This event will be held at Jug End Reservation in Egremont. Bring a camp chair & flashlight. There’s a ¼ mile hike with a short, but steep, hill.

(Rain date for this event is October 23, same time). 

Each fall we band Northern Saw-whet Owls as part of a collaborative effort to learn more about the movements and population trends of these secretive, nocturnal birds.

We chose to open nets only on nights with relatively cold temperatures and north winds to maximize our capture rates.  On nights when conditions are suitable, we band for four hours per night, starting at sunset, using a single, x-shaped array of four mist nets centered on an audio lure.  Curious owls come down from the sky during migration and when we are lucky some of these owls end up in our nets.

Once captured, we band each owl and collect data on age, sex, body condition and molt before releasing them back into the night sky.

Saw-whet Owls are pure magic: they’re cute and fierce, fluffy and profound.  They even glow in the dark (fluoresce under UV).  Bringing people out for owl banding is one of our favorite things to do—these little owls have a big impact on people who get to see them. Click here for the BBO website.

Ben Nickley (Executive Director)

Ben Nickley is a scientist with a passion for birds and the ecosystems they are an integral part of. Always fascinated by nature, he got his start in science at Ohio State University where his research was recognized with an award at the Denman Undergraduate Research Forum. Since then, Ben has travelled across North America pursuing avian field studies for nonprofits, universities, and state governments—picking up his master’s in biology along the way. He is the author of several peer-reviewed articles and has presented his work at international conferences. Helping others connect with the natural world through birds is his forte and his mission. His role as Executive Director is to oversee the day-to-day operations of BBO and steer its development. Ben feels privileged to have landed in the Berkshires and could not think of a better place to do the work he loves.