The Coffee Clatch - Rhiannon, Lorreta, Nancy, Elaine, and Liz.
Some days would be good days birds or no birds. This was one of them. We didn`t have many birds (what`s new) but we did have a good time. It`s great when you get a group of like minded bird people together who just enjoy the experience. And we had a great group today: Loretta and Elaine who have been coming out since forever; Nancy, who has come on great guns in the past couple of years; and relatively new (but very keen) Rhiannon and Liz. It was neat to just talk birds and birding to fill in the gaps between net rounds.
Two up and comers: Rhiannon and Liz.
Elaine Serena.
We did have a couple of birds of interest: a Carolina Wren and a very fat Swainson`s Thrush. We have banded only a handful of Carolina Wrens over the years so it`s always a treat to get one. The Thrush had a fat score of 5 (out of 6) and weighed an amazing 46.2 grams. This birds weighs only about 26-27 grams in a fat-free condition. It was carrying enough fuel to get it to Central America non-stop if it wanted!
A `5`fat load on a Swainson`s Thrush - note the full furculum and belly pad. - R. Leshyk
Banded 23:
2 Gray-cheeked Thrushes
1 Swainson`s Thrush
3 Gray Catbirds
1 Nashville Warbler
1 Magnolia Warbler
3 Blackpoll Warblers
1 American Redstart
2 Common Yellowthroats
1 Chipping Sparrow
4 Song Sparrows
4 White-throated Sparrows
Carolina Wren - an uncommon visitor to Ruthven. - R. Leshyk
Retrapped 6:
1 Black-capped Chickadee
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
1 Carolina Wren
1 Red-eyed Vireo
1 Blackpoll Warbler
1 Chipping Sparrow
ET`s: 39 spp.
Birds banded per 100 net hours: 18
Rick