Sorry this update is arriving so late, folks. The blog has been subjected to a number of attacks from hackers, and has been shut down several times over the past month. We’re hoping that our new security measures will prevent future attacks. 

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As we progress through the month of August, the number of birds banded will increase as fall migration begins. We’ll anticipate seeing new birds that will be migrating from further north, and also, a time where the birds that have been resident, breeding birds at Ruthven Park will begin their migration south. The Purple Martin young have all fledged, and it’s only early in the morning that we see and hear the martins before they disperse for the day. Most of the Purple Martins will be gone by the end of August. They will migrate to South American, settling for the winter season over a large area, from Southeastern Brazil northward and westward to the eastern portions of Bolivia and Columbia and northward to the Southern Caribbean islands. The Yellow Warblers will disperse soon, some of the retrapped birds we handled today had larger fat loads and increased weights.

It was a great day at the banding lab with birds to band and new visitors to the lab and the banding program. The first young Cedar Waxwing was banded today, it was in the net along with the two adult male and female Cedar Waxwings. In addition to the young Cedar Waxwing, other young birds banded included House Wrens, Eastern Tufted Titmouse, Common Grackles, and Common Yellowthroat. In total, we handled 33 birds – 19 banded and 13 retraps.

19 Banded
1 Northern Flicker
1 ‘Traill’s’ Flycatcher
1 Eastern Tufted Titmouse
3 House Wren
1 Gray Catbird
3 Cedar Waxwing
1 Blue-winged Warbler
1 Yellow Warbler
2 Common Yellowthroat
1 Indigo Bunting
1 Song Sparrow
2 Common Grackle
1 House Finch

Nancy