Now this isn’t going to happen often….but we banded more birds (41) at Fern Hill School’s Oakville campus using just 2.5 nets than Nancy and Carol were able to band at Ruthven (31) using 19 nets. The math teacher, Mr. Hincks, put up a feeder array 2 months ago and it has been drawing in large numbers of “feeder birds” and since Katherine and I band there only once a week they don’t get “net smart” and we can catch them readily….if they’re there. And they were this morning. Interestingly almost half of the Ruthven total was made up of American Goldfinches, which are hitting the feeders hard as well.
At both sites long-distance migrants seemed to be few and far between. We banded a Yellow Warbler at FHS and saw a Rose-breasted Grosbeak; Nancy and Carol did the first Warbling Vireo of the year, a couple of warblers (Nashville, Yellow, Western Palm and Common Yellowthroat) and 2 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks but otherwise there wasn’t much around. Although I guess a Great Egret at Ruthven would qualify as “much”.
One VERY interesting phenomenon at the Fern Hill site was the visible migration of over 220 Blue Jays – ranging from single birds to flocks as large as 42. All were headed NE.
Ruthven; Banded 31:
1 Tree Swallow
1 House Wren
1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
1 Brown Thrasher (the 6th of the year – a new record)
1 Warbling Vireo
1 Nashville Warbler
2 Yellow Warblers
1 Western Palm Warbler
1 Common Yellowthroat
2 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks
1 Chipping Sparrow
4 White-throated Sparrows
14 American Goldfinches
ET’s: 56 spp.
Fern Hill Oakville; Banded 41:
2 Mourning Doves
1 Tree Swallow
1 Blue Jay
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
1 Yellow Warbler
1 Northern Cardinal
1 Savannah Sparrow
2 Song Sparrows
9 Eastern White-crowned Sparrows
7 Red-winged Blackbirds
8 Common Grackles
1 Brown-headed Cowbird
1 House Finch
5 American Goldfinches
ET’s: 38 spp
Rick