The Ruthven It’s For The Birds event is set to go next weekend. I’m really excited about it but mostly about the fine arrray of speakers that we have on hand. I’m not sure that everyone knows that this is more than a ‘just come to see birds up close’ experience but, rather, a chance to learn – in much more depth – about birds. The slate of speakers starts at 9:00 and runs throughout the day on both Saturday and Sunday. To find out more about who is speaking, what they’re speaking about and when they’re presenting, check out the Ruthven website (www.ruthvenpark.ca ).

It was a cloudy morning and didn’t clear until the beginning of the afternoon. At opening time I could hear thrushes dropping down from their migratory flights to take refuge in the surrounding forest and scrub. Sometimes this translates into a ‘big day’…but not this morning. We caught birds steadily but not in large numbers – although 40 birds banded, for this time of year at Ruthven, is not bad.

Banded 40:
2 Swainson’s Thrushes
1 Wood Thrush
2 Gray Catbirds
1 Warbling Vireo
2 Philadelphia Vireos
4 Red-eyed Vireos
1 Nashville Warbler
2 Chestnut-sided Warblers
4 Magnolia Warblers
1 Black-throated Blue Warbler
5 Blackpoll Warblers
2 Black & White Warblers
1 American Redstart
1 Northern Waterthrush
1 Common Yellowthroat
2 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks
2 Chipping Sparrows
1 cWhite-throated Sparrow
1 House Finch
4 American Goldfinches

Retrapped 22:
1 Least Flycatcher
4 Eastern Tufted Titmice
2 Black-capped Chickadees
4 White-breasted Nuthatches
1 House Wren
1 Nashville Warbler
1 Chestnut-sided Warbler
1 Northern Waterthrush
3 Chipping Sparrows
1 Song Sparrow
1 White-throated Sparrow
2 American Goldfinches

ET’s: 46 spp.

Rick