A quiet bird day at the ranch but by no means it was not quiet- Ranchlands was moooving cows to a pasture near the banding station. Sorry for the joke- It seemed fitting. Anyhow, there were two highlights of the bird banding day: a Warbling Vireo which was first of the season and a returning Blue Grosbeak male- banded as an adult in fall of 2022 ( He is at least 4 years old!). Breeding birds tend to have high site fidelity so they return to the same area to breed even year. We just may not catch them in a net when they arrive at their breeding territory.
8 New Banded Birds
Yellow Warbler- 1
Warbling Vireo- 1
Lincoln's Sparrow- 1
Yellow-breasted Chat- 1
Hermit Thrush- 2
Swainson's Thrush- 1
Bullock's Oriole- 1
3 Recaptures and a Returning Blue Grosbeak
Lazuli Bunting- 3
Blue Grosbeak- 1
Enjoy the last days of May!
There are two days left of banding at Chico Basin Ranch for this season. When you sign up at
Aiken Audubon Website for a morning visit, Please stop by the banding station to share your bird or wildlife sightings.
Thank you to all the volunteers and Birders who have shared their time and knowledge about Colorado Birds. Thanks for all your help this spring season.
Julie Shieldcastle, Bander
Chico Basin Ranch
Bird Conservancy of the Rockies