Thunderstorms and rain during the night and running into the early morning delayed opening once again by over an hour. It stopped long enough to get the nets up and then started again – Mother Nature is a capricious vixen, isn’t she? I was about to close again when it stopped….this time for good. There were birds around but not nearly in the numbers that they were yesterday. Still, we managed to band 78 before closing up.
This is the second day that Rusty Blackbirds have been in the area – in the treetops checking out the grapes below…but not yet dropping down to partake. The warm weather has been keeping the hummingbirds around; they are attracted to the bright red flowers in Carol’s “Hummingbird Garden” (appropriately).
Hummingbird in Carol’s Hummingbird Garden
We have a pair (at least) of beavers working away down in the river flats. They have built a lodge about 30 meters upstream from the owl nets on the Ruthven side of the River. Up until now this has been a good thing as they have been taking down Black Walnuts to build with….and maybe even eat. But last night they took down a sizeable Bitternut Hickory. Carol took some pictures of their “handiwork” and had this to say: One of the pictures is of the top of the tree laying across the pathway. That’s only maybe about a quarter of the length of the tree. Stump 7 inches diameter. I even checked under it to make sure there wasn’t a dead beaver. How do they know which way it is going to fall anyway??? It would be interesting to see what they do with it over night.
Overnight they will likely trim off the branches for eating and take them to their lodge. They have established well-worn trails from dragging trees and branches to the water. If you’re at Ruthven, take a walk on the River Trail to take in their hard work.
Banded 78:
1 Brown Creeper
1 Winter Wren
9 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
26 Cedar Waxwings
3 Red-eyed Vireos
1 Tennessee Warbler
1 Magnolia Warbler
20 Myrtle Warblers
1 Western Palm Warbler
2 Common Yellowthroats
7 Song Sparrows
4 White-throated Sparrows
1 Eastern White-crowned Sparrow
1 American Goldfinch
ET’s: 41 spp.
Rick
White-throated Sparrow with overbite
Elizabeth with her first banded bird – a Song Sparrow
Beaver’s work on the river flats
Beaver’s work on the river flats
Beaver’s work on the river flats