January 15 & 16, 2018

We spent a marvelous two sessions with Painted Bunting hosts on Monday and Tuesday.

Monday's host (PB 74) is new to our project and is hosting quite a few birds.  She has been feeding buntings since 2009.  We banded 14 at her site.

male Painted Bunting

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

green (female or young male) Painted Bunting

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

We also captured a Red-bellied Woodpecker.  Woodpeckers can retain several generations of feathers over the first 3 years of life which allows specific aging to the first, second, and third year and then as older than three.  This one shows young feathers retained on its wing (red arrow).

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

On Tuesday we returned to PB 60 and there we banded 17 new Painted Buntings as well as recapturing 13 more.  The data from the recaptures is great to have.  One of the recaptures was from 2 years ago.  It was banded as a male so is now at least 4 years old.  Pete asked who had banded that one and it turned out that he had!  It was a nice reunion.

Pete Grannis with a bird he had banded 2 years ago.  

We also banded an Ovenbird, 2 Red-bellied Woodpeckers, 3 Northern Cardinals, and a Gray Catbird.  We also recaptured an Indigo Bunting we had banded there the previous year.

Ovenbird

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Northern Cardinal

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

recaptured Indigo Bunting getting a bit of revenge

Photo by Pete Grannis

For those of you who have been following Pete's slo-mo videos, here's one of his latest of the release of a green Painted Bunting.  Enjoy!

video by Pete Grannis

If all goes well and weather cooperates, we hope to be back at the Possum Long Banding Station on February 13.  In the meantime we will be at more Painted Bunting locations and will update here.

Painted Bunting Season 5 total:  111