Started opening before 6:00 AM. Even then the temperature was at 23 C and it was MUGGY – I worked up a sweat by the second net lane. It’s not supposed to be like this! I think of early September mornings as cool and refreshing….not this.
We experienced birds in pockets – small mixed-species flocks, usually around chickadees. Vireos and warblers were the birds of the day with warblers (10 species) making up 40% of the catch.
We trusted to internet technology in making decisions around closing nets. A thunderstorm had been forecast and was due to hit at 11:00 AM (I love the precision of these predictions). At 10:30 we were hearing thunder and seeing thunderheads building just to the north of us. We quickly checked the weather radar, which showed an intense storm cell moving right toward us. So….we hustled around closing nets. And then…nothing. We were right at the edge: directly over the banding lab the storm clouds started and extended to the north; and blue skies started, extending south. We got no rain. But the nets were closed and we weren’t interested in reopening them for an hour.
Banded 42:
4 Eastern Wood Pewees
2 Traill’s Flycatchers
1 House Wren
1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
4 Swainson’s Thrushes
2 Wood Thrushes
4 Gray Catbirds
4 Warbling Vireos
3 Red-eyed Vireos
5 Chestnut-sided Warblers
2 Magnolia Warblers
1 Blackburnian Warbler
1 Western Palm Warbler
1 Bay-breasted Warbler
1 Blackpoll Warbler
2 Canada Warblers
1 American Redstart
1 Ovenbird
1 Common Yellowthroat
1 Chipping Sparrow
ET’s: 50 spp.
Rick