It was only 6 degrees when I arrived – to be greeted by a Woodcock spiralling overhead and a Great Horned Owl hooting in the distance. But by the time the nets were all open, a half hour later, the dawn chorus was in full swing. But a lot of voices were still missing, those of the long-distance migrants that are still hundred of kilometers south of us. There were a few White-throated Sparrows singing along the margins and several Ruby-crowned Kinglets in the dogwoods but no warblers. It’s still much too early…anticipation.

As soon as the sun cleared the horizon it began to heat up and by late morning the thermometer outside the banding window was registering 21 degrees (although I suspect it’s a bit wonky). The sun is having a noted effect on life at Ruthven. The frogs have been joined by American Toads in all the ponds – the noise is deafening. And insects are emerging en masse: hordes of midges, a few dragonflies and butterflies, water striders. A neat exercise is to sit on the observation platforms ringing the edge of the ephemeral pond below Net 8. If you sit quietly the frogs will start up again and you will find yourself enmeshed in another world.

Birding was slow, however. We banded only 20 birds and none of these were particularly “exciting”. The most noteworthy sighting was of a Sandhill Crane flying high above us, heading SW toward the marshes at Turkey Point.

Banded 20:
1 Tree Swallow
2 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
3 American Robins
4 Chipping Sparrows
2 Field Sparrows
1 Song Sparrow
1 White-throated Sparrow
1 Dark-eyed Junco
2 Red-winged Blackbirds
2 Brown-headed Cowbirds
1 American Goldfinch

Species Count: 43 spp.
Photo Gallery:

Rick