October 8th
An overcast day at Ruthven, and as might be expected, there were plenty of birds around. Waves of Warblers, Kinglets, Blackbirds, Sparrows, and Robins seemed to be moving around the park. A bunch would hit the nets at once, resulting in a net round with a bunch of empty nets except for the one net with 20 birds in it. Many of the birds banded today were trapped just before noon, around the time that the wind picked up and the rain began. This led to a little bit of a scramble to get the birds extracted and nets closed, but it all worked out in the end (Thanks for your help, Phil). We did get a number of birds while Jake (the co-op student) was around, but they really seemed to throw themselves in the net once he left.
There were a few nice highlights today, including a hooting Great Horned Owl, a flock of 20 Tree Swallows, and a (flyover) Whimbrel, all observed before the first net round. Later in the day I banded a Blackpoll Warbler who was a real fattie at 18.5 grams, and a foreign-ish retrap Eastern Bluebird (we think it was banded by the Throwers). A couple of Blue-headed Vireos were also banded–I think the first banded this fall.
The banding total was high (73), and nets 6A-9 were not open. It may have been a 100+ day if the other nets had been open.
Banded 73:
1 Black-capped Chickadee
6 Golden-crowned Kinglets
9 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
1 Hermit Thrush
1 American Robin
12 Cedar Waxwings
23 Yellow-rumped Warblers
3 Blackpoll Warblers
1 Chipping Sparrow
1 Song Sparrow
6 White-throated Sparrows
2 Eastern White-crowned Sparrows
1 Dark-eyed Junco
4 American Goldfinch
2 Blue-headed Vireos
Retrapped 4:
1 Black-capped Chickadee
1 Gray Catbird
1 Eastern Bluebird
1 Northern Cardinal
I have some pictures to post, and hope to post them tomorrow.
Jeff
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October 7th
I was greeted pre dawn by a hooting Great Horned Owl. A gorgeous fall day followed. Leaves are falling, filling the nets as fast as you can rid them. It was a rather quiet day banding wise for the time of year.
With the help of 3 Tufted Titmice we managed to push over the 1000 bird mark for the fall season.
A flock of over 70 Cedar Waxwings monopolized the shrubs and trees in front of the mansion, feasting on wild grapes and dogwood berries.
Banded 33:
3 Eastern Tufted Titmice
1 Mourning Dove
1 Blue Jay
3 Golden-crowned kinglets
3 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
1 American Robin
3 Grey Catbirds
1 Cedar Waxwing
1 Nashville Warbler
1 Magnolia Warbler
8 Yellow-rumped Warblers
1 White-throated Sparrow
1 Dark-eyed Junco (first banded for the fall)
5 American Goldfinches
Retrapped 8
2 Black-capped Chickadees
1 House Wren
2 Golden-crowned Kinglets
1 Hermit Thrush
1 Chipping Sparrow
1 American Robin
Loretta
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October 6th
I had only one mosquito encounter today and it went badly, very badly, for the mosquito. The cold nights are starting to take their toll on the little bloodsuckers, reducing their numbers and making their reaction times slower.
There was a lot of bird activity this morning. Interestingly it was in an unusual pattern: when we catch a lot of birds, we get the most in the #10-2-4-6 net “corridor” with “spillover” showing up in nets 8 & 9. Today it was exactly the opposite: nets 8 & 9 accounted for 52% of the birds handled. I’m not sure why. I know that there’s a big grape/berry crop in the front of the Mansion and in that corridor but there’s a lot of food throughout right now.
It’s always been interesting to me to see the variety of birds, that you think of as insectivores, that feed on berries in the Fall. Adding to this list this morning was a Blackpoll Warbler which I watched pick off and swallow dogwood berries. I banded 5 of these birds; two of them had huge fat loads (6 out of 7 on the MAPS fat scoring) and weights of 19.8 g. and 20.4g. Without any fat these little warblers weigh only 10-11 g. These two birds have enough fuel right now to go as far as Central America, if not further, nonstop. They spend the winter in South America.
Banded 65:
1 Mourning Dove
1 Eastern Phoebe
2 Brown Creepers
3 Golden-crowned Kinglets
3 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
1 Gray-cheeked Thrush
1 Swainson’s Thrush
2 Hermit Thrushes
1 Gray Catbird
6 Cedar Waxwings
1 Red-eyed Vireo
1 Nashville Warbler
1 Black-throated Blue Warbler
14 Yellow-rumped Warblers
5 Blackpoll Warblers
1 Northern Cardinal
5 Song Sparrows
5 White-throated Sparrows
1 Eastern White-crowned Sparrow (first of the Fall Season)
10 American Goldfinches
Retrapped 4:
2 Black-capped Chickadees
1 Song Sparrow
1 American Goldfinch
ET’s: 40 species
Rick