May 14th – The Start Of Winter…..In May

What an incredible blue - Virginia Bluebells.     -C. Jones

What an incredible blue – Virginia Bluebells. -C. Jones


It was cold this morning….1 degree above but with heavy frost patches. I had to clear my windshield before driving to Ruthven. And we had to hold off opening several nets until the sun was well up and they thawed. Even the dawn chorus was feeling it – many species, that we encountered later, did not make their presence known early. Too busy trying to stay warm. What a change from even a few days ago!

The banding was lousy – just 13 birds. The woods, during census, were devoid of warblers. The best (and one of the very few seen) was the first Bay-breasted Warbler of the year – but it was in the willow just outside the banding lab.

This male Brown-headed Cowbird was banded as an ASY bird in May of 2008. It was not retrapped since 2010.  -S. Power

This male Brown-headed Cowbird was banded as an ASY bird in May of 2008. It was not retrapped since 2010. -S. Power


We did have a couple of interesting retraps though. We got a male Brown-headed Cowbird that we originally banded in May of 2008; it was at least 2 years old then, making it 9+ years old now. We had not retrapped this bird since 2010. (Where had it been in the intervening years?)
This male Blue-winged Warbler is at least 6 years old.    -S. Power

This male Blue-winged Warbler is at least 6 years old. -S. Power


Dorothy Smith came to check off a Blue-winged Warbler. She got to hold one.....  -S. Power

Dorothy Smith came to check off a Blue-winged Warbler. She got to hold one….. -S. Power


Another was a male Blue-winged Warbler that we banded April 29, 2011. It was at least 2 years old then making it 6+ years old now. Long-time birding afficianado, Dorothy Smith, had stated shortly before its capture that she had come to Ruthven specifically to see a Blue-wing. We did one better, and she got to hold and release it. That should be worth some world-famous buttertarts……right Dorothy?

While catching was quite slow, birding wasn’t bad (except for warblers). At the end of the day we were able to check off 77 species.

Remember: the Great Canadian Birdathon is this weekend. The Ruthven Ringers (Matt Timpf, Liz Vanderwoude, Ben Oldfield, and Giovanni Campanelli) are determined to get 150 species in Haldimand-Norfolk. You can support our team by going to the Bird Studies Canada website or by dropping by the banding lab. The team has a target of raising $2000. Around 70% of this goes to support the banding program at Ruthven; the other 30% goes to support bird research projects throughout Canada. Pledges currently range from $1 to $.01 per bird.

Wild Violets are all over but there are some large patches along the Carolinian Trail.   -C. Jones

Wild Violets are all over but there are some large patches along the Carolinian Trail. -C. Jones


This is a great time to see wildflowers along the Ruthven nature trails.
Wild Phlox along the Carolinian Trail.    -C. Jones

Wild Phlox along the Carolinian Trail. -C. Jones


Patches of Virginia Bluebells were started several years ago by Loretta Mousseau and Peter Thoem. They are starting to strive in a few places.  -C. Jones

Patches of Virginia Bluebells were started several years ago by Loretta Mousseau and Peter Thoem. They are starting to strive in a few places. -C. Jones


Banded 13:
2 Blue Jays
1 Tufted Titmouse
1 Gray Catbird
1 Warbling Vireo
3 Yellow Warblers
3 Indigo Buntings
1 Eastern White-crowned Sparrow
1 Red-winged Blackbird

Species Count: 77 spp.
Rick

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