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Have a hoot tracking owl migration with the McGill Bird Observatory

Click to play video: 'Tracking owls in Quebec'
Tracking owls in Quebec
WATCH ABOVE: Global's Billy Shields learns all about the owl banding program of McGill Bird Observatory, a non-profit group dedicated to the research and monitoring of migratory birds – Oct 17, 2016

For the second straight year, the McGill Bird Observatory (MBO) is hosting a series of owl nights, a program to educate the public about the Northern Saw-whet Owl.

READ MORE: Snowy owl captures hearts in Montreal’s West Island

The birds are migratory, flying to parts of the U.S. for the winter, but not much else is known about their flight patterns or population numbers.

For that reason, the MBO started putting tracking bands on the birds about a decade ago in the hopes of learning more about them.

READ MORE: Snowy owls return to the wild

It’s believed there could be as many as 300,000 of the small owls – who are about the size of a soup can – living in Canada during the summer months.

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The MBO is holding informational seminars to allow people to see the birds up close as they’re captured, tagged and released.

The sessions are held at night until the first week of November.

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