Another Weekend of Bird Banding

23 and 24 September 2017

23 September

     The weather is unbelievably warm for the time of year, downright hot in fact, and we wondered what kind of results we might have, given the lack of wind from the north and cold fronts to push the birds south. 

     As it turned out it was not a bad day at all.

     Two new species for the fall were banded, including this White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) caught in our first round of the nets.

     I am sure that by now many of you are starting to recognize Heather's wrist from the bracelets that she wears!

     A Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) was the first representative of this species that we have trapped at SpruceHaven, rather surprising really
since it is a common species.

     We had a few visitors this morning, including Rebecca Seiling who was coming back for the second week in a row, having been quite captivated by the activity last week. I am quite sure that Rebecca is going to be a regular (and much appreciated) visitor to Sprucehaven bird banding activities.

     We were very happy to welcome Debbie Hernandez, a fourth year biology student at Wilfrid Laurier University, for her first visit. Debbie is anxious to expand her knowledge of birds and is keen, attentive and ready to get involved.

     Debbie has already said that she will be back again next weekend and we look forward to seeing her then.

All species banded 23 September: Swainson's Thrush (1), House Wren (1), American Goldfinch (3), Nashville Warbler (4), Common Yellowthroat (2), Magnolia Warbler (1), Song Sparrow (6), White-throated Sparrow (3), Chipping Sparrow (1).  Total: 22 birds representing 9 species.

24 September

    It was hot, still and muggy already, early in the morning when Kevin arrived to unfurl the nets, and we sat for a while swatting mosquitoes before making our first circuit. 
    We expected that there would not be a great deal of activity and true to expectations retrieved only one Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus) from the nets, a species which has moved through this area with some regularity this year.
    It was very agreeable, later,  to capture a Black-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus erythropthalmus), heavily advanced into moult.

     Rebecca Seiling was back for a visit with her daughter, Eden, who was captivated by this bird and thrilled to be able to hold it before it was released.

     Eden is only eleven years old but is already passionate about natural history and we need to do all we can to foster her interest further. Teaching her how to hold a bird in the prescribed grip is merely the start of this. Who knows what the future holds? Kevin started to band at thirteen years of age so there is hope for Eden!
     She was eagerly watching the proceedings with her mother at the picnic table that serves as our banding station. Perhaps they were agog at the Blackpoll Warbler (Setophaga striata) that weighed in at 18.4 grams; a "normal" bird weighs around 11 grams, so you can appreciate the huge difference.

     In the picture below Rebecca looks to be saying, "Give me the damn bird!" but I am sure it was something much more benign!

    Kevin is about to depart on vacation and our good friend and colleague, Ross Dickson, has agreed to take charge of matters while Kevin is away, and joined us for a while this morning. What an illustrious (feel free to substitute your own adjective) pair they look!

     Eden was more than happy to learn from everyone.

     Bird activity was light, but there was much more to engage our attention, including this caterpillar of Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes) - a ferocious looking creature!

    We will look forward to next weekend, when perhaps the weather will be a little more conducive to a productive session at our mist nets.
     In the meantime we wish Kevin and Grace "Bon Voyage." Come back to us refreshed with many stories to tell.

All species banded 24 September: Black-billed Cuckoo (1), House Wren (1),
Swainson's Thrush (1), Common Yellowthroat (1), Blackpoll Warbler (1), Song Sparrow (3).  Total: 8 birds representing 6 species.