Bird Conservancy of the Rockies - Barr Lake Banding Report, 10/12/21

[Meredith McBurney]

Today was cool and we started with a net run that suggested it might be busier than usual.  But that optimism was short-lived, and we ended the day with 17 new birds:

Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2

Gray Catbird 2

Yellow-rumped Warbler 3 (1 Myrtle, 2 intermediates)

Song Sparrow 2

White-crowned Sparrow, Gambel's 8 (this species may come in at about normal levels.....a seed eating, short-distance migrant)

This season, we increased the Barr banding season by 2 weeks (from 7 to 9) to make sure we included the late fall migrants.  So, last Sunday, which ended week 7, would normally have been the end of the season.  As of the end of Sunday, we had caught a total of 988 individual birds.  The average birds caught over the past 15 years is 1362, and 2020 (last year) was 1939.  These are just raw numbers, not adjusted for number of hours/days the station was open, number of net hours, etc., but gives a rough sense of how sparse a season it has been.

We are open 6 days a week, weather permitting for about 2 more weeks.  Closed Mondays.  Click here to register to visit - we are offering one-hour slots (up to 12 visitors at a time); 7:30-8:30 most weekdays, and 8-9, 9-10, and 10-11 on weekends.  Come visit!  Even with fewer birds than usual, it is a chance to get a good, up-close look at fall birds.

Meredith McBurney

Bird Conservancy of the Rockies