Weatherwise, it was a topsy turvy weekend: Sunny with pleasant seasonable temperatures and light northerly winds on Saturday; cold and rainy with gusting easterly winds on Sunday; and, after the rain stopped around 8:30 this morning, northwesterly cold, gusting winds.

We did a full banding day in the good weather on Saturday. I opened a couple of nets yesterday until the light drizzle turned into a more steady rain. And today I opened a few nets after the rain.

Saturday, as one would predict, was a banding bonanza as we handled 109 birds – 75 new bands, 34 retraps. Sunday could have been interesting if it hadn’t rained. I handled 39 birds – 26 new bands, 13 retraps.
Today was slow; we handled 26 birds – 12 new bands, 14 retraps. Other than kinglets we are catching sparrows in large numbers. Saturday they made up 88% of the birds banded; Sunday 61.5%; today 58%. The prairie grasses are festooned with them.

October 12th; Banded 75:
3 Ruby-crowned Kinglets

1 American Goldfinch
25 White-throated Sparrows
19 Song Sparrows
3 Lincoln’s Sparrows
19 Swamp Sparrows
4 Red-winged Blackbirds
1 Brown-headed Cowbird
ET’s: 29 spp.

October 13th; Banded 26:
9 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
1 American Goldfinch
3 White-throated Sparrows
7 Song Sparrows
6 Swamp Sparrows
ET’s: 16 spp.

October 14th; Banded 12:
4 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
1 Field Sparrow
4 Song Sparrows

2 Swamp Sparrows
1 Red-winged Blackbird
ET’s: 26 spp.
Rick