Every year, the Project Owlnet season runs from mid-October to late-November. For the 2024 season, we will start banding Northern Saw-Whet owls on Saturday, October 19th and continue every evening through Wednesday, November 27th. 

Each night, volunteers set up mist nets with an audio lure placed in the middle of the mist net array. Volunteers check the nets each hour. For each owl caught, volunteers record data on the owl’s appearance, health, size, sex, and weight. Where and when the owl was caught is also documented. The owls are given individually numbered bands issued by the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory. Then they are released, unharmed, to continue their journey.