Record-setting #767 – A SY male Red-winged Blackbird.
It’s tough when you know that what you really want is south of you but will be showing up….soon. Just not soon enough. The first of the long-distance migrants should be showing up now at any time. And the bulk of them is probably down around South Carolina, Georgia, Florida. It’s the anticipation that’s the killer. For the past two days we’ve been getting just dribbles of residents or short-distance migrants – but you know that that big push from the south will be happening…it’s just a matter of when.
It was a little exciting when I was opening the nets: before I got #7 even fully open a Yellow-rumped Warbler flew into it. I thought this augured well for the catching day to come…..but it didn’t. It was another slow banding day.
Bailey with his first banded bird – a male American Goldfinch
But we did have some nice/interesting things:
– the Yellow-rumped Warbler that we caught was #766 for April tying the 18-year record for number banded in this month and a young male Red-winged Blackbird established the new record. (Ya,ya….despite all my bellyaching about lousy conditions, we set a new record…go figure.)
Purple Martins seem to prefer the gourds. -B. McCreadie
– our Purple Martin colony has grown to 13 birds!
Sandhill Crane -B; McCreadie
– a lone Sandhill Crane flew over
– we saw two firsts for the year: Carolina Wren and Orchard Oriole (and I saw a Baltimore Oriole in York on my way home).
– we encountered 46 species for the day
– Joanne Smith flew in from the West to join mother Dorothy for their annual Spring Banding Blowout
– and 4 new people banded their first-ever bird today: Julie, Brian, Bailey and Greg
So the day might have been slow..but it was productive.
Greg with his first banded bird – American Goldfinch
An interesting note from yesterday: about 4 days before we had captured a very late Common Redpoll that was suffering from conjunctivitis in both eyes (probably the reason that it was still lingering). Giuliana Casimirri happened to have a bottle of Polysporin antibiotic eye drops so we put drops in the bird’s eyes. Yesterday when we caught it, it looked as though the bird was on the mend.
April 26th
Banded 21:
2 Mourning Doves
1 House Wren
1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
2 American Robins
6 Chipping Sparrows
1 Field Sparrow
2 Red-winged Blackbirds
6 American Goldfinches
ET’s: 46 spp.
April 27th
Banded 21:
3 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
1 Myrtle Warbler
2 Chipping Sparrows
2 White-throated Sparrows
2 Red-winged Blackbirds
3 Brown-headed Cowbirds
8 American Goldfinches
ET’s: 46 spp.
Photo Gallery (thanks to Bill McCreadie!):
Tree Swallow on a nest box. -B. McCreadie
A beaver just offshore. -B. McCreadie
Soaring Red-tailed Hawk. -B. McCreadie
Kingfisher leaving its freshly excavated hole right across the river from the River Trail. -B. McCreadie
Rick