snow bunting!

On what would be the last day of banding (as today is too windy again to band), we caught a decent number of birds. Fully expected were the staples at this time of year, the kinglets, the juncos, the american tree sparrows.

However, a big surprise awaited us, in the net closest to the Georgian Bay shore: a Snow Bunting! It had been a few days already since they arrived, filling the air with their lively calls and flashing their white wings. But we wouldn't have hoped to catch one: what a lovely bird! With surprisingly long wings and a delicate pattern of black and white and tan!

It is hard to imagine a better way to close the season!