It was hot (21 degrees) and very humid when I was opening the nets – hardly a characteristic Fall day.
At 7:30, if someone had said we were going to handle 61 birds this morning, I would have told them to go and get their lobotomy checked. Well, maybe I wouldn’t have said that directly; I’m too sensitive a guy. But I might have raised my eyebrows in surprise. You see, when I was opening, it was absolutely dead – no bird songs or movement along the edges; no gabbling of Canada Geese on the river; no American Crows or European Starlings leaving their roosts; nothing (except for the 2 Killdeer in the parking lot that I scared up). I figured for sure it was going to be one of those days where nothing happens.
Christine came in early so I could do a census – only 25 species encountered (and only 157 birds tallied altogether) in one hour.
But I guess they were just hunkered down in case the rain, which appeared imminent, came down. When it became apparent that the rain was elsewhere, they began to make their way to the feeders and through the shrubbery.
We did have 2 new species for the Fall season: Golden-crowned Kinglet and Dark-eyed Junco.
At the Door’s Open event on Saturday, new volunteer George DeFossard and his partner Cornelia spent most of the day helping out. George was so impressed with the banding that he brought his mother Rachel and sister Jesse over from England the very next day just to see it going on this morning. What a generous guy!

Banded 44:
2 Eastern Wood Pewees
3 Black-capped Chickadees
1 Golden-crowned Kinglet
1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
1 American Robin
1 Gray Catbird
2 Red-eyed Vireos
1 Nashville Warbler
3 Magnolia Warblers
1 Black-throated Green Warbler
9 Chipping Sparrows
1 Song Sparrow
1 White-throated Sparrow
17 American Goldfinches

Retrapped 17:
1 Downy Woodpecker
1 Blue Jay
1 Eastern Tufted Titmouse
2 Black-capped Chickadees
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
1 Gray Catbird
1 Magnolia Warbler
3 Chipping Sparrows
2 Song Sparrows
1 White-throated Sparrow
3 American Goldfinches

ET’s: 38 spp

Rick

Puffball on the Ruthven property

Christine & Nancy