October 14th & 15th – Steady But Not Heavy

The correct way to transport right-out-of-oven baking to the banding lab: when they’re hot you shouldn’t pile one layer on top of the other (Carol Jones)…..Be Advised.

For the past two days we’ve experienced a steady, but not heavy, flow of migrants through the site; and nothing out of the usual. We tended to get small “hits” of birds in individual nets, suggesting that the birds are moving in mixed-species foraging flocks when they’re caught. This is a good strategy as many eyes are more likely to spot predators.

A Cooper’s Hawk kept the feeder birds a little on edge. -N. Furber

A Blue-headed VIREO – very similar to the Blue-headed Warbler shown on Facebook……..

A beautiful example of a “fault bar” on the tail of this Hermit Thrush.

Over the weekend a White Pelican was spotted on the Grand River in York. My neighbour, Carole King, managed to get this picture:

A White Pelican was seen on the Grand River in York for two days. -Carole King

October 14th; Banded 57:
1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
1 Brown Creeper
1 Winter Wren
10 Golden-crowned Kinglets
11 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
3 Hermit Thrushes
1 American Robins
1 Nashville Warbler
12 Myrtle Warblers
4 Song Sparrows
8 White-throated Sparrows
4 American Goldfinches

ET’s: 36 spp.

An Orange-crowned Warbler.

Brilliant male Purple Finch

One of two previously-banded Red-bellied Woodpeckers caught today.

October 15th; Banded 64
1 Blue Jay
1 Tufted Titmouse
2 Black-capped Chickadees
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
8 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
1 Swainson’s Thrush
2 Hermit Thrushes
5 American Robins
10 Cedar Waxwings
1 Blue-headed Vireo
1 Orange-crowned Warbler
2 Common Yellowthroats
1 Northern Cardinal
1 Chipping Sparrow
6 Song Sparrows
1 Lincoln’s Sparrow
1 Swamp Sparrow
7 White-throated Sparrows
2 Eastern White-crowned Sparrows
2 Dark-eyed Juncos
1 Purple Finch
7 American Goldfinches