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Fall Songbird Migration Banding
Fall Songbird Migration Banding
The Finger Lakes Bird Observatory, led by Max "Hummingbird" Baber, will be banding birds at Lighthouse Point this Fall. Members of the public are invited to observe our beautiful birds up close and to learn about the bird banding process.
Banding sessions are scheduled for Sundays from September 27 through November 1. Each session lasts for up to 6 hours from sunrise. Stop by anytime after the first net check 30 minutes after sunrise. See the calendar below for the full schedule, showing the time of the first net check. Sessions may be shortened or cancelled from rain, heavy wind, or other conditions that may jeopardize the safety of the birds.
Lighthouse Point directions
Lighthouse Point directions
Park at Newman Municipal Golf Course (from highway 13 turn west on Willow Avenue, at the T turn left and drive to the golf course parking lot). From there, walk 0.4 miles north along the inlet, go behind the utility building to the banding station.
Cormorant nests above Lighthouse Point
Saw-whet Owl Banding
Saw-whet Owl Banding
Saw-whet Owl banding at Connecticut Hill has begun, and members of the public are invited to come see these cute little creatures up close. Banding takes place twice a week through November 14 (see calendar below below for schedule). Net checks begin 1.5 hours after sunset and last for three hours. To avoid stressing the birds too much we are limiting visitor numbers, so please sign up on the spreadsheet below if you're interested in attending. All sessions are subject to weather cancellation (from rain or wind), so check the spreadsheet before coming out: cancellations will be highlighted in red.
Signup sheet: https://tinyurl.com/chowls-2026
Location: Connecticut Hill Cemetery at the end of Boylan Road.
Directions from Ithaca:
Take 13 South.
One mile after the split with 34/96, turn right onto Millard Hill Road.
Follow Millard Hill Road for 3.7 miles to the stop sign at Trumbull Corners.
1000 feet after the stop sign, turn left onto Connecticut Hill Road.
Continue 1.2 miles to a four way junction where the main road curves to the right.
Go straight on Boylan Road (a slightly narrower unpaved road) for 1.5 miles.
When you see a white sign, slow down, as the final 0.5 miles is somewhat rough.
Where the road ends at a T is the location of the banding desk.
What to expect:
Starting 1.5 hours after sunset, the crew will check the nets every 45 minutes (the public may not be visiting the nets, depending on conditions). Net check times are shown in the spreadsheet. The nets are a 10 minute walk away, so expect the banding desk to be possibly unattended for about 10 minutes before and after a net check (a longer delay hopefully means the crew is busy extracting owls from the net).
Owl activity is of course unpredictable, and there is no guarantee we will catch any on a given night or net check. But generally, activity tends to pick up during the later net checks.
Guidelines:
You should have a headlamp or flashlight to help navigate in the dark, but be prepared to turn them off while the owls are processed, as they are sensitive to bright light. Many modern LED lights are especially bright.
Expect to stand around for long periods of time in the cold, so dress appropriately.
Bring a chair if you want to sit.
Summer MAPS Banding
Summer MAPS Banding
We had another successful summer banding for the MAPS project, with two MAPS site for 2026: Lighthouse Point and Lindsay-Parsons. Check back next Spring for the summer MAPS banding schedule.
Lindsay-Parsons directions
Lindsay-Parsons directions
(site of summer MAPS banding)
Head south on highway 34. When you see the green "West Danby" sign, go another 0.8 miles and turn left to the parking area. Do NOT take the main trail to the north; instead, go to the middle of the parking lot and find a trail heading east.
Banding station at Lindsay-Parsons
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