There was no banding yesterday due to the rain, which was heavy at times – 14.5 mm fell since the 19th. So this morning the grounds were quite wet as well as the trails between some of the nets. One problem I incurred was that the pegs holding up one end of the the triple net (#4), which Brian and Christine had erected a couple of days ago (thanks guys!!!), pulled out and the whole thing went down. Thankfully Christine was around and Nancy Furber arrived almost as though on cue and we were able to gently pick it off the shrubbery and get it up and going again.

There were not a lot of “new” birds around – we had more retraps than newly banded birds. This suggests that they had pretty well stayed put over the last 2 days waiting for better conditions. Even so, I encountered at least 3 Brown Thrashers – new for the year at Ruthven. Interestingly, I also saw a lone White-winged Crossbill in the big spruce out front of the Mansion. I haven’t heard any talk of these birds, which were uncharacteristically common in the Hamilton area 2 months ago, for some time. Eastern Tufted Titmice were calling all around the property most of the morning.

Banded 17:
1 Tree Swallow
1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
1 American Robin
1 Brown Thrasher
1 Fox Sparrow
3 White-throated Sparrows
2 Dark-eyed Juncos
3 Red-winged blackbirds
1 Pine Siskin
3 American Goldfinches

Retrapped 21:
2 Downy Woodpeckers
1 Tree Sparrow
1 Northern Cardinal
1 American Tree Sparrow
2 Chipping Sparrows
3 Song Sparrows
1 White-throated Sparrow
6 Dark-eyed Juncos
4 American Goldfinches

ET’s: 42 spp.

Rick