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.