Join Dr. Mitchell Pruitt—UA professor and director of Ozark Bird Conservancy—on an evening owl excursion on Friday, April 25th. Participants will have a chance to observe field work in action as Mitchell and colleagues attempt to capture and band Eastern Screech-Owls at a site in NWA (exact location TBD). The team will also be deploying GPS tags on breeding adults. This research is part of OBC’s Urban Raptor Project, which seeks to understand how raptors, like screech-owls, persist in urban settings. Screech-owls have historically been considered urban tolerant, but there is evidence populations may be declining in some urban areas, including NWA. Participants should expect walking on rough terrain in the dark, and staying up late.
Participants of this special Friday evening field trip should plan to meet Mitchell at Mount Sequoyah for a prompt 7:00 PM departure.