The dust is just settling on this, our last day of the Fall Season. It doesn’t seem that long ago that we started (on September 1st). What a whirlwind it’s been!
New records, new firsts, new net lanes, lots of visitors. In summarizing this Fall’s effort it’s hard to know where to begin. Let’s start with the general records for this Fall:
– Birds banded – 4,763 (old record was 3,827)
– Net hours – 7,224 (5,676)
– Birds banded in September – 1,662 (1,425)
– Birds banded in October – 2,758 (2,694)
– Species banded – 90 (88)
– Number of visitors in the Fall – 1,252

New high banding totals:
– Cooper’s Hawk – 1 (0)
– Northern Saw-whet Owl – 5 (a new bird for the site)
– Eastern Screech Owl – 3 (0)
– Black-billed Cuckoo – 4 (2)
– Hairy Woodpecker – 6 (4)
– Eastern Wood Pewee – 29 (28)
– Eastern Tufted Titmouse – 10 (9)
– Golden-crowned Kinglet – 219 (176)
– Swainson’s Thrush – 80 (76)
– Cedar Waxwing – 422 (135)
– Philadelphia Vireo – 19 (18)
– Red-eyed Vireo – 75 (67)
– Nashville Warbler – 51 (50)
– Chestnut-sided Warbler – 23 (22)
– Magnolia Warbler – 107 (80)
– Black-throated Blue Warbler – 21 (14)
– Blackburnian Warbler – 11 (8)
– Bay-breasted Warbler – 27 (9)
– Blackpoll Warbler – 193 (137)
– Black & White Warbler – 19 (11)
– American Redstart – 25 (23)
– Mourning Warbler – 6 (4)
– Wilson’s Warbler – 21 (14)
– Chipping Sparrow – 88 (73)
– Fox Sparrow – 45 (22)
– White-throated Sparrow – 532 (326)
– Dark-eyed Junco – 327 (301)
– Red-winged Blackbird – 43 (5)
– Rusty Blackbird – 87 (31)

Firsts:
– 5 Northern Saw-whet Owls (with better sound equipment and more consistent effort this could be a “growth” area for the banding program)
– The Bird Festival held in September – the first annual

The day ended in a leisurely fashion – we got a late start due to the owl banding the night before and we only had 3 net lanes on the go, those by the feeders. Still, it was a beautiful, sunny day, a great day just to be outside. We will continue to band throughout the next 4 and half months on a sporadic basis at Ruthven and, once the snow comes, intensively for Snow Buntings in agricultural fields. If you’re interested in coming out, e-mail me for dates/times.

Banded 24:
3 Northern Saw-whet Owls (last night)
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
10 Dark-eyed Juncos
1 House Finch
9 American Goldfinches

Retrapped 21:
3 Black-capped Chickadees
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
14 Dark-eyed Juncos
3 American Goldfinches

ET’s: 25 spp.

Rick