Last night proved to be another good one for Saw-whets – Nancy got one on each of four net rounds: at 9, 10, 11 and midnight. I got to see the first two and even band the 10 o’clock bird. Now don’t get me wrong, I like the little devils; they’re cute and all that but, to be frank, I much prefer the subtle beauty of an Orange-crowned Warbler (one of which we caught today) or the feistiness of a Thick-billed Murre (which we did NOT get today). But….it’s still cool to catch them and a lot of our visitors like them over all the rest we band. Personal preference is a funny thing.

It was overcast, cool and threatening rain for most of the morning. The early rounds weren’t particularly productive but the later rounds made up for them (with both birds and leaves). We seem to have had an influx of Purple Finches – we banded 12 but there were many more around. They were caught in nets bordering the river flats. It would be interesting to know what plant seeds are attracting them there.

Banded 60:
4 Northern Saw-whet Owls (last night)
3 Black-capped Chickadees
2 Golden-crowned Kinglets
5 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
4 Hermit Thrushes
1 American Robin
4 Cedar Waxwings
1 Nashville Warbler
1 Orange-crowned Warbler
1 American Redstart
2 Northern Cardinals
1 Chipping Sparrow
1 Fox Sparrow
2 Song Sparrows
1 White-crowned Sparrow
2 Dark-eyed Juncos
12 Purple Finches
1 House Finch
12 American Goldfinches

ET’s: 42 spp.
Rick