October 10th

Today was absolutely gorgeous. Pre-dawn there was some light frost in low lying areas (i.e. net #4) but once the sun was up, it was warm and sunny without a single cloud in the sky for the entire day. The wind was calm all morning, so nary a leaf in the nets, unlike Brian’s day yesterday where high winds made for a leaf picking day! Sometimes you get lucky!

We again had a Blackpoll Warbler so porky (21g) it is a wonder it could still fly. This bird is fueled up for a long flight.

Banded 51:
1 Mourning Dove
1 Blue Jay
2 Black-capped Chickadees
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
2 Ruby Crowned Kinglets
1 Swainson’s Thrush
2 Hermit Thrushes
3 Cedar Waxwings (scads still hanging around in front of mansion, where we have no nets)
4 Yellow-rumped Warblers
1 Blackpoll Warbler
1 Chipping Sparrow
8 Song Sparrows
1 Swamp Sparrow
14 White-throated Sparrows
9 American Goldfinches

Retrapped 9:
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
1 Blue Jay
1 Black-capped Chickadee
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
1 Yellow-rumped Warbler
1 Swamp Sparrow
3 American Goldfinches

Loretta

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October 9th

A warm, sunny breezy day. The first net round was hectic with over 40 birds captured but the wind increased (gusting up to force 5) and drove most birds to sheltered areas. Small groups of birds were captured throughout the rest of the day in sheltered sites (except for Net 10 which yielded naught but leaf biomass) and periodically there would be eruptions of birds at the front of the mansion..

A number of birds banded yesterday were today recaptured during the first net round just after dawn. Many showed losses in weight which testify to the bird’s inability to feed efficiently during the rain that hit the area during the previous afternoon. A Ruby-Crowned Kinglet lost 0.5g (just under 10% of previous weight) while a pair of Golden-Crowned Kinglets lost 0.4g and 0.7g respectively (just under 10% and almost 20% of previous weight). A Blue-Headed Vireo lost 1.3g overnight.

On the plus side the recaptured Grey Catbird put on 2.8g in 3 days.

Banded:63
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet 7
American Goldfinch 6
Yellow-Rumped Warbler 14
Blackpoll Warbler 2
Chipping Sparrow 3
Black-Capped Chickadee 1
Swamp Sparrow 3
Blue-Headed Vireo 2
Red-Eyed Vireo 1
Song Sparrow 7
White-Throated Sparrow 6
Swainson’s Thrush 1
Cedar Waxwing 9
American Robin 1

Retrapped: 16
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet 2
Golden-Crowned Kinglet 3
Brown Creeper 1 (initially banded in early September)
Chipping Sparrow 2
Black-Capped Chickadee 3
Blue-Headed Vireo 1
Song Sparrow 2
Grey Catbird 1
Blue Jay 1

B

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Here are a few pictures from October 8th.

A Blue-headed Vireo.

A Cedar Waxwing with an orange-tipped, rather than yellow-tipped, tail.

An Eastern White-crowned Sparrow.