We finally had a pretty good day! Like I’ve been telling you all along……Lousy weather makes for good banding at Ruthven. The very light showers we were getting at opening time stopped shortly after opening the first net. We somewhat trepidatiously continued to open thinking Mother Nature would/could screw us at any time and we’d have to run around and close quickly. But, no….the rain held off but the cloud stayed – perfect!
We ended up banding 78 birds of 17 species (see below).
As well as birding/banding there were some other interesting findings and/or events:
Identical twins!
Alessandra and Lauren, both redheads, showed up dressed identically! Surely there must be some genetic component to this, quite likely associated with hair colour. When we pressed them for answers that might explain this phenomenon it turned out that they are in fact identical twins born just 8 years apart. Genetics…..amazing!
We were greatly entertained by an original rap poetry presentation by the Dynamic Duo – Ezra and Alessandra.
Alessandra and Ezra are very talented artists – singers, poets, actors. They treated us to an original 10-minute rap poetry presentation. Even old fuddy-duddys like Mike and I could appreciate the freshness of the performance. What next!?
3 male Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers; adult male, on the left, and two young males.
Banded 78:
4 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers
Female Northern Flicker (no moustache stripe). -AAW
1 Northern Flicker
1 Eastern Wood Pewee
1 Brown Creeper
2 Winter Wrens
8 Golden-crowned Kinglets
8 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
8 Hermit Thrushes
1 American Robin
6 Cedar Waxwings
1 Red-eyed Vireo
2 Orange-crowned Warblers
1 Magnolia Warbler
12 Yellow-rumped Warblers
1 Black-throated Green Warbler
1 Western Palm Warbler
1 Blackpoll Warbler
1 American Redstart
1 Northern Cardinal
8 Song Sparrows
8 White-throated Sparrows
1 American Goldfinch
ET’s: 50 spp.
Photos:
Note the very pale plumage on this Black-throated Green Warbler. -AAW
Another look. -AAW
And yet another. -AAW
Wing detail of an AHY Blue Jay. -AAW
Brown Creeper. -AAW
We’ve had an unusually low number of these this Fall – Chipping Sparrow. -AAW
Male Golden-crowned Kinglet. -AAW
Male Ruby-crowned Kinglet. -AAW
Orange-crowned Warbler. -AAW
Philadelphia Vireo. AAW
Karen getting the upper hand on a Sapsucker.
Very late Eastern Wood Pewee. -KMP
Wing detail of 2 female American Goldfinches: adult on the left (note the extensive moult of wing feathers) and a juvenile on the right.
Western Palm Warbler. -AAW
Orange-crowned Warbler. -KMP
Rick