Female American Restart
There can be NO doubt: the trees wait to drop their leaves until the mist nets are open. Now it may be just because it’s dark when I’m opening the nets, but at these times I never see leaves falling. It’s not until I sit down for tea after finishing the task that I begin to see them heading for the nets. In one big gust early this morning I saw a spout of them swirling out of a walnut, right above 1A. Now the walnut leaves I can take. They will drop out of the net just by extending the panel and giving it a shake. But it’s the crusty oak leaves and the curled hawthorn “grabbers” that really bug me as they have to be extracted one by one. It took literally half an hour to close just one net chain today.
Purple Finch
Juvenile White-crowned Sparrow
Catching has been slow (for the Fall), frustratingly slow given the huge flocks of Common Grackles flying over the sight (we estimated 10,000 today) and the arrival of Cedar Waxwing groups (of up to 50 birds). The waxwings are staying high right now – I’m not sure when they will decide to drop down – or what will drive them down. There are certainly patches of grapes to be had.
Northern Parula – always a delightful surprise.
We’re getting interesting birds though: a variety of warblers are still around (Northern Parula , for example) and we caught 5 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers all on the same net round.
Young male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – note the red feathers just beginning to moult in to the chin area.
October 2nd; Banded 30:
5 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
1 House Wren
2 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
1 Swainson’s Thrush
2 American Robins
2 Gray Catbirds
1 Cedar Waxwing
1 Northern Parula
1 Magnolia Warbler
1 Black-throated Blue Warbler
1 Swamp Sparrow
4 White-throated Sparrows
1 Eastern White-crowned Sparrows
2 Purple Finches
1 House Finch
2 American Goldfinches
ET’s: 39 spp.
October 3rs; Banded28:
2 Mourning Doves
1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
1 Hairy Woodpecker
1 Yellow-shafted Flicker
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
1 House Wren
1 Swainson’s Thrush
1 American Robin
4 Gray Catbirds
1 Cedar Waxwing
1 Tennessee Warbler
1 American Redstart
2 Chipping Sparrows
1 Song Sparrow
1 Swamp Sparrow
6 White-throated Sparrows
1 House Finch
1 American Goldfinch
ET’s: 38 spp.
Anne’s Pflaumenkuchen (I think I got that right) – delicious.
Rick