HMANA Lunch & Learn Series: A Tiny Muse in the Woods; The Northern Saw-whet Owl
Wednesday, Aug 21 at 12:00 pm EST
HMANA welcomed Marion Clément to talk owls for our Lunch & Learn on Wednesday, August 21 2024 where the presentation focused on Northern Saw-whet Owls. A small owl with bright yellow eyes and long lashes, it’s no wonder the Northern Saw-whet Owl recently won Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s cutest owl award. Despite its undeniable charm, almost nothing is known about this common species. Since 1994, banding stations across North America have been collaborating under Project Owlnet to shed light on this nocturnal predator. Due to the owl’s small size and nomadic behavior, banding recoveries are still our best tool to understand this owl’s population trends, habitat needs, migration and breeding. There is still so much to discover.
Marion Clément (she/her) has been working on raptor conservation and owl research since 2015. She began her work under the mentorship of David Brinker, one of Project Owlnet’s creators. After helping Brinker with a Barn Owl nest monitoring study, she discovered her passion for wildlife.
She worked as a wildlife biologist for 5 years in Maryland, and then pursued a Master’s Degree at Clemson University to study habitat selection of Barred Owls along an urban gradient. She first moved to Colorado in 2020 to work for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on Threatened and Endangered Species, then joined Bird Conservancy of the Rockies in 2022 as the Mexican Spotted Owl Coordinator. On her own time, Marion started a Northern Saw-Whet Owl banding station with the support of Bird Conservancy of the Rockies near her home in Fort Collins, Colorado.
