First, I think an explanation is due in regard to the new header. Someone not familiar with the blog, chancing upon it, might think it’s a culinary site. I do have to admit: those are mighty fine breakfast bars and I’m sure Carol would be happy to share her recipe.
But the header is the work of my compatriot (and blog originator) Jeff MacLeod. And it’s painful for the pudgy little guy to see and hear about all the goodies that our wonderful volunteers bring to the lab. Because, you see, Jeff naturally carries a fat load of “3” but is prone to hyperphagia so his wonderful wife, Amanda, looks out for him and restricts his intake to reasonable levels (otherwise he’d be a “6” in no time!). So the header is Jeff’s way of getting some vicarious pleasure from the goodies that people bring – every time he opens the blog, there they are! So bear with him…..
There was a thick fog/mist about the site today which held on until late in the morning. It gave the area an almost dream-like quality. The grays of the sky and fog set off the golds, oranges and bronzes of the forest leaves with just a touch of red here and there for spice. Incredibly beautiful. It was like old times: I opened all the nets on my own and closed them the same. The only difference was that Ralph arrived to catch up on the banding data entry. What a treat that is!!!
But, otherwise, no visitors, no kids, just quiet other than the birds. The catching was quite slow and didn’t pick up until later in the morning. In fact, the second net round produced only 1 bird: a previously-trapped blue Jay. I was beginning to worry…..
Banded 59:
1 Downy Woodpecker
1 Black-capped Chickadee
3 Golden-crowned Kinglets
3 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
2 Eastern Bluebirds
6 Hermit Thrushes
3 Cedar Waxwings
10 Myrtle Warblers
1 Western Palm Warbler
2 Northern Cardinals
2 Chipping Sparrows
1 Fox Sparrow
1 Song Sparrow
7 White-throated Sparrows
1 Eastern White-crowned Sparrow
4 Dark-eyed Juncos
1 Purple Finch
4 House Finches
6 American Goldfinches
ET’s: 42 spp.
PS: Nancy will be trying to catch Saw-whet Owls Saturday night.
Rick