Late migrants

   Just some quick photos of some of the birds that we typically see during the month of October. These are a sure sign winter is not too far away.

    The last of the "spotted" thrushes to move through Minnesota are the Hermit Thrush. Easy to ID and fun to handle we'll see this species early next spring.

    You gotta love that rufous tail!

    One of the shy sparrows that we get once in a while is the Lincoln's Sparrow. Below I also ran into a young Swamp Sparrow. Notice the pointy tail feathers.

    A common bird we don't usually catch is this Common Grackle. Large, mixed flocks of blackbirds can be seen moving through our region right now. A large flock landed near one of our nets and this was the result.

  I just love the iridescence of these birds. Even on cloudy days they seem to glow.

 It won't be long before another season is over but as long as the weather cooperates, it's worth a shot to unfurl those nets!
Here is a shot of the fall colors at our banding site:

As promised, a list of birds banded on Saturday:

Ruby-crowned Kinglet -1
Black-capped Chickadee - 2 (3 retraps)
Dark-eyed Junco - 10
Hermit Thrush - 3
White-breasted Nuthatch - 4
White-throated Sparrow - 2
Northern Cardinal - 2
American Robin - 3
Common Grackle -1