This is an interesting time of year when you really swing into the Spring migration. Each day you’re out you just don’t know what you might see, what came in during the night….or that morning.

Today had that feel. We didn’t have a lot of birds but we banded and/or encountered some very interesting ones: we banded the first Hermit Thrush and Swamp Sparrow of the year; we had the first Pine Warbler of the year on census (along with a Yellow-rumped Warbler); as I was getting ready to leave I watched a sub-adult Golden Eagle (only the 2nd one seen at Ruthven!!) soaring with a Turkey Vulture above the parking lot; a lone Purple Martin returned to check out the accomodations.

And I stumbled upon a new Killdeer nest. Two days ago when there was a heavy frost a Killdeer jumped up in front of me while I was crossing the rocky part of the parking lot. It looked sort of leucistic until I realized that its back was covered with frost – meaning that it had been sitting tight all through that long cold night. I didn’t want to bother it under those conditions so I kept going. This morning when it flushed I got a peak at the test (just a shallow scrape in the gravel) and saw one egg. Later that morning I noticed that there were two – she had laid another. She isn’t sitting on them yet during the day when the sun is up but she will start after she lays the next one. (If she hadn’t been on the other one during the frost it might have frozen.) We have put a wood and orange pylon ring around the nest. Please keep your distance.

Lauren, from Western, came today to cart off 27 Brown-headed Cowbirds that we had caught for her behavioural studies. She will continue to take them through the rest of the month. Hopefully that will reduce nest parasitism….but who knows? Maybe we’re just making room for others….for “floaters”.

Banded 27:
3 Golden-crowned Kinglets
1 Hermit Thrush
1 American Tree Sparrow
1 Swamp Sparrow
7 Dark-eyed Juncos
8 Brown-headed Cowbirds
6 American Goldfinches

ET’s: 44 spp.
Rick