Banding notes and Musings, Clear Spring Ranch, El Paso Co, Friday

[Steven Brown]

Hey COBirders,

I'm not done yet!

Tagging on to Meredith’s report yesterday from Barr Lake banding - my results have been pretty similar for the last week - frosted nets, and most days single-digit birds with a few recaps from previous days, and maybe a return from previous falls.  My best day was yesterday, with 11 birds.

Today things got officially weird. No frost, a 40o temperature swing before 11 a.m., and 23 new birds today. (why now???), with an unusual overlap. 

Like Meredith -  I had my FOS Am Tree Sparrow, (my earliest ever), but also two lost Wilson’s Warblers, my first in three weeks, and very much unexpected this late in October, a late Gray Catbird, and my 1600th Chipping Sparrow for this fall!

Numbers for most species are down from the last several falls.  Looking over my charts from the last 10 years, there is a real pattern, at least for sparrow numbers here. - I have had big numbers of sparrows of multiple species in EVEN years, and much lower numbers in ODD years, like a five-fold difference for some. (except for Chipping Sparrows - last year 1900, this year 1600. I’m thinking CSR should be short for “Chipping Sparrow Ranch”)).  But Lincoln’s Sparrow - 2002- 257, 2021- 25. Song Sparrows - my lowest total in 10 years - only 32 (94 in 2020). White-crowned Sparrows - 2020- 165, 2021- 62.

With two more Ruby-crowned Kinglets today I am up to 12, after three consecutive years of over 50.

On the other hand, I've had my highest totals ever for Gray Catbird, Spotted Towhee, and Yellow-breasted Chat. I wondered early-on about how much these numbers reflected the horrible die-off we had early last September, but now I wonder it it is just the extreme drought in the West.

Every year is different, and I’ll continue to collect data, but I doubt that I’ll figure it all out.

It looks like weather may cooperate so that I can continue banding until my target - 10/31. I haven’t made it that late yet in 10 years. Last year, after HUGE numbers (4500 total birds, 1900 CHSP), I was frozen out the last week of October with some highs only around 12o. 35o, like today, doesn’t seem so bad!

Have a birdy weekend,

Steve Brown

Colo Spgs