The unseasonably warm conditions that we enjoyed just a few days ago were gone today. Instead we were met with a gusting, cold NW wind that seemed to go right through you. But it’s an ill wind that blows nobody good and I was fortunate to see the above Thick-billed Murre winging its way along the river. A long way from home but these are times when birds are on the move and maybe this one was just looking for something outside the box.
Another highlight for the day was the erection of a designer outhouse, constructed by Bill Hurkmans. It’s really a wonderful bit of work and should inspire anyone needing to use it.
I would like to carry on a tradition I encountered when doing Arctic field work: the development of an “outhouse bird inventory”. I will provide a recording sheet that you can add to. I have tastefully aimed the door away from the banding hut and from the road so you can feel at ease while trying to add to it.
The third highlight of the day was the banding of the very FIRST bird at the Farm site: a Black-capped Chickadee. Due to the wind and cold
(and construction) we opened only 3 nets for 3 hours but still managed to band 15 birds:
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
4 Downy Woodpeckers
5 Black-capped Chickadees
3 American Tree Sparrows
2 Song Sparrows
ET’s: 28 spp.
Rick