Spring Bird Banding

Last Thursday and Friday, I had the pleasure of assisting Emily Thomas, a M.S. student at Penn State, with her banding station near campus. Both morning were cool until about 10:00 am. On Thursday, the Ornithology Lab came down to see what bird banding was all about. Most of the students in the lab are amateur birders and are just starting to learn bird ID. It was nice to teach them how to hold birds as well as the processing method.

On Thursday, we banded 13 species, including 2 recaptures.

Here is a list of banded birds for Thursday:

American Robin 4, American Tree Sparrow 1, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2, Brown Thrasher 1, Swamp Sparrow 1, Carolina Wren 1, White-throated Sparrow 10, American Goldfinch 1, Northern Cardinal 1, Eastern Towhee 1, Field Sparrow 2, Black-capped Chickadee 1, Gray Catbird 1

Recaptures: Northern Cardinal 1, Field Sparrow 1

Other notable observations include a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Common Loon flyover, Black-throated Green and Black-and-white Warblers, and several Purple Finches.

male Eastern Towhee banded on 4/21/2011

Gray Catbird banded on 4/21/2011

Brown Thrasher banded 4/21/2011

Field Sparrow banded on 4/21/2011

On Friday, we captured 21 birds, but only banded 18. We had one escape from a bird bag and two recaptures.

Here is a list of banded birds for Friday:

Black-capped Chickadee 3, American Goldfinch 3, Hermit Thrush 3, American Robin 2, Field Sparrow 2, Eastern Towhee 1, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1, Gray Catbird 1, White-throated Sparrow 1, Brown Thrasher 1

Recaptures: Blue Jay 1, Song Sparrow 1

Escape: Black-capped Chickadee 1

one of three Hermit Thrushes banded on 4/22/2011

male Ruby-crowned Kinglet banded on 4/22/2011

recapture Song Sparrow