Labor Day Visitors

The thing I like about long weekends is that I have a chance to get into the field on consecutive days and get to see the changes that happen even over a short time period. The last 3 days I've set nets and the activity around the banding site has diminished each day. The mornings were very quiet but I was able to catch a couple of cool migrants. The total numbers for the weekend weren't impressive but the diversity was nice.


This male Wilson's Warbler was a nice bird to handle. I don't net them every year but they are not uncommon. This fellow was so bright he almost glowed.


Another bird that is common here is the Red-eyed Vireo. They are nesters in the area but this one was a migrant that was just packed with fat. I suspect it will be gone tomorrow.


The last bird caught this weekend was this Gray Catbird that was in full molt. Pin feathers everywhere! Molting birds are sometimes a real pain to get out of the net but this one was no trouble. It does look pretty raggedy compared to the other two birds.

The species moving through the area will gradually change over the next month. By the end of September the warblers will be winding down and the sparrows will be showing up in force. I think I have banding plans every weekend until the end of October. Keep checking for new results!