Monday, May 10, 2010

Banding in Wisconsin


I have a chance every so often to head over to a site in Wisconsin with Birdchick and another friend to do some banding at a great piece of habitat not far from Menomonie, Wisconsin. With the beginning of migration finally picking up I was excited to put out some nets until it started to snow on the drive over. Low overcast with wind and rain/snow is probably the worst when it comes to banding. However, with the chance that the front would come through and clear the sky we persevered and had nets up by 8 am. The rain held off for the most part and the wind varied so we stuck with it and were rewarded with 31 birds of 12 species.


There were several Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Pheucticus ludovicianus, coming to a feeder station and we caught 2 beautiful males. It was worth it despite the finger numbing bites these fellows can inflict.


A brush pile turned out to be a great spot for a net and there were still some White-throated Sparrows, Zonotrichia albicollis, hanging around. We heard them all morning but didn't catch any until later in the afternoon.


One of the better catches of the day was this Pine Warbler, Dendroica pinus, and we might not have caught it if Birdchick hadn't set up a warbler chip call recording near the net. It was pretty effective in drawing the bird in quickly.

By the time we took down our nets the sky was clearing and the temps were rising. We can always count on working hard when we band at this site but it is always worth it.

5 comments:

MarkN said...

Good job, you guys! I knew you wouldn't let me down...

mick said...

Lovely photos of all the little birds. I have never seen any banding being done but have spotted a number of flags/bands and reported them. The work you and others do is so important for our understanding of where birds travel.

MaineBirder said...

Excellent captures of the banded birds! Reminds me to visit our local banding station.

Out walking the dog said...

Last week, I accompanied a researcher who was doing banding in the Bronx - my first time - and was awed by seeing the birds (Baltimore orioles, catbirds, northern woodthrush) up close, holding them and releasing them. Your photos are lovely, and it sounds as though you saw a wide variety.

Out walking the dog said...

Very cool. Great photos and important work.