[MASSBIRD] Uxbridge Banding update

[Barbara M Volkle]

Thanks to Strickland Wheelock for this report.

Barbara Volkle
Northborough, MA

bar...@theworld.com

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Date: Thu, 26 Oct 2023 22:10:44 +0000 (UTC)
From: Strickland Wheelock <skwhe...@yahoo.com>
Subject: Uxbridge Banding update


The recent few days banding this week & the past late week at this
private residence where I have permission to band plus my helpers has
been non-stopcaptures - normally at this time of the fall, everything
has slowed down, but not this fall with the milder temperatures. With
only 7 nets [3 short &=4 long], we are extracting so many birds from 7
am to 9:30 am, that we end up closing the nets so we can process all the
various species caught on each run before noon.Today we had 42 captures
that included 7 Ruby-c Kinglets, plus many Am. Goldfinches, Wht-thr &
Song & Swamp Sparrows, a surprise Savannah Sparrow, several
Yellow-rumped Warblers & Slate-c Juncos, Tufted Titmouse - the pass few
days, additional species being Yellow-breasted Chat [caught 3 days in a
row], Blue-headed Vireos, Yellow-b Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker,
Chickadees, Chipping Sparrows, Common Yellowthroat, Blue Jays, E
Bluebird, House Finches, Hermit Thrush, Carolina Wrens.

While we are banding on this property managed for the birds, bees,
butterflies by the owners - situated along a marsh - the birds are
everywhere surrounding us - Red-winged Blackbirds and a few Rusty
Blackbirds the other day in the marsh, Pileated Woodpeckers landing in
the trees overhead along with Red-bellies & Flickers, Wild Turkeys
running about, sparrows & finches & Bluebirds flying about & around us,
Red-shouldered & Coopers & Sharp-shinned chasing the flying food, Barred
& Gt-horned Owls calling from the woods - given all the birds utilizing
this property to prepare for the balance of the migration, I limit
myself to only 7 nets which can keep 3 experienced banders and helpers
working non-stop - definitely collecting much data at this special
property. Note - in the spring, this same property has research being
conducted by a master Bander & her students while I band at West Hill
Dam.We have recaptured several individual birds we have banded previous
years - mostly Blk-c Chickadees [one 4.5 yrs back], Tufted Titmouse [2
yrs back] & Song Sparrows plus many recent birds just banded the past
week.

The plan is to keep banding before the conditions charge for the worse.
My regular key helpers are Leslie Bostrom, Mary Sharkey, Lloyd Franklin,
Dan Fournier with some trainees in the works - such a great way to start
any morning, seeing the sunrise lighting up the skies, watching the
wildlife flying about, hearing all the call notes & song - getting to
hold these species in the hand working to ID the age & sex by wing/tail
plumage & wear, eye color, & other methods [always a challenge where you
have to sometimes/often mark unknown esp for age] - how about holding
all the Gray-cheeked Thrushes, Yellow-b Chat, Orange-cr Warblers,
Blue-headed & Yellow-thr Vireos & so many other species that we had a
chance to process this fall - a great way to enhance birding ID skills -
feel so blessed to have this passion and meeting so many other birders
with the same love - love watching young school children eyes light up
seeing a Blue Jay in the hand - maybe pass the love along.

Strickland Wheelock
Uxbridge MA