In Search of Saw-Whet Owls

I had never seen--or even heard--of saw-whet owls until a friend of mine invited my son and I to visit the Linwood Springs Research Station in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. My son, Harrison, was ecstatic to discover that not only could we see real, live owls, but we could also hold them as well!

Our evening began with an introduction to saw-whet owls and the raptor research done at Linwood Springs, followed by a short video. Then came the really exciting part--going out to find owls! Linwood Springs bands owls during the saw-whet's mating season, in late September, October, and the first week of November. The station has several acres of wooded land partitioned with special netting to "catch" owls. A saw-whet call is broadcast over a speaker system close to the netting, which draws the owls to the area. The fine netting gently captures the little owls, and every hour, from dusk until dawn, the researchers return to the net area to see how many owls have been caught. Then, they are removed from the nets and placed in a carrying case made out of orange juice concentrate containers duct-taped together, with holes punched in the ends so that they can breathe. The owls seem to like this little makeshift cocoon--it helps them feel safe. Then the researchers bring the owls into the research station to be weighed, banded, and recorded, and visitors can have a chance to hold the owls.

Northern saw-whets are very docile birds, and will perch calmly into your hand when the talons are held (they are about the size of an ice cream cone). Both of my children (then 3 and 6 years old) handled the owls with ease. If the owl starts to get a bit restless from too much handling, the researcher simply puts him/her back into the orange juice cocoon for a while and they calm down. The research station also offers an "adopt a raptor" program. Individuals can sponsor one of the owls captured during their visit, and Linwood Springs will send updates on their owl as he/she is recorded at different raptor research stations throughout Wisconsin and northern Minnesota.

We were lucky enough to have a barred owl captured in the net on our second visit to the station. Though we couldn't hold this one, we could pet him. It was amazing to see this beautiful bird up close.

By far, this was one of the coolest field trips we have ever taken! I highly recommend visiting Linwood Springs. Reservations are required. Raptor research classes are also offered in the fall. Visit their website at www.RaptorResearch.com