September 4, 2018 - WA first!

Ah, what a relief it is to feel caught up for now.  If you've been reading all along, there have been some update posts and some newer posts.  But this is finally in real time as of today.  If you are new to this blog, welcome.  There's a lot to read but we hope it is of interest and value to you.

Today Bill and I went banding with Ed Rykiel on his project in Richland parks.  He has a huge emphasis on education which is really in keeping with what we do and will be doing.  It was great to be working with Rich again too as well as getting to know Lori better.

We set up 5 nets in WE Johnson Park.  This park is special as it has excellent habitat and is known for its great variety of birds.  Lisa Hill helped us scope out our location.  Having Lisa so near the park means she really understands what birds are in the park and where.  I always enjoyed finding migrants here.

We banded a total of 14 birds.  The long desired Black-capped Chickadee was caught and banded - my #116.  We banded a total of 6.  Another surprise was a Lincoln's Sparrow.  They are on the move from their higher elevation breeding grounds.  We had expected Song Sparrows so catching a  Lincoln's Sparrow first was a surprise.  We eventually did get 3 Songs as well as a Bewick's Wren.  During the later morning slump we did catch a White-crowned Sparrow.

Song Sparrow

The next to last net run yielded a Western Tanager.  She had a receding brood patch.  A beautiful bird.

Then the final bird of the morning was a shocker!  (Yes, Nancy Price, I did carry it back to the banding table a little hidden behind my back!)  Imagine catching a bird we had yet to see in Washington state.  Please realize we lived and birded here for 22 years before our move-and-7-year-stay in Florida.  It is really hard for us to add to our Washington list.  The surprise bird was a Magnolia Warbler.  Note its diagnostic under-tail pattern.  Also note that not all warblers with yellow rumps are Yellow-rumped Warblers.

Magnolia Warbler

I can't wait to see what's next.......

October 21, 28 & 29, 2017

Tuesday was very quiet compared to other migration days.  It turns out that Wednesday would have been ideal but we were unable to band.  Likely from now on things will be quieter but maybe we will still have some surprises in store.  The weekend had a few!

At Possum Long we banded three birds.  A Black-throated Blue Warbler, a Red-eyed and a White-eyed Vireo.  Those birds made it a good day.  We also saw the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher again and were very surprised it was still present.  Happiness all around.

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Photo by Pete Grannis (welcome back!)

Red-eyed Vireo

Photo by Pete Grannis

White-eyed Vireo

On Saturday, we returned to PB 46.  We banded a total of 9 Painted Buntings and had a recapture from a previous season.  These recaptures are giving us very good longevity and site fidelity data.  

Painted Bunting

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

For incidental captures there we were surprised to have a Magnolia Warbler.  There have been more of this species captured this season than any other.  We also had a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and a Blue Jay.

Magnolia Warbler

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

On Sunday we returned to PB 61.  We banded a total of 11 Painted Buntings and recaptured 3.  All three had been banded in March, 2016.  This means that they had flown up to their breeding places and back two times since being banded!  

Painted Bunting

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Incidental captures gave us another Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.  This is one of the smallest birds we band.  They weigh just over the weight of a nickel.  We also banded a Cape May Warbler.  Third for this season and only the fourth ever!  Note gray cheek with pale area under it.

Cape May Warbler

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Our season total of Painted Buntings now stands at 32.  

Next banding session is Tuesday, October 31.  Nets open at 7:30.

October 16, 2017

On Monday we caught more bigger birds than warblers.  We did catch 1 American Redstart and TWO more Magnolia Warblers but the rest of the captures were big.  It has been hard to believe how many Magnolia Warblers are around and being captured.

We caught a good variety of the bigger birds:  Our second only Scarlet Tanager.  The white underwings are created by the flight feathers being half white and half black.  The black shows on the upper wing and the white shows on the underwing.  This is not the case with the similar Summer Tanagers.  This bird was missing its tail.  There were signs of it already growing back in. 

Scarlet Tanager

Scarlet Tanager

We also caught 3 thrushes:  2 Gray-cheeked and one Swainson's.  This Gray-cheeked does not show the spectacle that the Swainson's does.  It was carefully measured to rule out the smaller Bicknell's Thrush.

Gray-cheeked Thrush

We rarely capture Rose-breasted Grosbeaks but they had been on the property for several days and were feeding on figs, palm berries, and beautyberry fruit.  Last year when we caught another one it was feeding on beautyberry. 

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

The other birds caught and banded were 1 Brown Thrasher, 2 Gray Catbirds and 1 Northern Cardinal.

Note for next scheduled session is on the next post.

October 15, 2017

Sunday was a gift to birders and banders.  We banded a total of 21 birds of 12 species.  We saw 11 different kinds of warblers as well as many other migrants.  Remember you can see bird lists of this site on eBird.  Explore hotspots, type in Possum Long, view recent lists or all sorts of other data.

Many of the birds we banded were warblers:  1 American Redstart, 1 Magnolia Warbler, 1 Northern Parula, 1 Common Yellowthroat, 3 Black-throated Blue Warblers, 1 Ovenbird, and our best bird of the day.

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Northern Parula

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Common Yellowthroat

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Our best bird was a real surprise as they are tree-top lovers so we rarely catch them and also because in the fall they typically migrate more offshore.  Fall Blackpoll Warblers do not look like the "chickadee look-alike of warblers"  they are more streaked and yellowish.  However their feet still have bright soles.  

Blackpoll Warbler

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

The other 12 birds banded were 2 Red-eyed Vireos, 5 Gray Catbirds, 1 Northern Cardinal, 3 Painted Buntings (YAY!) and a Blue Jay.

Red-eyed Vireo

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Gray Catbird

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Continue to view the next 2 days.  Update for next session is on the October 17 post.

October 7 & 8, 2017

Sometimes, especially during migration, we elect to band on days that are not at the regularly scheduled time.  We banded on both Saturday and Sunday this week and it was well worth it.  We are at the peak arrival for some of the birds.  Saturday was warbler day.  We banded 22 individuals representing 8 species of warblers.  The expected American Redstarts (3), Ovenbirds (2), and Black-throated Blue Warblers (9) did not disappoint.  We even caught one each of two less commonly caught warblers - Northern Parula and Black-and-white Warbler.  But then there were 3 highlights!!

American Redstart

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Northern Parula

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Highlight One was catching more than one Magnolia Warbler!  We have never caught three in one session before.

Magnolia Warbler

Photo by Laura Karg

Magnolia Warbler

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Highlight Two was catching a first for Possum Long Banding.  Though Yellow-throated warblers are sometimes seen on the property, we had never banded one there.  

Yellow-throated Warbler

Highlight Three was catching not one but TWO Cape May Warblers.  In all of the other years we have banded we had only caught one of these.  Two on one day is pretty awesome.  Cape May Warblers are also typically too high in the trees to catch them.  In areas where there are not tall trees, these bird can be seen down low but they prefer the upper areas in the trees of Possum Long.

Two Cape May Warblers!!

So in addition to the 22 warblers on Saturday we also banded two Painted Buntings and a Red-eyed Vireo.  The vireo was an adult with a really red eye as opposed to the two younger birds we caught recently that had dark eyes.  

Red-eyed Vireo

On Sunday we caught half the number we did on Saturday and the bird diversity on the property was much different, yet it was still a productive session.  There were still Summer and Scarlet Tanagers around and several Red-eyed Vireos.  The surprise was seeing THREE Baltimore Orioles.  We did not catch those but once again, Black-throated Blue Warblers (4) were the majority of the birds caught.   

Black-throated Blue Warbler (female)

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Other birds caught were 2 American Redstarts, a Black-and-white Warbler, a White-eyed Vireo, an Ovenbird, 2 Swainson's Thrushes, and a Gray Catbird.  Gray Catbird numbers should be increasing in the next few weeks.  

White-eyed Vireo

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Black-and-white Warbler

Photo by Laura Karg

Swainson's Thrush

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Gray Catbird

Photo by Bill LaFramboise

Thirty-seven birds in two days!

The next regularly scheduled session as announced on the previous post is on October 10, 2017.  Nets go up at 7:15 am.

October 18, 2016

This regular Tuesday session of banding at Possum Long was a good one.  After banding 10 Gray Catbirds last week it is amazing that we did not band any new ones this week.  However we did band 7 species and 12 individuals.

Non-warbler birds were another Northern Cardinal and another Swainson's Thrush.  Glad to have these birds around.  There's always something to see on every bird.  The spectacle on the thrush is a great field mark for this species and is very different when seen up close.

Swainson's Thrush

We also banded our second ever Rose-breasted Grosbeak.  We photographed one last week but this one we got to band!  Compare the photos.  It looks like this one is a different bird.  This bird is also a young male.  Some of its black plumage was in.  The red/dark rose chest isn't too developed but the red underwing linings look quite bright.  Yes, the big bill is challenging but how many people can say they were bit by a Rose-breasted Grosbeak?  

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

The rest of the birds banded were warblers.  We had two Common Yellowthroats, two Northern Parulas, one Magnolia Warbler, and four Black-throated Blue Warblers.  These birds will soon move on and most warblers will be Palm and Yellow-rumped.  

Black-throated Blue Warbler (male Appalachian subspecies)

Northern Parula

Magnolia Warbler

Common Yellowthroats

Photo by Pete Grannis

The photo Pete took of the Common Yellowthroats is a great comparison of an adult male and a young male born this past summer.  The young male's face mask is just a shadow of what it will be.  

Next Possum Long banding will be on Tuesday, October 25.  Nets go up at 7 am.  

April 30, 2015

Today was an impromptu session which ended up being the best ever.  We banded 28 birds (7 species) and many of those were still warblers.  We did band 3 Gray Catbirds and our first thrush of the season - a Veery.  It seemed so big after so many warblers.

Up to April 14, we had banded 22 birds on Possum Long.  Since then (the last 2 weeks) we banded 96 more!!  Migration is the most wonderful thing in so many ways.

Veery

Photo by Jane Wiewora

The warblers banded today were 6 Ovenbirds, 7 Black-throated Blue Warblers, 8 American Redstarts, 1 Magnolia Warbler, and 2 Common Yellowthroats.

The Ovenbirds kept coming (see last posts for photos) and so did the Black-throated Blue Warblers. These 2 species accounted for almost half of today's birds.  We are starting to catch more females and immature birds.

Black-throated Blue Warbler (female)

Photo by Jane Wiewora

Also present in high numbers were American Redstarts.  Most of them were males born before last summer (after-second-year).  One showed some really unique coloring with the tail looking much paler than the wing "starts" and the underwing.

American Redstart

Photo by Jane Wiewora

American Redstart

Photo by Pete Grannis

Finally we remembered to photograph the Common Yellowthroat!  We banded a male and a female today.

Common Yellowthroat (male)

Photo by Pete Grannis

The most exciting find today was a Magnolia Warbler.  Early on Pete Grannis found one in the canopy.  We were certainly shocked to have one in the nets (Thank you Nancy Price and Jane Wiewora for extending the trail net.)  This is only the second one banded at Possum Long.

Magnolia Warbler

Photo by Pete Grannis

Note the wide black undertail tip which is a great field mark when viewing from underneath.  

Magnolia Warbler

Photo by Pete Grannis

Next banding will be the last for this season.  May 5.  Nets go up at 6 am.  We will likely resume banding in mid to late August.

October 16, 2013 School visit - excitement plus!

At yesterday's regularly scheduled banding session Crystal reminded me that we we going to have a school visiting Possum Long today (Thanks Crystal, Sorry Linda!)  I had said I would talk about bird banding.  Last night Nancy Price suggested we put up nets and if we got birds it would be a great experience for the students.   Having done this at my former job, I have wanted to do this since the station opened but this was our first opportunity and Nancy's encouragement and willingness to monitor the nets made it happen.  Nancy was a pro at extracting birds today and the warblers kept both of us really busy.  If we had not had birds to share we had planned a hands-on task of banding "birds legs" (sticks) with "color bands" (slit pieces of drinking straws).  Most students got to do both.  It is always great to see people experience birds and bird banding up close.

I'd like to thank the students and parents of the Sonshine Christian School for their visit, enthusiasm, and total cooperation.  It was my honor to share this project with you.

We banded a total of  14 birds today; 12 of them were warblers (second highest count of warblers in a day):  6 Black-throated Blue Warblers, 4 Ovenbirds, 1 Common Yellowthroat and a first-for-the-station Magnolia Warbler.  I was very pleased to have the Magnolia show up in time to show the students.  It is only the second Magnolia Warbler we have seen on the property and the first one I have ever banded.

Magnolia Warbler

Photo by Nancy Price

Magnolia Warbler

Photo by Nancy Price

The small white dot on the almost middle feather (R2) indicated that this was a hatch year bird (born this year).  

Common Yellowthroat

Photo by Nancy Price 

The other two birds were banded after the school group left and were a Blue Jay and a Swainson's Thrush.

Swainson's Thrush

Photo by Nancy Price

Swainson's Thrush

Photo by Nancy Price

The row of light dots near the bend (wrist) of the wing indicated that this was also a hatch-year bird.

Also of great excitement was almost catching a Pileated Woodpecker.  It hit the net and we (cautiously) had hands on it but it managed to escape out of the end of the net.  We will order a band big enough for this woodpecker in case we ever catch one again.

Attempting to take the Pileated Woodpecker out of the net

Photo by Crystal Conway

Pileated Woodpecker after escape

Photo by Crystal Conway

Next scheduled banding is October 22 at 7 am.