An "old" chickadee

A lovely day weather wise does not translate into a great banding day. The day started out with lots of singing from cardinals and titmouse but only five birds flew into nets.

The bird of note is a Carolina Chickadee originally banded as AHY on March 2, 2008. and recaptured on May 24 2009, October 2 2010, January 12 and February 17, 2012. This bird appears to be a year round resident.

There is a banded Ruby-crowned Kinglet that has returned for at least a second winter. I see a banded Kinglet on the suet feeder. As I've not banded any kinglets this winter, I assume the bird acquired its band in a previous year (with a very slim chance of a foreign band).

Aging Myrtle Warblers

Experience and handling many birds is the best way to learn and become confident when aging and sexing birds. Unfortunately at a low volume banding station the opportunity to compare a species at different ages on the same day rarely happens. In addition flocks can be mainly composed of a particular sex or age group so I am never sure if I'm actually seeing the full range of possibilities. Pyle lists some distinctive plumage differences for different combinations of age and sex for Myrtle Warblers. This weekend I banded two birds that met the criteria for both male and ASY spot on.

Lesser coverts edged bluish gray (male)

Uppertail coverts with bluish edging and large black centers (ASY and male)

Ticks and sparrows

Banding conditions yesterday were ideal. I kept some nets up all day as it was so warm and only a light breeze in the early afternoon. There was lots of bird activity along the edges of the lake and the usual mix of birds coming to the feeders. All this activity did not translate into a lot of birds in the nets. Total for the day was 9 new and 4 recaptures.

YEARLY BANDING TOTAL (2012)
species: 7
individuals: 10

YEARLY RECAPTURE TOTAL (2012)
species: 4
individuals: 7

I've read reports from other banders about ticks on birds but I've not handled a bird with a tick before. That changed with this banding session. Two birds carried an engorged tick on their head. I do hope this does not mean the mild weather is ensuring a bumper crop of ticks for next summer! Below: Carolina Wren with tick. The other tick was on a Song Sparrow.



I banded three species of sparrows: white-throated, song and swamp.

First winter season banding

First banding session for winter 2011 was slow but then I only had three nets up. Focus for the morning was birds coming to the bird feeders. The two White-throated Sparrows caught were both recaptures from February 2011. Always good to find migrants returning. Then there were three HY Brown-headed Nuthatches first caught in September this year. I believe the three birds are siblings. I frequently find them in each others' company.

Wrens and ovenbirds

MAPS Period 3 report
Northern Cardinals were noticeable by their absence today. Instead Carolina Wrens were vocal and two hatch years were banded. As these fledglings were caught in the same net within an hour of each other I suspect that the birds are siblings.

The other story of the morning was two Ovenbird recaptures. The bird described below was banded in 2009 as a ASY. The second bird was banded as a ASY on June 12, 2010. With this level of site fidelity I do hope the birds are fledging young successfully and that those young survive to migrate. This forest habitat is fragmented by dwellings. The answer to this question is one that MAPS data analysts may become able to answer.




Reading a research study about site fidelity is just not the same as holding a living example in your hand. The photo above was taken on May 31, 2010. That was the second year that this particular male Ovenbird (CP) went into a mist net. Today the same bird was recaptured. The original banding was on May 24, 2009. The bird was sexed as a male each time.

Wing in 2010.

Wing in 2011.

MAPS period 2 report

No information on developments at the cardinal boundary line from MAPS period 2 work. Two Northern Cardinal recaptures are probably a mated pair this season. The female is one of the first birds I banded here (August 4, 2007).

Three neotropical species were banded for the first time this year: red-eyed vireo, prothonotary warbler and ovenbird. Several PROW and OVEN were calling. Actually heard a yellow-billed cuckoo too.

Red-eyed Vireo

Prothonotary warbler

There appear to be four Eastern Bluebird chicks in this nest box. Only box occupied this year so far.

MAPS 1 - boundary war?

When two male cardinals are found in a net near each other on the same net run I suspect a dispute. When the birds got into the net during a five minute period while I checked another net I'm more certain. Add in evidence of injuries and I'm at 100%

Net 41 figured prominently in disputes for the Northern Cardinal now sporting band #82. At 7:40 this bird had an unbanded NOCA (now #81) partially in its clutches. I deduce this from feathers still clutched in its bleeding claw and the missing greater coverts on the other bird. Judging by the old gouge in the upper bill and rectrices growing in (R1 and R3) #82 is no stranger to disputes.

Then at 11:11 I find #82 back in the same net but accompanied by another NOCA male. The other male (#67) was banded as a HY in July 2010. This time the gouge in #82s beak is bleeding a little. Perhaps I'll discover who "wins" this spot later in the season.



This was not a stellar start to the MAPS season but not a bust either. One of the many vocal Great-crested flycatchers was captured, plus one of the stealth Gray Catbirds.