It seemed like a very easy day to me. Other than open the nets, do a couple of relaxed (and relaxing) net rounds, and some nice birding, I didn’t do very much. And yet we still banded 101 birds. This was probably due to the fact that we had so many skilled volunteers helping out: Faye Socholotiuk (from Hamilton), Eric Bauer (Woodbridge), Ruth Kinzie (Kitchener), Peter Scholtens and his entourage (Hamilton) and Mike and Allison Furber (Dry Lake). My main task, really, was to get out of the way and to be as inconspicuous as possible, and after yesterday I was more than happy to do so.

Interestingly, the wind really picked up to force 4 out of the SW around 10:30 so I closed the nets early. Despite this we still banded over 100 birds. The very large mixed flocks of blackbirds and starlings weren’t around like yesterday. There were some but not the hordes. We had good numbers of Hermit Thrushes (again) and a nice variety of sparrows (8 species). American Goldfinches continue to show up now in good numbers.

It seems to be getting to be a habit but Mike went down to the nest box below net #2 and pulled out yet another Eastern Screech Owl giving Faye a chance to add to her banding diversity list. This is the third Screech Owl in 3 weeks.

We had 2 interesting birds around: a Gray Catbird and a Blue-headed Vireo.

Banded 101:
1 Eastern Screech Owl
1 Eastern Tufted Titmouse
2 Black-capped Chickadees
7 Golden-crowned Kinglets
8 Hermit Thrushes
1 American Robins
1 American Robin
5 Myrtle Warblers
4 American Tree Sparrows
3 Field Sparrows
3 Fox Sparrows
7 Song Sparrows
3 Swamp Sparrows
5 White-throated Sparrows
2 Eastern White-crowned Sparrows
13 Dark-eyed Juncos
1 Red-winged Blackbird
4 Rusty Blackbirds
1 Purple Finch
30 American Goldfinches

Retrapped 24:
1 Black-capped Chickadee
1 Golden-crowned Kinglet
2 Hermit Thrushes
2 Song Sparrows
1 White-throated Sparrow
8 Dark-eyed Juncos
1 House Finch
8 American Goldfinches

ET’s: 48 spp.
Rick