Halloween. It’s a cool autumn night with clear skies and gentle winds from the north-northwest. No moon to speak of. Good conditions for a migratory push of Northern Saw-whet Owls. I’m headed to a banding station in Powhatan, Virginia, to witness the capture and banding of these alluring little owls.
Some people know the Northern Saw-whet from its limelight appearance in the seventy-five-foot Norway Spruce from upstate New York that was to serve as a Christmas tree in Rockefeller Plaza in 2020. It was during the pandemic, and the bird became a symbol of resilience, stealing the hearts of New Yorkers and the whole nation. “Rocky” was found tucked in at the base of the tree. She undoubtedly got trapped there when the tree was bagged prior to cutting and transporting. Rocky was cared for by a wildlife center before she was released back into the wild. How she made it all the way from Oneonta to the city in that downed tree remains a mystery—like so many other things about this species.
The highly nocturnal and secretive Northern Saw-whet occurs in forests across North America. Small as a robin, with a heart-shaped face, oversize head on a squat body, and bright, fervent eyes, the saw-whet is arguably the world’s most adorable owl, bursting with moxie. It looks more like what you would think a baby owl should look like than most real
