FAIRMONT — Typically at this time of year, amateur ornithologist Joey Herron catches between seven and 15 Saw-whet owls up at Valley Falls State Park.
However, unseasonably warm weather has delayed their migration, and the nets he and his apprentice, Joe Hildreth, have set up catch next to nothing.
It’s an exercise in patience for the 40 or so people who gathered behind the park on a recent Friday night in the hopes of seeing an owl.
While Herron gives his presentation on the owl and its habits, Hildreth checks the fine mist nets they have out in the forest for any owls that may have flown into the net. A speaker plays an owl call on a loop. There’s almost no light, and the moon won’t come up for several more hours. Hildreth has to rely on his head-mounted flashlight to see where he’s going. A gentle breeze from the south billows the net out, but no owls.
One family drove three and a half hours from Mingo County to be there, a husband and wife and four girls. One of them was an owl nut, Herron said. The family had plans to visit last year, but the weather canceled those plans.
And now, it looked like Friday night was going to be a bust as well. Hildreth checked the nets every 30 minutes, starting at 7:15 and came up empty each time.
At 11:45, it was time for one last check and then pack up. Everyone but the family and two others had left by now. Herron took the girls with him to show them how the nets work while Hildreth split off to check the second net on his own. He returned with a surprise.
“I brought the girls back in here to see the owl and when I took that owl out of the bag, their faces were just priceless,†Herron said. “They were so excited. We sat down and took pictures and they got to pet and touch it and then Veda, I had her put her hands out and she was able to let the bird go. And she ran to her mom and was crying tears of joy. When they left, the dad gave me a big hug, he was so excited, and he goes, thank you so much for this.â€
Girls skipping and spinning around, the family returned to their car. Herron said there was no way any of the girls got to sleep that night.
For 16 or so nights in late October or early November, Herron traps and bands Saw-whet owls as part of Project Owlnet, which tracks the migration of the birds across the United States. He’s been doing it for 19 years, since 2004. In 2009, he opened up four of those nights to the public.
On Monday night, roughly 50 people gathered for their own close encounter. However, this time there were no last-minute appearances. This year overall has been a lean one.
Valley Falls is one of five owl banding stations in West Virginia. The others are located in Wheeling, the Kanawha Valley, Hedgesville, and Pleasant Creek.
They all reported slim to no pickings as well. Herron suspects the birds haven’t felt pressured to move yet; the weather hasn’t cooled down enough in the north to begin pushing them south.
Further, a warm wind from the south is acting as a headwind, making it difficult for the tiny birds to flap their way through their regular migratory routes. Once the weather cools and the winds shift, Herron expects more birds will fly through the stations.
Despite that, people still came in large numbers to Valley Falls in hopes of seeing one of the owls. Although the owls are a draw, the event still provides a unique experience despite the star of the show not making an appearance.
“It’s sort of a special treat to get a chance to see one or hear one,†Katie Fallon, executive director of the Morgantown-based Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia, said. “Or even just be around other people who are interested in the same thing. So in addition to the Saw-whet owl, it’s also about community and being around a bunch of people who would sit on a hill in the dark and wait for owls to show up.â€
Fallon said the event gives members of the public the chance to see science in action. Banding provides a lot of data on bird movement, population and survivorship. It’s unique, and not something that most people can see every day.
That opportunity for learning is what drew Albani St. Martin Brown out with her kids. They learned about the event through a last-minute invitation from their homeschool co-op, Thesis, which is run by the Trinity Assembly of God.
“We’re all about the outdoors and nature,†St. Martin Brown said. “I’m making sure that our children know the joys and wonders of where they live. We take them all over and teach them about all of America and the world. But, we really like things like this, too; it keeps you rooted and helps you understand what is good about where you’re from.â€
The event is such a hit and Herron’s work is valuable enough that the park is trying to build a new pavilion for Herron and the public to use. The envisioned structure would have a roof and a fireplace to keep spectators warm on those chilly autumn nights. Park Superintendent Brett Harshbarger said that the park’s foundation has already received $10,000 from a grant for the project, and is looking to raise additional money through the coming year. He hopes to have enough raised by next year to build the pavilion for the next owl season.
Herron has no plans to retire anytime soon, but he has his eye on the future to make sure banding continues after his tenure ends. He’s setting up Hildreth to be his successor. So far, Hildreth has shown the same love and passion for birding and banding that Herron has carried for the past 19 years.
“A lot of people go their whole lives without ever seeing an owl or seeing a fleeting glimpse of one,†Hildreth said. “But to see it up close, it’s just magical. And if you can touch somebody that way, like the smile and look on those girls’ faces, it’s made being out here on numerous nights when it’s freezing cold and not catch anything, all worth it.â€
