Unexpected birds in our nets!

Now that the banding season is drawing to a close, we have seen a drop in the number of birds banded and recorded on census. The weather has returned to being cold and wet, although we have been able to open nets on most days. The Trumpeter Swans have left, but Snow Buntings have been observed and a wave of American Tree Sparrows has arrived with the cold front. There have been a few late migrants banded, including a Red-eyed Vireo and a Gray Catbird. Buffleheads are moving through and we’ve observed Red-breasted and Hooded Mergansers in the basin, as well as a lone Horned Grebe on the bay. A Pigeon was an unusual sight just in front of Wingfield Cabin.

There have been a few Bald Eagles in the area: one adult on the 24th, and a 4th and 2nd year bird traveling together on the 25th. Other raptor observations include a Red-tailed Hawk and a juvenile Northern Goshawk.

To make up for the lack of banding numbers, we have been lucky to get a high diversity of rarely captured and interesting birds. On Oct 23rd we were excited to band two White-breasted Nuthatches, the first since fall of 2005, bringing the total number banded at the station to three. We also captured an adult Northern Shrike, and we’ve seen another brown juvenile. More Pine Grosbeaks have been banded as well; we were lucky to band a flashy male bringing the number banded this season to 3. Two additional un-banded Grosbeaks were seen in a nearby-birch tree.

Probably the most noteworthy species captured this week were the two Common Redpolls banded on the 25th. This is a first ever species for the Cabot Head Station and we were very surprised to band more than one. Both redpolls were female, with one hatch-year and one after-hatch-year bird.

Picture: Northern Saw-whet Owl