The number of birds that we handled today were low because of the strong wind gusting from the west/northwest. Even though the visitors to the banding lab today outnumbered the birds that we banded, everyone still said it was a good day at the banding lab. The visitors were following Carol and I along the trails on the net checks, helping to bring the birds back to the banding lab. For some, it was their first look at the beautiful Blue-winged Warbler that was banded or how tiny the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher was. For others, just seeing the birds up-close was amazing and finding out what each new species was called. Some of the younger birds (hatched this year) had fresh new feathers and then, there were the older birds (at least one year old or older) like the Gray Catbird that was very ratty looking, with feathers missing as it was going through a complete moult.
To-date, the number of birds banded for the summer season is 324.

8 Banded
1 Eastern Wood-PeeWee
1 Black-capped Chickadee
1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
1 Gray-cheeked / Bicknell’s Thrush
3 Gray Catbird
1 Blue-winged Warbler

8 Retrap
2 House Wren
1 Yellow Warbler
2 Northern Cardinal
1 Song Sparrow
2 American Goldfinch

ET’s: 27