November 2nd – Benny Bands A Hooo

Not many people seem to have read (or have admitted to reading) Benny Bands A Hooo, the seminal work by Dr. Zoos which thrust the author into the vanguard of environmental activism. It went on to define the genre…..

The book describes the challenges faced by the young Benny as he grows up and has to decide on the path to take: on the one hand, the conventional teenage road of drugs, sex and rock ‘n roll…and football and hockey, which he eschews, and, on the other, that of bird banding – the road less travelled. After many harrowing wrassles with his personal demons (and the voluptuous Fifi Larue) he emerges with the realization that only bird banding is the true path to enlightenment and personal satisfaction. I simply don’t understand why more people haven’t read it…..

It was COLD this morning. The northerly wind driving the minus 1 temperature deep into your bones. Interestingly, there was no frost on the nets, which opened easily. Surprisingly, we caught 72 birds, 40 of which were bandless. I say surprisingly as the day felt like one in December when there isn’t much around.

We had two “notables”: a very late Nashville Warbler and a very accommodating gray-phase Eastern Screech Owl. The warbler should have been well on its way to Mexico by now – if not there!. We suspected that the owl was around as we have been hearing it early in the morning of late. So Nancy decided to check the Wood Duck box below Net 2 which has been its traditional haunt over the years. And sure enough….

Birds inhabiting this box over the years have feasted on local avian cuisine. Bands found in pellets taken from the box came from a Blue Jay, 2 Song Sparrows, a Dark-eyed Junco, Swamp Sparrow, and 3 chickadees – all banded by us at Ruthven. All banders are keen to expand the range of birds that they can claim to have banded so Ben was VERY happy to get to band this one.
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Banded 40:
1 Eastern Screech Owl
2 Downy Woodpeckers
1 Black-capped Chickadee
1 Hermit Thrush
1 Nashville Warbler
4 Northern Cardinals
3 American Tree Sparrows
1 Chipping Sparrow
1 Song Sparrow
2 Swamp Sparrows
6 Dark-eyed Juncos
17 American Goldfinches

ET’s: 31 spp.