I really like unsettled weather when I’m banding. I mean, how can you lose? If it’s really unsettled and raining hard, you just roll over and go back to sleep. If it’s just a little unsettled (like this morning) then you get to see some interesting birds that have been brought to ground by the weather. So this morning I encountered 8 species of warblers: Nashville Warbler*, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Western Palm Warbler, Black and White Warbler*, Ovenbird*, and Common Yellowthroat*. Those marked with an asterisk were firsts for the year. Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and Northern Orioles are starting to chase each other, trying to carve out nesting territories. It’s starting to get “busy”.

I had plenty of help this morning: Cheryl-Anne, Faye, Suzanne, and Jen. And…they brought goodies. So it was a good morning all round.

Banded 27:
1 Mourning Dove
1 Tree Swallow
2 House Wrens
3 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
1 Gray Catbird
1 Nashville Warbler
1 Yellow Warbler
2 Western Palm Warblers
2 Common Yellowthroats
1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
2 Chipping Sparrows
1 Field Sparrow
2 Swamp Sparrows
5 White-throated Sparrows
1 Red-winged Blackbird
1 Brown-headed Cowbird

Retrapped 18:
2 Black-capped Chickadees
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
1 American Robin
3 Chipping Sparrow
1 Field Sparrow
1 White-throated Sparrow
2 Eastern White-crowned Sparrow
1 Dark-eyed Junco
1 Red-winged Blackbird
4 Brown-headed Cowbirds
1 Northern Oriole

ET’s: 57 species

Rick