This was a hectic day – lots of birds and even a wedding! It was clear and cool at sunrise with a light northerly wind…and lots of birds singing along the edges and in the forest. We had a pretty steady stream of birds in the nets all morning. Fortunately we had lots of help – Faye Socholotiuk, Peter Thoem, Nancy Furber, Christine Madliger, and Chris Harris. This made the arrival of members of the Hamilton Naturalists Club a pleasant thing since there was no stress about entertaining visitors and seeing to the net rounds at the same time.
Compared to the rest of the Spring we had a lot of birds – banded 70 and retrapped 40 for a total of 110 handled. Some of the retraps were quite interesting:
Downy Woodpecker – banded as HY in October ’05 (5 years old)
Yellow Warbler – banded as SY in May ’06 (5 years old)
Yellow Warbler – banded as AHY in May ’08 (at least 3 years old)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak – banded as SY, May ’08 (3 years old)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak – banded as AHY, July ’08 (at least 3 years old)
Song Sparrow – banded as HY, August ’06 (4 years old)
Red-winged Blackbird – banded as ASY, May ’05 (at least 7 years old)
Baltimore Oriole – banded as AHY, May ’08 (at least 3 years old)
Baltimore Oriole – banded as AHY, May ’07 (at least 4 years old)
Baltimore Oriole – banded as AHY, May ’04 (at least 7 years old)

And then the “event” began: Hannah Badger, who used to volunteer at the banding station several years ago, go married…outside, in the gazebo….with the cold wind blowing (it had clouded over by this point). It was a long ceremony and she looked both very beautiful and very cold. Afterward many of the guests came over to see the banding operation. It’s not often you get people in suits and ties or evening dresses realeasing birds. Later Hannah came over wearing her lovely white gown and….black rubber boots – very appropriate!

New birds for the year: Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Eastern Wood Pewee, Traill’s Flycatcher

Banded 70:
1 Downy Woodpecker
1 Traill’s Flycatcher
1 Least Flycatcher
1 Eastern Kingbird
1 Tree Swallow
1 Barn Swallow
1 Eastern Tufter Titmouse
1 House Wren
2 Wood Thrush
12 Gray Catbirds
1 Blue-winged Warbler
1 Nashville Warbler
20 Yellow Warblers
1 Magnolia Warbler
5 Myrtle Warblers
1 Ovenbird
2 Common Yellowthroats
2 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks
1 Indigo Bunting
1 Chipping Sparrow
1 Field Sparrow
1 Swamp Sparrow
2 Eastern White-crowned Sparrows
1 Brown-headed Cowbird
4 Baltimore Orioles
1 Orchard Oriole
3 American Goldfinches

Retrapped 40:
1 Mourning Dove
1 Downy Woodpecker
1 Eastern Tufted Titmouse
9 Yellow Warblers
1 Northern Cardinal
6 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks
5 Chipping Sparrows
4 Song Sparrows
1 Red-winged Blackbird
2 Brown-headed Cowbirds
8 Baltimore Orioles
1 Orchard Oriole

ET’s: 65 spp.

Rick