You must be thinking: what the heck is this all about. Well, two yoga aficionados found the Farm so quiet and relaxing that they went through a workout. I believe this position is called the “constipated emu”….but I can’t be sure. -DOL
The prairie meadow continues to draw sparrows in large numbers – they’re pouring through. Or, in some cases, stopping for awhile to feed and fatten, taking advantage of the rich food supply that the grasses provide. So not only are we banding a considerable number of birds, we’re also handling a large number of “retraps” – birds that we’ve banded and are hanging around. For example, today we banded 50 new birds and handled another 49 retraps. Interestingly Swamp Sparrows seem to be much more likely to hang around as opposed to Song Sparrows. We’ve banded more Songs but the proportion of retrapped Swampies is much larger.
Sparrows made up a large part of each day’s catch this week. On the 15th they constituted 73% of the birds banded; the 16th it was 76%; on the 18th 92%; and today it was 84%. The switch from soybeans to prairie grass has certainly had a big impact on these seed-eating species!
October 15th; Banded 83:
10 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
1 American Goldfinch
2 Savannah Sparrows
3 Field Sparrows
1 Fox Sparrow (1st of the season)
16 White-throated Sparrows
19 Song Sparrows
20 Swamp Sparrows
7 Myrtle Warblers
4 Northern Cardinals
ET’s: 30 spp.
October 16th; Banded 58:
1 Eastern Phoebe
3 Golden-crowned Kinglets
3 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
1 Hermit Thrush
1 Purple Finch
2 American Goldfinches
1 Field Sparrow
1 White-crowned Sparrow
11 White-throated Sparrows
16 Song Sparrows
1 Lincoln’s Sparrow
14 Swamp Sparrows
2 Myrtle Warblers
1 Northern Cardinal
ET’s: 45 spp.
The 18th turned up the first American Tree Sparrow of the season. For me, this is the harbinger of Winter, the bird I associate with cold winds and snow drifts. I wonder how long it will be before we see these conditions….if we do see them in these times of climate change.
1st American Tree Sparrow of the season. Will Winter be long behind? -DOL
October 18th; Banded 74:
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
1 Black-capped Chickadee
2 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
1 Brown Creeper
1 House Finch
9 Field Sparrows
1 American Tree Sparrow (1st of the season)
6 White-throated Sparrows
29 Song Sparrows
23 Swamp Sparrows
ET’s: 27 spp.
Today’s crew that both banded and educated a young people’s group about birds. (From left): Joyce, Sam, Liam, Ethan, Elaine. -DOL
October 19th; Banded 50:
1 Black-capped Chickadee
2 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
1 Carolina Wren
1 Eastern Bluebird
Female Eastern Bluebird. -JYL
1 Purple Finch
5 Field Sparrows
2 American Tree Sparrows
1 Dark-eyed Junco
Dark-eyed Junco; another northern-nesting bird that will spend the Winter down here.. -JYL
6 White-throated Sparrows
18 Song Sparrows
10 Swamp Sparrows
1 Myrtle Warbler
ET’s: 43 spp.
Rick