I managed to shirk my child-rearing responsibilities long enough to escape to Ruthven to do a census and open the feeder nets for a few hours. It was fairly quiet along the trails except for a small group of active Brown Creepers down the Carolinian Trail. The feeders, however, were busy. Groups of American Goldfinch and Common Redpolls swirled around amongst the scattered flurries, with several Black-Capped Chickadees, White-Breasted Nuthatches, and Slate-Coloured Juncos thrown in for variety.An adult Bald Eagle flew over the station, and a Cooper’s Hawk gave the throng at the feeder a close look.

Banded: 18
American Goldfinch 6
Slate-Coloured Junco 3
Black-Capped Chickadee 1
Common Redpoll 4
Downy Woodpecker 2
White-Breasted Nuthatch 1
Northern Cardinal 1

Retrapped: 12
American Goldfinch 2 (one was at least 5 years old)
American Tree Sparrow 1 (banded as an HY in 2005 and not recorded at Ruthven since)
Black-Capped Chickadee 5
White-Breasted Nuthatch 2
Downy Woodpecker 1
Hairy Woodpecker 1

B

A few Common Redpoll photos: