemuseum.org.
• Kurt will contact Nest Box Checkers to set up a date for each season.
• Kurt will also work with each Motus Station Caretaker to join them for their initial visit.