Petit Manan Owl Monitoring Station

Spring 2025 Saw-whet Owl GPS Tag Fundraiser

We need your help to purchase three Flicker GPS ULP tags to track the migratory patterns of Northern Saw-whet Owls in Maine and beyond.

Here’s what’s happening. Because they are nocturnal and rarely vocalize outside of the breeding season, Northern Saw-whet Owls have long been under-studied. Dedicated research is needed to uncover basic information about their behavior and movements. Maine Bird Atlas volunteers recently found several Saw-whets in Maine in mid-February, and experts don’t know if these birds were early spring migrants traveling North or if Saw-whets sometimes overwinter in Maine.

To answer these critical questions, our owl monitoring station at Petit Manan—part of a collaboration with the Northern Saw-whet Owl Migratory Connectivity Project—has been equipping Saw-whets with nanotags. These small transmitters provide valuable data when an owl passes within approximately 12 km of a Motus receiver. This work has already expanded our understanding of the owls’ movements, but significant gaps remain. By incorporating GPS technology, we can fill in these gaps. Just three Flicker GPS ULP tags, which provide real-time coordinates, could revolutionize our ability to track their full migration with unprecedented precision. Combined with nanotag data, the GPS tag data will give us a more complete picture of where these elusive owls travel, helping to inform conservation efforts and deepen our understanding of their ecology.

This is where you come in. Your gift by May 15th will help us purchase these three GPS tags, which will provide us with the precise, real-time data we need to answer questions that are crucial to our understanding of Saw-whet ecology and the conservation of the species.

Each Flicker GPS ULP tag costs $1,700, so we need to raise $5,100 to purchase three tags. Once the tags are deployed, we will share live updates of the owls’ locations on the MNHO website, allowing you to follow their journey in real-time. Any additional funds raised will support continued research at the Petit Manan Owl Monitoring Station. Thank you for your generous support!

Project Details

The Northern Saw-whet Owl Migratory Connectivity Project unites leading and emerging owl researchers to study the movement patterns of Northern Saw-whet Owls. This research is critical for conservation and forest management, as these small owls rely on boreal and northern hardwood forests—key areas targeted for timber harvesting. Until now, the project has primarily used VHF nanotags to track Saw-whets through the Motus network of receiver stations along the Eastern Seaboard. While this system has provided valuable insights, it also leaves gaps in the data when saw-whets migrate through areas with sparse receiver coverage. Once they reach their remote boreal breeding grounds, they can remain undetected for months if they do not pass near a Motus antenna. To fully understand their migration routes and habitat use, we need a technology that can track their movements beyond the reach of receiver stations.

To bridge these gaps, we plan to integrate Flicker ULP GPS tags from Cellular Tracking Technologies into our research. These cutting-edge tags transmit daily location data, even in the most remote regions, allowing us to track individual owls with unprecedented accuracy.

With just a few Flicker GPS ULP tags, we will:

• Track Northern Saw-whet Owl movements in real time for at least one year.
• Gain new insights into the size of their home ranges, the timing of their migration and their fidelity to breeding and wintering sites.
• Transform our understanding of Saw-whet Owl migration and help guide conservation efforts for this elusive species.

About the Petit Manan Owl Monitoring Station