This was the real treat! Having students help out in the banding lab – the first time in two years. -KAP
What a beautiful day! The brilliant sunrise made even the long drive to Fern Hill’s Oakville campus enjoyable. I hadn’t been there for awhile and wasn’t sure what to expect but there were two great things: lots of birds to band and the allowance to have students directly involved again. It’s been two years since we’ve been able to bring them into the banding lab and teach them. Sure, we were sporting masks, but they were able to get involved. And that’s what it should all be about in the long run.
And the birds co-operated. We ended up banding 38 and had a couple of interesting retraps (e.g., a male American Goldfinch showed up today that had originally been banded by Sam Lewis way back in May 2019!).
1 Mourning Dove
2 Tree Swallows
1 Blue Jay
1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
1 American Robin
Brown Thrasher – a nice surprise at the best of times. [That is NOT blood on the student’s finger….red paint.] -KAP
1 Brown Thrasher
1 European Starling
Despite the date and the weather, this was the only warbler we saw today. -KAP
1 Yellow Warbler
1 Song Sparrow
8 Eastern White-crowned Sparrows
6 Red-winged Blackbirds
5 Brown-headed Cowbirds
An older male Baltimore Oriole – always a treat! -KAP
1 Baltimore Oriole
6 American Goldfinches
2 House Sparrows
ET’s: 35 spp.
Rick