October 23, 2012

I knew banding would be slow for several reasons.  We currently have only 5 nets and at this second session we used 3 of them.  Secondly, it seems like some fall migrants have passed by and we are not yet seeing some of the winter regulars.  It is so hard to think of winter when temperatures have been in the 80's and it is still quite muggy.

Gray Catbird

We did get 2 Gray Catbirds this session.  Both were hatch-year birds.  Gray Catbirds are aged by the color of their mouths - both had pink remaining instead of being all dark.  Wish we had been able to get a photograph.

October 19, 2012

Our first banding session was held on October 19, 2012 using only 4 nets.  Our first birds were two Black-throated Blue Warblers.  One was an adult male and the other was a hatch-year male bird.  Hatch year means it was born in the recent nesting season.  It is making its first migration to wintering grounds.  If we recapture these birds at a later date, we will know that they are over-wintering at Possum Long.  If they do not remain, we can only hope another station captures them and we will know where they have gone.

Hatch-year Black-throated Blue Warbler

You can see the white feathers on the throat of this bird.  An adult male's throat would be entirely black.