A Slower Sunday

Sunday, like Saturday, arrived cool, cloudy and calm. Based on Saturday's banding I was looking forward to what I might catch during our public program at Ritter Farm Park in Lakeville, MN. Early on there were lots of birds evident. White-throated Sparrows flitted through the shrubs and Yellow-rumped Warblers occupied the cattails along the shore of the lake.

A good number of visitors stopped by and I hoped to show them some of the migrants up close. For some reason the presence of all these birds did not translate into big numbers in the nets. Maybe it was all the people moving around the nets or the net locations or the fact that many of the berry bearing shrubs have been picked clean by now. Whatever the reason I only banded 10 birds. The variety was typical for fall migration in Minnesota except for one species that we don't handle very often.

Here is Sunday's list:

Black-capped Chickadee         1
Yellow-rumped Warbler            2
Purple Finch                             1
White-throated Sparrow           4
Eastern Towhee                       1
American Robin                       1

This is the second Towhee I've banded at Ritter Farm this fall. It is also a young bird like the previous one. It was caught in the same net. I wonder if it might be a sibling of the first one banded 3 weeks ago. No way to know but it is a thought.

Species I've noticed moving through in significant numbers included American Robins. This young bird is most likely a bird that was hatched north of my location and is on its first trip south. I think most local birds left the area a while ago.

As October arrives I expect the warbler numbers to continue to decline, sparrow numbers to increase and winter species to appear. I have not yet seen kinglets, juncos or American Tree Sparrows but I'm sure they're not far away. If the annual "finch forecast" is accurate it might be a good winter for many irruptive species in the eastern U.S. I am already seeing a far higher number of Red-breasted Nuthatches here than usual and everyone I've asked has noticed the same.

Keep looking up and Stay Warm!