You just knew it was going to be one of those days, those memorable days, when the weather is just right and the birds are all around you. Just after opening I sat and watched a magnificent sunrise followed by the antics (and zipping) of a pair of Northern Parulas just above my head at the picnic table and then Common Loons flying north. And it just kept coming. Every net round, it seemed, turned up interesting birds. At one point I stood at the top of net 6 and watched 8 warblers fly into it (including one of my favourites – an Orange-crowned).
Last night’s clear skies and gentle southerly winds must have induced many birds to set out with today’s result. Debbie and Laura doing census counted 60 species (the high count so far this year) and overall our species count was 77 – our highest to date. This included 15 species of warblers.
Banded 71:
1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
2 Yellow-bellied Flycatchers
1 Least Flycatcher
3 House Wrens
5 Gray Catbirds
2 Blue-winged Warblers
3 Tennessee Warblers
6 Nashville Warblers
2 Orange-crowned Warblers
7 Yellow Warblers
1 Chestnut-sided Warbler
3 Magnolia Warblers
1 Black & White Warbler
2 Ovenbirds
4 Common Yellowthroats
1 Wilson’s Warbler
1 Northern Cardinal
1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
3 Chipping Sparrows
1 Lincoln’s Sparrow
3 Eastern White-crowned Sparrows
1 Red-winged Blackbird
8 Baltimore Orioles (bringing our total to 74!)
1 Orchard Oriole
6 American goldfinches
ET’s: 77 spp.
Pictures:
Fern Hill Burlington:
Busy day around the Field Station, and luckily the thunderstorms held off until the end of the school day. The Orioles have been hitting our feeders, and we’ve been having fun determining which fruits and jelly they prefer. Thus far, grape jelly and orange slices are the biggest hit.
Today we banded 17:
1 Yellow Warbler
1 Field Sparrow
1 Swamp Sparrow
4 Eastern White-crowned Sparrows
4 Gray Catbirds
2 Baltimore Orioles
1 American Robin
2 Red-winged Blackbirds
1 Mourning Dove
ET’s: 53 spp.
Katherine