April 23rd & 24th – Still Waiting For Spring

The first warbler banded in 2014: a young male Yellow-rumped Warbler.

The last two days have been cool (today’s sunshine notwithstanding) and the wind has been out of the NW – likely holding birds up…certainly here anyway. Except for Cowbirds. We are catching an inordinate number of them. These birds we’re holding onto as they are going to the University of Western for behavioural studies there. One would think that as these birds are shipped out the population of them here might decline but there always seem to be others to take their place. They have made up over a third of all the birds we’ve banded in these two days.

Rhapsodies in Blue: Marie-Pier with a male Eastern Bluebird.

Today (24th) you got the feeling that things were moving back into gear: we banded the first warbler of the year (Yellow-rumped); got a number of Tree Swallows (male “crazies” chasing each other without looking where they’re going – ah testosterone!); and a species count of 51 including a female Ruddy Duck.

Tree Swallows were chasing each other all around the grounds – and 7 of them found their way into nets. -N. Furber

April 23rd; Banded 16:
1 Downy Woodpecker
2 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers
1 Chipping Sparrow
1 Song Sparrow
1 White-throated Sparrow
2 Red-winged Blackbirds
8 Brown-headed Cowbirds

ET’s: 43 spp.

April 24th; Banded 22:
5 Tree Swallows
1 Eastern Bluebird
1 Yellow-rumped Warbler
1 White-throated Sparrow
1 Dark-eyed Junco
5 Red-winged Blackbirds
8 Brown-headed Cowbirds