August 15th – Getting Ready

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First Black & White Warbler of the migration. -BGO

When I arrived around 6:15, the weather was humid and the birds were quiet – the only noise coming from a constant stream of Common Grackles flying over SW, I would guess anywhere from 5000+ went over in the next few hours. I would best describe the migration today as a dripping tap, with a few migrants around the grounds (Black and white warbler, Chestnut sided warbler, multiple Trails flycatchers and Eastern Wood-pewees and about 20 Bobolinks flying over). I suspect the dripping tap will very soon be turned completely on with the approaching cold front!!
A pleasant surprise: Chestnut-sided Warbler. -DOL

Banded 19:
1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
2 Eastern Wood-Pewees
3 Traill’s Flycatchers
1 Tufted Titmouse
2 Gray Catbirds
3 Blue-winged Warblers
1 Yellow Warbler
1 Chestnut-sided Warbler
1 Black and White Warbler
1 Common Yellowthroat
1 Field Sparrow
2 Baltimore Orioles

ET’s: 41 spp.
Photos:

This male American Goldfinch peers proudly at his retrap card that shows he’s 8 years old – banded as a SY bird on May 24, 2011 (meaning he was hatched in 2010). -DOL

A female Blue-winged Warbler – one of four of this species handled today (3 banded, 1 retrap). -DOL

Young Field Sparrow – with almost no rust in his cap. -DOL

Nancy helping Ben with the banding of a Ruby-throated Hummingbird. -DOL

Ben with the “hummer” he just banded. -NRF

These 7 balls of navel lint are actually juvenile Barn Swallows that Nancy was banding from a single nest. She has banded 211 Barn Swallows this Summer! -NRF

A thing of subtle beauty: hummingbird nest. -NRF

Ben

PS: We have been slowly getting net lanes cleared and nets up, ready for the coming Fall migration monitoring season which begins on September 1st and will run daily through to November 7th.

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