February 4 and 5, 2017

We are continuing to have many hits to this blog.  I am grateful to have such interest.  We have just passed 50,000 page views!

The Painted Bunting season also continues and this past weekend we returned to two previous sites.  On Saturday we went to PB 60 - home of the first return of Season 4.  These hosts have a new caged feeder and we were very successful catching buntings; both Painted and Indigo.  We banded 13 new Painted and 3 Indigo Buntings.  We also recaptured 14 of the 24 Painteds we banded last season. That makes 27 plus 3 in one day! Very good data!!

Incidental captures were a Palm Warbler, an Ovenbird, and a Northern Cardinal.

Painted Bunting

This green Painted Bunting was quite blue on the head. One of the males had been attacked by something. It had lost its tail, many back feathers, and a few on the head.  It seemed quite fine and was replacing feathers.  The undertail was uniquely colored.

male Painted Bunting regrowing lost feathers

male Painted Bunting regrowing tail

Indigo Bunting

On Sunday we returned to PB 5.  As you can tell from the low PB number, this site was first visited very early in Season 1 and we have returned every season since.  These are clearly special folks.  Our thanks to them for their support.  In Season Two they had the bird that was found on its breeding grounds in Georgia!

We banded 7 Painted Buntings and recaptured one.  We had 18 incidental captures:  3 Pine Warblers, 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler, 5 Indigo Buntings, 3 Northern Cardinals, and 6 Common Ground-Doves. 

I believe this is the only site where we have banded Pine Warblers.  We also recaptured an Indigo Bunting.

male Common Ground-Dove

Pine Warbler

So, give yourself a quiz here.  What was this bird?  Clearly similar to the above but hardly yellow.....

Yes, it is also a Pine Warbler. Young birds can have much less yellow than an adult male.

NEXT Possum Long banding:  Tuesday, February 14, 2017.  Nets go up at 7 am.