A Successful Morning's Banding

20 August 2016

     Last week we launched our mist net operation at SpruceHaven, but did not have an auspicious start, due to heavy rain at the outset and the fact that we had to set up the nets before starting to band birds. At most we got in an hour of actual banding, so today was effectively the first day's activity.

     As usual, Kevin Grundy, our distinguished and highly professional bander was in charge, and we were impressed (and very happy) with the results we had. Kevin's friend, George Hentsch, came to help us this morning and we appreciated his assistance.

     Song Sparrows Melopsiza melodia have obviously had a very successful breeding season and, as expected, they predominated in captures. This hatch year bird was retrieved from the first circuit of the nets.

     American Goldfinch Spinus tristis is a common resident bird and they are still breeding, spurred on by the prolific crop of thistle seeds.

     One of the ways we determine the sex and breeding status of a bird is to examine it for the presence of a brood patch, that area of bare skin whereby the incubating female transfers body heat to the eggs.

     The brood patch is very evident on this female American Goldfinch.

     We know that House Wrens Troglodytes aedon bred successfully since they fledged young from one of our nest boxes, and we were not surprised to capture young birds fresh from the nest.

     We were delighted to capture a migrating Black-and-White Warbler Mniotilta varia and here Kevin consults the bird bander's bible to check on the finer points of aging and sexing.

     Black-and-White Warbler is quite distinct and is impossible to confuse with any other warbler. In habits it mimics a nuthatch.

     In addition to capturing juvenile Song Sparrows we also netted several adults, all of which now carry identifying bands, their vital statistics having been measured and recorded.

     A Chestnut-sided Warbler Setophaga pensylvanica was the second species of migratory warbler we captured this morning.

     We wish this first year female favourable winds on its journey south to as far as northern Ecuador.

     A Scarlet Tanager Piranga olivacea, captured and banded, is a cause for celebration, although in the fall the males do not feature their stunning and highly distinctive breeding plumage.

     We captured the first Empidonax flycatcher of the season and were very happy that it was a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Empidonax flaviventri, a species banded relatively infrequently.

     

     Baltimore Orioles Icterus galbula have been a fixture at SpruceHaven since spring, so it was no surprise when this bird was captured.

     Our last capture of the day was a Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus on our final round of the nets to close them up. This bird has two colour variants - Yellow-shafted and Red-shafted - and it is easy to identify this bird as a Yellow-shafted Flicker.

     Rare among woodpeckers, the flicker feeds primarily on the ground, on ants, and it is clear from the mud on this male's bill it has been digging in the soil in search of food.

     This was a great start to our bird banding operation at SpruceHaven and as the seasons moves along and the pace of migration increases we have only bigger and better successes to look forward to.

All species banded: Northern Flicker 1), Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (1), Black-capped Chickadee (3) Barn Swallow (1), House Wren (3), American Goldfinch (2), Black-and-white Warbler (1), Chestnut-sided Warbler (1), Baltimore Oriole (1), Song Sparrow (16), Scarlet Tanager (1). Total individuals: 31