Bird Conservancy Banding Report - Barr Lake Station, 9/24/16

[meredith...@birdconservancy.org]

The days we love - enough birds to stay busy, at least one really cool thing, and good company to share it with!  No formal groups today, but lots of bird enthusiasts dropped by, many staying most of the morning, including Hugh and Urling Kingery, sharing their expertise and enthusiasm.  I was short one volunteer due to illness, but no matter - Hugh Kingery and Don Beltz, veteran recorders from years back, stepped in.  38 new birds plus 1 return from last year.  The really cool was a Hairy Woodpecker, caught in the same run as a Downy.  Great comparison/contrast!  Plus Hugh noted that the Hairy had more white on its back and wing coverts, suggesting a more Eastern bird, while the Downy was more black, the sign of a Western bird.

Here's the breakdown for the morning:

Downy Woodpecker 1

Hairy Woodpecker 1

Black-capped Chickadee 1, banded 2015

Hermit Thrush 1

Orange-crowned  Warbler 6

Yellow-rumped Warbler, Audubon's 3

Wilson's Warbler 18

Chipping Sparrow 7

Song Sparrow 1

We are open 6 days each week, weather permitting, through October 16.We are closed every Monday in September, then October 4 and 12. We are opening nets at about 6:30 a.m. and we start closing between 11 a.m. and 12 noon. We will open later and/or close earlier if it is very hot, very cold, wet, windy, etc. There are school groups most weekday mornings, usually arriving around 9:30. Best times to visit, if you like lots of birds and fewer humans, are early mornings during the week and Sundays.

Meredith McBurney
Bander/Biologist
Barr Lake Banding Station
Bird Conservancy of the Rockies