September 17th & 18th – The Bird Festival | Haldimand Bird Observatory

There's a reason Rick sees more birds........

Ruthven’s 2nd Annual Bird Festival took place over the weekend. We had great weather, a fine slate of speakers, a great cast of helpers, lots of visitors and…..very few birds: we banded 36 on Saturday and only 23 today. Our running total for the Fall stands at only 508 birds banded; this is 456 fewer than we had banded by the same time last year. That didn’t seem to dampen things down too much though as the following pictures will attest.

Marilynn (CAO) and Betsy (president) - the two that make it happen.

Lyndsay and Rhiannon - McMaster alumni.HY Eastern Wood Pewee

Dorothy and Dianne

Loretta Mousseau.

: Ben and Stephanie Oldfield

Marg Ludkin at the Ruthven booth.

Pointing out eagles.

Natalie taking a coffee break.

Birds Banded on the 17th – 36:
2 Eastern Wood Pewees
1 Traill’s Flycatcher
2 White-breasted Nuthatches
3 Gray-cheeked Thrushes
2 Swainson’s Thrushes
1 Gray Catbird
3 Cedar Waxwings
2 Philadelphia Vireos
2 Red-eyed Vireos
1 Nashville Warbler
1 Magnolia Warbler
1 American Redstart
1 Ovenbird
1 Common Yellowthroat
3 Wilson’s Warblers
1 Scarlet Tanager
1 Northern Cardinal
1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
1 Song Sparrow
6 American Goldfinches
ET’s: 58 spp.
Birds banded per 100 net hours: 23

New bander, U. of Windsor student Kara Ward, learning from David Hussel, founder of the Long Point Bird Observatory.

David Hussell, Oliver Love and Rick Ludkin

One of the clowns.

Ezra handles 3 knives.

Giovanni juggles 5 balls.

Oliver Love with graduate students from his lab: Holly, Sarah B., Kara, and Sarah G-P.

Birds banded on the 18th – 23:
1 Winter Wren
1 Gray-cheeked Thrush
3 Swainson’s Thrushes
2 Gray Catbirds
3 Cedar Waxwings
1 Nashville Warbler
1 Magnolia Warbler
3 Blackpoll Warblers
2 Ovenbirds
1 Wilson’s Warbler
1 Chipping Sparrow
4 American Goldfinches
ET’s: 54 spp.
Birds banded per 100 net hours: 18