Today’s title was coined by Karen after checking out the huge flocks of Common Grackles that were flying back and forth and all over most of the morning. I would love to know what they’re feeding on.
Weatherwise it is was a beautiful day and because it was the banding was pretty boring – not a lot of birds around. Some quality but not much quantity. On the other hand, the Butterfly Meadow is just alive with stuff. Along the paths if you stop and just listen you can hear all kinds of bees as they move through the goldenrod and asters. Butterflies abound. You know, at one time the Ruthven board wanted to turn that meadow into a manicured lawn. It was described as just a big old “weed field”. But when I suggested that they simply needed to reframe it so that it was a “field of wildflowers” – hey! a butterfly meadow – they thankfully went with it.
The 5 Red-eyed Vireos that we banded today brings our Fall total up to 111 – a new record for us. The old record was 101 set in 2015.
Banded 33:
1 Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
2 Gray-cheeked Thrushes
2 Swainson’s Thrushes
4 Gray Catbirds
5 Red-eyed Vireos
5 Magnolia Warblers
1 Black-throated Blue Warbler
1 American Redstart
8 Common Yellowthroats
1 Wilson’s Warbler
1 Scarlet Tanager
2 Song Sparrows
ET’s: 52 spp.
Karen’s Kreeping Korner:
Rick