A fine adult (AHY) American Redstart.
The change in the weather has got things moving again. For that week of wonderful sunny weather I felt a little like I was sitting in the doldrums: baking under a hot sun and cloudless sky searching for some hint of a wind. What a relief when we got that rain yesterday! And overcast skies today. I just love lousy weather.
First Golden-crowned Kinglet of the Fall migration….a male.
There were a lot of birds around today including the first Golden-crowned Kinglets of the season. We also got a Pine Warbler – a bird we seldom see let alone catch.
One of the roly-poly Blackpoll Warblers we caught today; each weighed in at 21.3 grams.
We caught two Blackpoll Warblers that were packed with fat. Without any fat these long-distance flyers weigh between 10 and 11 grams; both of these birds weighed 21.3 grams!! Enough energy to get them non-stop to South America.
Cedar Waxwings are beginning to show up. We saw small flocks searching through the treetops. It won’t be long until they discover what grapes we have….close to the nets.
I just have to show you a couple of fine pictures that my friend Bill Maciejko took recently. Bill lives NW of Winnipeg in the Interlakes area. He is an avid observer (and photographer) of the bird life in his area.
David and Goliath? Pileated Woodpecker on the left; Downy Woodpecker on the right. -B. Maciejko
For comparison: White-crowned Sparrow on the left; White-throated Sparrow on the right. -B. Maciejko
For those of you that are looking for a good way to stay in shape, Peter Thoem has measured the length of a net round – just a fraction over 1 kilometer. 5 net rounds = 5 k’s. Or you could run from net to net…..
Peter Thoem determined that a net check involves a walk of just a fraction over 1 kilometer….a great way to burn off calories from baked goods. -P. Thoem
Banded 59:
2 Eastern Phoebes
1 House Wren
5 Golden-crowned Kinglets
4 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
1 Gray-cheeked Thrush
1 Swainson’s Thrush
1 Hermit Thrush
4 Gray Catbirds
1 Philadelphia Vireo
1 Magnolia Warbler
2 Black-throated Blue Warblers
2 Black-throated Green Warblers
1 Pine Warbler
2 Blackpoll Warblers
1 American Redstart
19 White-throated Sparrows
1 House Finch
10 American Goldfinches
ET’s: 47 spp.
Rick