Just for fun

Took these two photos of a green Painted Bunting recently.  Just wanted to share.....

green Painted Bunting in a birdbath

Photos by Nancy LaFramboise

was thrilled when it started to bathe

February 23, 2018

I had some catch up to do so you might want to check the previous 3 posts that are also new.

On Friday we returned to PB 28, one of our more northern sites.  This is one of many favorite sites as the birds are plentiful, the garden is beautiful, and the hosts are wonderful.  We banded a whopping 20 Painted Buntings and recaptured 5 from previous years.  Also banded were 4 Indigo Buntings.  We had to take down a little early due to wind so who knows how many more there were???  Being kept busy with 26 birds banded and the recaptures, photos for this post are mostly about what we see when aging the birds.  

Painted Bunting (bird born last summer - SY)

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

In the above photo you might be able to see the unmarked feathers above the outer wing feathers (primaries).   The outer primary feathers have a more blackish rib and the inner ones (secondaries) are browner.  This tells us that this is a young, green bird born last summer.

Indigo Bunting (female)

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

You can see some feathers growing in on the above Indigo Bunting.  They mostly molt body feathers this time of year.  

Indigo Bunting

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

This is the wing of a young, male Indigo Bunting.  Much like the above wing of the Painted Bunting the feathers above the outer flight feathers do not have the blue edging of the other feathers in that row.  The gray-brown ones are feathers still retained from its first year.  This bird was born last summer but will develop more bright blue coloring soon.

One of the Painted Buntings had more young feathers than usual.  We cannot be sure why his first fall molt didn't fully occur.  Here is its tail.  Typically all of the feathers are changed.  You might be able to see that only one is fresher.

young, green Painted Bunting tail

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

We also banded a Gray Catbird and a Northern Cardinal.  

Next Possum Long session will be on Tuesday, February 27.  Nets go up at 6:45 am.

A very early warning - we will NOT be banding on Tuesday, March 20 but will on Monday, March 19.  (Weather permitting as always)

February 20, 2018

Tuesday, February 20 was a session at the Possum Long Banding Station.  It was a day of wonderful bird viewing.  There were more birds on and above the property but we only banded 5 birds.  This is an increase and we should continue to increase but the hard part is that nets are low and birds are high.

There were hundreds of Cedar Waxwings on the property and it felt like teasing!  So close yet so far.

Cedar Waxwings at Possum Long - just one of the trees

Photo by Robin Potvin

Cedar Waxwings at Possum Long

Photo by Robin Potvin

Also on the property was a Summer Tanager.  We have been spotting them for the last few weeks.  Not sure if they over-wintered again.  Both species were seen eating fruit from the Ficus (Fig) trees.  

Summer Tanager

Photo by Pete Grannis

However we did band 2 Northern Cardinals, 2 Gray Catbirds and a Yellow-rumped Warbler.  Among other recaptures we had a Common Yellowthroat that was banded in October.  

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Common Yellowthroat

Photo by Pat Marshall

Gray Catbird - I love revenge photos - bird biting bander

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Congratulations to fellow birder Andrew Boyle and his volunteers.  They banded at the Orlando Wetlands Festival and had some great birds including a Philadelphia Vireo which was a surprise as they do not typically over-winter in Florida.  Read more a https://wekivaband.blogspot.com/    The 2/17/18 entry.

Next Possum Long session will be on Tuesday, February 27.  Nets go up at 6:45 am.

A very early warning - we will NOT be banding on March 20 but will on March 19.  (Weather permitting as always)

February 19, 2018

On February 19 we returned to PB 5.  It is one of the few locations where a very close neighbor is also feeding Painted Buntings.  We set up in both yards.  Despite the wind, we managed to band quite a few birds including 4 Painted Buntings and 1 Indigo Bunting.  We have come to this location every year in the study and it is always a pleasure! 

male Painted Bunting

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Indigo Bunting (young male)

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

One of the missions of a bander is to educate and inspire.  The host at PB5 invited her grandchildren and we had a very good time talking about birds and butterflies.  One can hope that our mission was accomplished.  Hi to these young ladies and we hope you enjoy reading about the birds you saw banded.

Pete Grannis showing the girls what we do - Photo by Grandma

I love that children are so interested!  - Photo by Grandma

We also captured a few incidental birds.  We banded 4 Red-bellied Woodpeckers and really enjoyed aging these, 1 Blue Jay, and 1 Mourning Dove. 3 Northern Cardinals, and 1 Pine Warbler.

Pine Warbler

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Mourning Dove

 Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Red-bellied Woodpeckers - comparing 2 wings

Photo by PB5 host

Blue Jay

Photo by PB5 host

February 16, 2018

I'm behind on a few posts so be sure to read the next few!

On February 16, we went to PB 6 to band.  We caught a good number of buntings though there are more to catch.  We banded 9 Painted and 11 Indigo Buntings.  It seems when Indigos are present they are bolder and get caught first. 

Indigo Bunting

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Indigo Bunting (young male)

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Painted Bunting molting in 2 head feathers

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Though the above photo shows head feathers being replaced, for the most part Painted Buntings do not do much molting in the spring.  They may replace a few head feathers to "spiffy up" or to just replace what has been lost.  (In other words, please remember, male colors are only developed in the fall!)

We also banded EIGHT Blue Jays, 1 Palm Warbler, 1 Chipping Sparrow, 1 Northern Cardinal, and 2 Gray Catbirds.

Blue Jay

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Chipping Sparrow

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

February 13, 2018

It was great to get together to launch the spring banding season.  We welcomed visitors and enjoyed catching up.  We had predicted today would be quiet as far as captures go but we were pleasantly surprised with the birds on the property.  There were several Summer Tanagers as well as the usual winter birds.

Newspaper photographer Hobie Hiler came to see the operation of the banding station and luckily we did have a few captures.  First we recaptured a Gray Catbird that was banded last October.  It likely spent the winter on the property or somewhere nearby.

Gray Catbird

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

We then got a female Yellow-rumped Warbler.  Looking at the upper tail feathers and the white spots on the tail as well as other features we determined it to be an adult bird.  

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

We also recaptured an Ovenbird banded last October.  Harder to say whether this one over-wintered or is passing back through.

Ovenbird

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Lastly was our second new bird of the day.  Another Gray Catbird but this one got a new band.

The following weeks should improve and soon we will be in the midst of spring migration.  We are still banding Painted Buntings and we will keep updating here.

Next scheduled banding at Possum Long will be February 20.  Nets go up at 6:45.  

January 26 & February 7; February 6

Since the last post we have made 2 visits to PB 73 where we had loaned the host a caged feeder.  (Nets were unproductive on our first visit.)  It took a while for the buntings to trust the feeder but it was worth the wait.  We banded a total of 11 Painted Buntings, plus an incidental Common Grackle, 1 Red-winged Blackbird, and 2 Northern Cardinals. 

Common Grackle

Photo by Suzanne Zuckerman

Painted Bunting (male with some yellow coloring on the undertail)

Photo by Suzanne Zuckerman

Red-winged Blackbird

Photo by Suzanne Zuckerman

The Red-winged Blackbird was a female with a lot of reddish coloring on the face and throat.  This indicates it is likely an older female.  Other data supported the adult classification.  

Many thanks to this gracious and dedicated host.

Red-winged Blackbird

Photo by Suzanne Zuckerman

On February 6 we returned to PB 67 just about a week later than when we went last year.  This yard and host is  a joy to visit - birds and enthusiasm.  Being 2 hours north gave us a little different variety.  Last year we caught our only Tufted Titmouse here.  Within seconds of putting up the nets we caught number 2.  

Tufted Titmouse

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

The rest of the day was consistently busy.  We beat last year's 21 birds by banding 22 plus we recaptured 2 from last year.  

young Painted Bunting

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

This particular bunting had undertail coverts with darker centers.  

Painted Bunting

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

In addition to the titmouse we had 12 additional incidentals.  Eight Northern Cardinals kept us watching out for our fingers.  A Common Grackle, 2 Blue Jays, and the surprise of the day rounded out the captures.

Our host had told us he had a different sparrow so we were hopeful that it would be caught.  It turned out to be a White-crowned Sparrow - a bird I had studied in Washington as part of a site fidelity study.  This was a different subspecies but it was nice to have "in-hand" again.  This subspecies has a dark lore (the area between the beak and eye) while the one in WA has no black there.  This is an immature bird as told by the reddish brown and tan crown stripes but it is starting to fill in the black and white stripes of adulthood.  

White-crowned Sparrow

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

We are starting our "spring" banding at Possum Long on Tuesday, February 13.  Net go up at 7 am.  Regular sessions will continue on Tuesdays.  We will see what shows up this early (likely still "winter" birds) but we can hope migrants appear soon.