The most interesting mystery of the morning began as Andrew was setting nets before dawn and he noticed that one of our Cedar trees planted by Richard years ago was...broken. Photos were taken later in the day once the light was available.
This nearly 20 foot tall tree was the only one of three that has had berries on it over the past couple of years and was now shattered down the trunk. But where was the top? Nearly 15 yards away near Net 9!
This shot is from the severed top looking back toward the tree. Susan wondered if a bear broke it off. That would be odd for a bear to then take the top all the way over there. Connie wondered if it was some straight line wind event. Andrew thinks it was a lightning strike from the storm that rolled through two days before since the trunk seems blown out to the ground. What say you?
We mentioned the last time out that the Catbirds were seeming to be restless. Today, it was even more evident. We captured 7 during the morning and saw a couple more escape the nets along the way..
Here, Jenny and Tom record the last few of the day.
Northern Cardinals are getting active, too, as they begin to prepare for mating. Two males were chasing one another and hit the same net. First up was a recapture.
Next up was a new rival.
We then recaptuered a Tufted Titmouse first banded 2 and a half years ago. Still healthy and angry as they always are.
As the winds picked up, we captured 4 Myrtle Warblers, a sub-species of the Yellow-rumped Warbler, in Net 2. Typically, we get these birds closer to lake where they feed around the willows. This was up near the pines. Odd. Soon afterwards, Andrew trekked through the woods and noticed many Yellow-rumps there. Perhaps the winds kept the insects localized and brought them into this area.
All four of these birds were juveniles, mostly females.
Just before we closed up for the day, two more were captured, again in Net 2! This time, they were males. One was very 'bright' and changing into alternate plumage for the mating season.
The last processed bird was a juvenile male starting his first transition into maturity.
We have been missing banding Yellow-rumps for quite some time. Records show that they have been uncaptured for just under three years. We use to capture them regularly every year before that.
This is the busiest February day we have had for a long time and the NEXRAD radars are showing signs that migration is ramping up as birds begin to head North. Seems a bit early. Lets see what next Sunday brings...
Today's Totals
| Birds Processed | New | Recaptured | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gray Catbird | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| Northern Cardinal | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Tufted Titmouse | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Totals | 11 | 5 | 16 |
NOTE: To ensure the safety of our volunteers and the general public, new visitors are discouraged from attending banding at this time. The few of us who remain will update the blog as long as we can and hope to see new faces in the future. Thank you for your understanding during this unprecedented time.
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, February 28th.
All nets will be opened by 6:20 A.M.
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