Northern Saw-whet Owl in September

September is the peak of fall migration. Huge numbers of birds move south on cold fronts, mixed flocks form, and summer residents slip away almost unnoticed. Young birds making their first migration appear in places the species rarely visits.

For the Northern Saw-whet Owl specifically, September is a fall month of relative routine, with the species settled into its seasonal pattern across its range. Across the 62 states and provinces where saw-whet owls occur, what the bird is doing this month depends heavily on latitude — the details below break it down by band.

Southern states

absent

Mid-latitudes

year-round resident

Northern states & Canada

absent

In September, saw-whet owls are absent in the South, year-round resident across the mid-latitudes, and absent in the northern states and Canada. That north–south split is the defining feature of this month: where you live changes which version of this bird you're looking at.

Saw-whet owls are not nesting in September. The season runs March–June at mid-latitudes.

That makes September a useful month for nest-box work: cleaning out old nesting material, checking mounts and predator guards, and making repairs while boxes are empty. A box that's ready early gets claimed early.

Northern Saw-whet Owl nest box dimensions and mounting →

• Deer mice, voles and shrews

Astonishingly tame when roosting in dense conifers by day; uses nest boxes readily.

Migrants passing through may stop at feeders for a day and never return — September rewards watching closely. Natural seed and fruit crops are abundant, so feeder traffic can be uneven.

Full Northern Saw-whet Owl diet guide → · Best feeder for saw-whet owls →

Saw-whet owls are settled and predictable in September, which makes this a good month to learn the bird's routine — same feeders, same perches, same times of day.

If you have a Northern Saw-whet Owl box up, this is the month to make sure it's clean, secure and ready — the box guide below has the exact hole size and mounting height this species needs.

AlabamaAlaskaAlbertaArizonaArkansasBritish ColumbiaCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaine