March 22, 2013 - Impromptu session

Bill was free today so he and I and Nancy Price did an impromptu banding session and experimented with double (in length) nets.  A net is strung from an end pole and then at the middle the loops of the first net are alternated with the second net and then the second net is strung out to its end.  This new set-up worked well and we may use it at the woods net for a while.

While bird capture numbers were low, today was an awesome session.  We caught a new Gray Catbird and recaptured another.  We could hear a lot of birds and are waiting for the day we catch our first Great Crested Flycatcher.  Today we recaptured a female Northern Cardinal.

But the save-all exciting bird was a Nashville Warbler!!  A first ever FL bird for both Bill and I (though we knew this bird well in WA) and a lifer for Nancy Price.  Can't get much better than that and it will do until migration hits full swing!

Nashville Warbler

Photo by Nancy Price

Nashville Warbler (showing yellow-white-yellow of underside)

Photo by Nancy Price

Nashville Warbler (showing rufous head feathers)

Photo by Nancy Price

Rain forced a quick shutdown but it was time to go anyway.

Next banding will be the regularly scheduled session on March 26.