We arrived just before sunrise to beat the expected rush of participants of a planned marathon. Didn't have too much trouble getting set. It was a beautiful start to the day.
As always, the houses are brought down and the nests get removed and brought to the tables for banding. One by one, we bring them out and prepare for collecting data.
The chicks are weighed on a digital scale (unless we capture adults, then they are weighed in bags with another scale) and then they are given a specific band.
The next chick is given a new gift of jewerly and replaced back into the nest box.
A new adult Martin is captured and brought in for a band. Andrew makes sure it is secured properly before release.
Time for your close up!
Another older bird is brought in and you can see how the throat of these amazing birds are with gills that grasp and push insects into their stomachs.
Lynn gets to release the last adult of the day.
This ends our Purple Martin banding for this year. Next year should be even bigger with color bands in deploy. Back to banding at Lake Lotus tomorrow.
Today's Totals
| Birds Processed | New | Recaptured | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purple Martin | 35 | 2 | 37 |
| Totals | 35 | 2 | 37 |
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Next (planned) Banding Day: Sunday, May 14.
All nets will be opened by 6:05 A.M.
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