The past 5 days (since the end of Spring migration monitoring) have been “unsettled” – hot, humid, with LOTS of rain, in fact 4.45 cm! Fields have been turned into rice paddies; the River is high and rising; and the mosquitoes are foraging in voracious packs along the net lanes.
We started the Summer M.A.P.S. banding today (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) which has quite an involved protocol and will take some getting used to.
There was not a lot of activity today as most birds are on eggs. However, we did catch a very young Downy Woodpecker and 2 very young Song Sparrows. As well, an adult White-breasted Nuthatch retrap was starting a “complete moult” – the 1st 3 primaries on each wing were being changed.
A highlight was a Mourning Warbler that I heard below and just to the east of Net 10. Later it was heard by a trio of visiting birders close to the entrance to the park. (They were unable to hear the Cerulean Warbler – there was a fair amount of traffic and the wind was picking up. But maybe it’s moved on. We’ll keep monitoring….)
A Red-eyed Vireo that we retrapped was banded on June 5th, 2005, exactly 5 years ago; this bird woiuld be at least 6 years old as it was an adult at the time.
The two Blue-winged Warblers that we encountered today were both females with well-developed brood patches, indicating that they’re nesting here.

Banded 9:
1 Downy Woodpecker
1 Traill’s Flycatcher
1 Gray Catbird
1 Blue-winged Warbler
1 Yellow Warbler
3 Song Sparrows
1 Red-winged Blackbird

Retrapped 16:
2 Downy Woodpeckers
1 Blue Jay
1 Black-capped Chickadee
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
1 Eastern Bluebird
1 Gray Catbird
1 Red-eyed Vireo
1 Blue-winged Warbler
3 Yellow Warblers
1 Common Yellowthroat
1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
1 Song Sparrow
1 Brown-headed Cowbird

ET’s: 48 spp.

Rick