I’m at that stage where I can appreciate pants with a “relaxed fit” – you know, a little bit of elastic that gives and takes with your waistline. In a way, sort of like today: a relaxed pace day – not a lot of birds but enough to engage the large group of students that visited without having to cram in frenetic net rounds. This gives us a good chance to take our time explaining the nuances of the various species and engage those students that show an interest. It was great having Joanne Fleet with us; her enthusiasm is infectious. I love this line (as she and the group approached a net with a Red-bellied Woodpecker in it): “Your day is about to get even better!”
Banded 24:
1 Mourning Dove
2 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
3 American Robins
1 Field Sparrow
2 Song Sparrows
3 White-throated Sparrows
6 Brown-headed Cowbirds
6 American Goldfinches
ET’s: 42 spp.
Snow Buntings in Newfoundland:
Rosalind Driver sent me news and some pictures of Snow Buntings that she took in her town which is about 4 hours from St. John’s. Note how fat these birds look. They likely have enough energy reserves to take them all the way to Greenland when the winds are “right”. Also note that one of them is banded. I would love to know who banded it and where. It would seem odd (to me anyway) for a bird from southern Ontario to end up in Newfoundland before heading for the breeding area in the Arctic.
Fern Hill School – Burlington:
Banded: 7
Blue Jay 1
Savannah Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 2
Red-winged Blackbird 2
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
ET’s: 34 spp.
We also observed our first Barn Swallow of the season today.
Janice