Summery Hummery Summary

The end of July is by no means the end of summer, as we're still seeing adult female Ruby-throated Hummingbirds carrying eggs, are only starting to see the first hatch-year birds at our feeders (and in our traps), and the post-breeding, pre-migration molt of body feathers has not yet begun. But, this is a convenient time to summarize the hummingbird banding results from June and July.

July 31 was the culmination of a year of planning for the Fourth Annual Michigan Hummingbird Festival. Temperatures were mercifully cool this year, with the morning starting out in the 60s, but with rain in the forecast. As predicted, very light rain began falling as our 3-hour hummingbird banding demonstration was to begin at 8:00 a.m. As a result, we did not open our Russell Trap, which tends to be the most productive trap. Instead we began cautiously by setting up two G-traps and two Dawkins Traps, which are cage-like aparatuses with feeders inside, and can be quickly checked and birds taken out easily. Banding was done under a canopy as in previous years, while I was under a different tent, educating the public by showing them the banded hummingbirds up close and personal. The photo below shows part of the gardens at the River Lake Inn Restaurant, where the festival has been held since 2007, with hummingbirds coming to their many feeders.

Click here to view a 35-second video of the activity at these feeders (taken July 24, 2010).

Although the rain stopped by 9:00 a.m., so many birds were being caught that there really was no time to open the Russell Trap. The results of the festival banding was 62 banded and 5 returnees from previous years, all ably banded by Brenda Keith and retrieved by "runners", Rich Keith and Phyllis Barents, while Jo Ellen Van Galder kept up with the fast-paced action as data recorder. Probably more than 1000 people attended this event, and many of them got to release a banded hummingbird. More than 100 people donated to our annual "adopt-a-hummer" event, and they'll receive a certificate showing the band number of their adopted bird, with notifications to follow should any be recaptured.

The total number of hummingbirds banded during June and July, based on standards adopted in previous years, was a very good total of 467, with an additional 79 returnees from previous years. Additional highlights from July included banding at a new locale in extreme northwestern Hillsdale County, where 36 were banded in just 90 minutes. Mary Bird's excellent hummer haven near Battle Creek produced an additional 39 new hummers banded, plus 14 more returnees from previous years. Our annual program at Lake Hope State Park in scenic southeastern Ohio netted 25 banded plus 3 returnees from 2008, and two new locales in Oxford, Oakland County showed some promise for the future. Jim and Melissa Pappas's hummingbird sanctuary produced a good number of birds after a slow start in June, and all sites in Waterloo Township, Jackson County continue to be very productive.

Some years, I am priviledged to be able to band nestling hummingbirds in the nest. This year, no less than FIVE nests came to my attention, but due to scheduling and other conflicts (including unexpected fledging at one nest), I could only visit one, which happened to be at a locally well-known nature center at the Fernwood Botanical Gardens in Berrien County, southwest Michigan. The nest was about 7-feet over a well-traveled foot path on a long, flimsy branch of an oak tree. I had indicated that perhaps it would not be a good idea for "media" to be informed of this event, but nature center visitors, and campers in the park, were very welcome. Probably 50 visitors watched the process of two baby hummingbirds being banded, and safely returned to their nest. They successfully fledged 5 and 7 days later, at the age of 20 and 22 days.

The coming six weeks, early August through mid-September, should see a big increase in captures as more young fledge, and all Ruby-throats begin preparations for southward migration.

Mid-summer Hummingbird Banding Update

During June 2009 only about 90 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were banded, partly due to personal scheduling difficulties and partly due to weather cancellations due to rain. Unusually cool conditions also may have reduced the capture rate at normally more productive sites. This June, about 220 hummingbirds have been banded, which is about as good a start as ever. In addition, 46 individuals banded in previous years have been recaptured. In addition to the 8 year old female and 5 year old male noted previously, another female has moved about a mile west from where she was banded last year.

A total of 5 active Ruby-throated Hummingbird nests have been reported to me so far this summer, four in southwestern Michigan and one in southeastern Michigan. Hopefully I'll have more to report on these in my next posting.

The big news this past month was the recaptured of a Rufous Hummingbird banded on its wintering grounds in Tallahassee, Florida in January 2010 and recently recaptured on its breeding grounds in Chenaga Bay, Alaska, a distance of at least 3500 miles. This is the longest distance ever confirmed for any migrant hummingbird. Go here to read another blog on the topic, and go here to read Sheri Williamson's brief commentary.

Let the games begin!

As my blog is titled "Michigan Hummingbird Guy" I sometimes get criticized for not posting about hummingbirds year-round. Unfortunately, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are in Michigan generally only for 6 months of the year, from May to October, so my many other interests take over at other times, or my songbird banding projects consume my blog-space. Hopefully, by the end of June, you'll be able to read a detailed songbird banding report from Metro Beach Metropark on my website here. We haven't been able to afford to travel much in recent years, so I don't have any timely tropical hummingbird topics to discuss in winter. I did band an Anna's Hummingbird in Indiana back in April, a first for the state, but it was released by a rehabber in a yard where the homeowners preferred not to have visitors (and where the bird was captured back in December 2009), and the bird only stayed one more day, so I didn't post anything about that interesting story (the record is still in review by the Indiana Bird Records Committee).

In years past, I tried to band hummingbirds during May, but was largely unsuccessful as my major banding sites are at private homes, and the birds just don't seem to settle down until about the second week in June here. So now, this past week, I started focusing on hummingbirds. It was a good start to the season, with 113 new hummingbirds banded on 4 days between June 8-18, at 6 homes. Plus, 32 hummingbirds banded in previous years were recaptured. A new trap design, the Dawkins Trap (I call it the D-trap for short), was easy and inexpensive to construct, and I've been trying it out so far with some success. The photo below shows one hummingbird inside and one outside the D-trap.

At my first site, in Salem Township, Washtenaw County, I banded 8 hummingbirds which was a pretty good start for this locale, where I banded for the first time in 2009. Next, I went to two sites near Milford, Oakland County, where I've been banding for some time. I managed to band 9 more here, plus recapture one that had been originally banded in 2009. On June 15, I went to two homes, each 1/4 mile apart, in Waterloo Township, Jackson County where I annually band good numbers. At the first home I banded 19, and at the second banded 25. This was the first good test of the D-trap, which worked much better at the second home than the first. Also, 16 hummingbirds banded in previous years were recaptured. This included the oldest hummingbird I've ever recaptured, a female that was banded as an adult on July 11, 2003 at the same home she was recaptured today, making her at least 8 years old! She's been recaptured every year since she was banded, except in 2009.

Also, the oldest male I've ever recaptured, was one banded on July 27, 2006 as an adult male at one of these two homes, but recaptured this day at the other. This makes him at least 5 years old.

On June 17 I went to another good hummingbird site, in Hamburg Township, Livingston County. There were probably fewer hummingbirds here than I'd ever seen, and I only managed to catch three new hummingbirds, plus three banded in previous years, including an adult female banded here in 2005. Other feeder activity, birds and squirrels, may have reduced the catch, though it was nice to band three orioles, two females and one male.

After second-year female Baltimore Oriole.

The male was particularly interesting, as he seemed to be starting his post-breeding (pre-basic) molt already, with the second and third primaries on both wings in exactly the same stage of regrowth. Although orioles are in Michigan for only a short time, this still seems a bit early for molt as they won't be migrating south until late August. If you look carefully, you can see these feathers growing in on the photo below.

After second-year male Baltimore Oriole.

On June 18, I met Rich and Brenda Keith at the site where we annually band the most hummingbirds (except for Rich and Brenda's own property!), a home on the southwest side of Battle Creek, Calhoun County. There were very good numbers present, and in only 2 1/4 hours, we had captured and banded 49 new hummingbirds, and recaptured 13 others returning from previous years. The ratio of males to females seemed more heavily skewed in favor of males than seemed normal, with 27 males (55%). Normally, the males seem to lose interest fairly quickly and often account for no more than 25-35% of the captures. This male bias extended to the recaptures from other years as well, with an amazing 6 of 13 having been banded originally as hatch-year males. Recaptures of hatch-years is generally rare in my experience, and females seem to survive better than males. It would appear that there was good survival of last year's hatch of males, though that impression could change later this season when we've banded a couple more times.

Metro Beach banding - spring summary

A more complete summary of banding this spring at Metro Beach Metropark will be posted on my website, but for now I provide some basic numbers.
Banding was conducted on 16 days between 3 April and 4 June, with nets open a total of 99.50 hours (1186.625 net hours). A total of 576 new birds of 61 species were banded, plus 188 recaptures (including 109 returnees from previous years) and 25 released unbanded, for a total of 789 captures and a capture rate of 66.5 birds per 100 net hours.

TOTALS BANDED
(Species in bold are unusual for this banding station or season)

Cooper's Hawk - 1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 6
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1
Downy Woodpecker - 1
Northern Flicker - 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee - 1
Alder Flycatcher - 1
Willow Flycatcher - 3
"Traill's" Flycatcher - 2
Great Crested Flycatcher - 1
Warbling Vireo - 7
Blue Jay - 1
Tree Swallow - 13
Northern Rough-winged Swallow - 53
Barn Swallow - 19
Black-capped Chickadee - 9
Tufted Titmouse - 2
White-breasted Nuthatch - 1
Brown Creeper - 4
House Wren - 6
Winter Wren - 1
Marsh Wren - 2
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 7
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 1
Veery - 4
Swainson's Thrush - 16
Hermit Thrush - 10
Wood Thrush - 1
American Robin - 25
Gray Catbird - 15
Brown Thrasher - 1
European Starling - 4
Nashville Warbler - 2
Northern Parula - 1
Yellow Warbler - 26
Chestnut-sided Warbler - 3
Magnolia Warbler - 12
Black-throated Blue Warbler - 5
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 5
Palm Warbler - 1
Black-and-white Warbler - 1
American Redstart - 6
Ovenbird - 7
Northern Waterthrush - 4
Common Yellowthroat - 26
Wilson's Warbler - 5
Canada Warbler - 6
Northern Cardinal - 3
Field Sparrow - 1
Savannah Sparrow - 1
Song Sparrow - 9
Lincoln's Sparrow - 15
Swamp Sparrow - 40
White-throated Sparrow - 37
White-crowned Sparrow - 3
Dark-eyed Junco - 1
Red-winged Blackbird - 52
Common Grackle - 8
Brown-headed Cowbird - 10
Baltimore Oriole - 5
House Finch - 2
American Goldfinch - 58

The photo below, taken on June 9, 2010, shows how well the cattails have come back after the controlled burn in April in the south marsh. They're now about 4-feet tall. The Field Nets are around the base of the dead ash tree in the back center of the photo.

Metro Beach spring banding season finale - June 3 & 4, 2010

Songbird migration in southeastern Michigan often continues into the first week of June, with cuckoos, flycatchers, a few late warblers, and sometimes even thrushes being encountered. This year, apparently that didn't happen. We managed to get out on two days this last week with high hopes, but the captures were all of locally breeding species. Rain in the days before we went out ensured that conditions would be as wet and muddy at the end of the season as they'd been throughout. The two days were interesting nonetheless.

Banding highlights of Thursday, June 3 included a Red-bellied Woodpecker, an after second-year female that represents only the third banded here since 2004, and only the third ever since there are no previous records to 2004.

After second-year female Red-bellied Woodpecker

In addition to the interesting pattern of white on the wing in the photo below, if you look carefully you can see the three ages of primary coverts that suggest the bird's age; two very black fresh outer ones, several worn middle ones, and a couple less worn inner ones.

After second-year female Red-bellied Woodpecker

And in this extreme closeup, you can see the beautiful reddish eye that older woodpeckers of several species often show.

After second-year female Red-bellied Woodpecker

It was a good day to study the various plumages of Red-winged Blackbirds. It takes two years for males to attain the all-black body plumage with bright red epaulets edged with yellow. This makes it fairly easy to age these birds as after second-year.

After second-year male Red-winged Blackbird

Second-year male Red-wings show a variable amount of buffy streaking on the body plumage, and their epaulettes are usually more orange, with black spots mixed in.

Second-year male Red-winged Blackbird

Female Red-winged Blackbirds can also be aged this precisely, though the characteristics to look for are more subtle. Second-year females are usually very starkly whitish and brown-streaked. Look especially on the throat and face, where they are typically quite white. The amount of reddish edging on the shoulder patch seems to be quite variable and not related to the age of the bird.

After second-year female Red-wings show a very subtle peach coloration on the throat and face that is very difficult to render in photos. Jerry McHale managed to capture this well and I appreciate his giving permission to post his photo here.

After second-year female Red-winged Blackbird

A real highlight of these two days was once again catching an "old timer", a female Red-winged Blackbird that was banded in 2005 as an after second-year, which makes her an after seventh year now; that means she's at least 8 years old! She's a little bit battle scarred, but showing a brood patch so still producing young.

After seventh-year female Red-winged Blackbird

Interesting birds observed but not banded included 72 Canada Geese migrating northward, undoubtedly undergoing a molt migration, and the pair of Cooper's Hawks which were still sitting on their new nest.

Banding highlights of Friday, June 4 included an Eastern Wood-Pewee, which usually eludes me in the spring as they stay up high in the trees. Note the rather grayish overall coloration of the upperparts, as well as the almost complete lack of an eyering, and the narrow whitish wing bars.

Empidonax flycatchers are a favorite of mine, precisely because they are a challenge. Most challenging are Willow and Alder Flycatchers, which more often than not cannot be separated even after taking numerous measurements. Willow is probably the most common nesting species at Metro Beach, but some years there are Alders as well, and both seem to use the shrubby wetlands on the edges of Point Rosa Marsh. Least Flycatchers formerly summered in the park but don't seem to much anymore. The Willow Flycatcher below was very accomodating in that it gave a diagnostic "whit" call note after release. Alder gives a richer "pip" call.

Common Grackles are sometimes a little challenging to age, but sometimes the second-year birds retain a fair amount of non-iridescent underpart feathering into the spring. The female in the photo below (she had a very conspicuous brood patch), also had delayed development of her eye color, which was not yet bright yellow as it should be by now. Hatch-year grackles have brown eyes, at least for a few weeks after leaving the nest.

Interesting birds observed but not banded included a Black-billed Cuckoo heard calling, and a single Ruby-throated Hummingbird observed briefly.

Banding could not have been done on these two days without the help of the following volunteers: John Bieganowski, Dave Lancaster, Jerry McHale, Aaron Potts, and Tom Schlack

============================
Banding Data
-------------------------------------
THURSDAY, June 3, 2010
Sunrise (E.S.T.): 4:57
Time Open (E.S.T.): 5:45
Time Closed (E.S.T.): 11:15 (closed early due to rain)
Hours Open: 6.00
No. of Nets: 4.25-13.25
Net Hours: 65.875
Temperature (F): 62-75
Cloud Cover: 80-100-95%
Wind: SW-W @ 0-5-10 mph
Barometer: 29.77-29.82-29.79
Precipitation: Trace before 11:00, then rain forced early closure
No. Banded: 15 (plus 17 recaptured and 2 released unbanded)
No. of Species: 14
Capture Rate: 51.6 birds per 100 net hours
Volunteers (worked 8.5 hours, 6:00-14:30): Dave Lancaster, Aaron Potts, Tom Schlack

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1
[Downy Woodpecker - 1 recaptured]
[Willow Flycatcher - 1 recaptured]
"Traill's" Flycatcher - 1
Black-capped Chickadee - 1
American Robin - 1 (plus 3 recaptured)
[Gray Catbird - 1 recaptured]
European Starling - 1
Yellow Warbler - 2 (plus 3 recaptured)
[Common Yellowthroat - 1 recaptured]
[Northern Cardinal - 1 recaptured]
Red-winged Blackbird - 6 (plus 2 recaptured)
Common Grackle - 2 (plus 1 recaptured and 2 released unbanded)
[Brown-headed Cowbird - 2 recaptured]
[Baltimore Oriole - 1 recaptured]

-------------------------------------
FRIDAY, June 4, 2010
Sunrise (E.S.T.): 4:57
Time Open (E.S.T.): 6:00
Time Closed (E.S.T.): 13:00
Hours Open: 7.00
No. of Nets: 4.25-13.25
Net Hours: 86.750
Temperature (F): 59-73
Cloud Cover: 40-100%
Wind: NE-S-ESE @ 1-3-10 mph
Barometer: 29.92-29.86
Precipitation: None
No. Banded: 28 (plus 10 recaptured and 1 released unbanded)
No. of Species: 11
Capture Rate: 45.0 birds per 100 net hours
Volunteers (worked 10 hours, 6:00-16:00): John Bieganowski, Jerry McHale

Eastern Wood-Pewee - 1
Alder Flycatcher - 1
Willow Flycatcher - 1
American Robin - 2 (plus 2 recaptured)
Gray Catbird - 1 (plus 1 recaptured)
Yellow Warbler - 2 (plus 2 recaptured)
[Song Sparrow - 1 recaptured]
Swamp Sparrow - 1
Red-winged Blackbird - 16 (plus 3 recaptured and 1 released unbanded)
Common Grackle - 2 (plus 1 recaptured)
Brown-headed Cowbird - 1

Metro Beach banding report - May 28, 2010

Once again I was only able to muster enough interest from volunteers for one day of banding this week, but having a day of jury duty right in the middle on Wednesday didn't help, as anything after that day had to be tentatively scheduled. It was a day with very few migrants, none caught, but some interesting captures regardless.

Highlights of birds banded on Friday, May 28 included a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Always a highlight, this hummingbird was unusual in that she had a fairly noticeable amount of fat, which I rarely observe in spring, and her weight was 3.9 grams where about 3.2 to 3.4 would be a normal "non-fat" weight. Clearly, Ruby-throated Hummingbird migration is still ongoing in southern Michigan. Surprisingly, both the Downy Woodpecker and Northern Flicker were firsts for this spring season. A recaptured "Traill's" Flycatcher, probably one of the locally nesting Willow Flycatchers, was of interest as it was banded as a hatch-year on 2 August 2009; probably fledged locally. The flycatcher highlight, though, was this adult female Great Crested Flycatcher.

Her sex was determined by the presence of a brood patch, not visible in the field of course. Great Cresteds are not caught at Metro Beach every year, and in fact this appears to be the 23rd since 1989 (20 from 1989-2001, in both spring and fall), and only the third since 2004 (all in spring). An after hatch-year mal Tree Swallow recaptured in the Upland Nets for the second time this spring is obviously nesting in the area, and was banded in 2009 out at the Field Edge nets. A pair of Tree Swallows has taken ownership of the nest box put out by the Field Nets by Neil Gilbert in 2007 but they haven't been captured yet...perhaps they're familiar with the situation and are banded too. A singing male Wood Thrush in the area of the Swamp Nets was finally captured late in the day (sex verified by the presence of an enlarged cloacal protuberance). The wooded acreage in this park is probably very limiting for the nesting of Wood Thrushes, but it appears that he might be attempting to establish a territory, with or without a female.

The early warm spring, and continued mild conditions, have allowed for some species to succeed in raising young already. While nestling American Robins are being reported and found on the ground all over the Metro Detroit area now, this one captured today was fully-feathered and is probably independent of its parents. Last year, we caught the first juvenile robins on June 5-6 (four of them), so I expect that next week should find more of them in our nets.

As noted in a previous posting, European Starlings are not something that most banders would make the effort to band. But, the protocol for banding anything and everything caught at Metro Beach was set before I restarted the effort in 2004, so once again the starling caught today was banded. Not too many are captured, and although they are an introduced species, and harmful to some native birds, it does migrate so could give us some information on their movements. And, they're beautiful with their iridescence. Something that not many people, other than banders know, is that in the breeding season the sexes can be distinguished by a spot of color on the base of the lower mandible, blue in males pink in females. No kidding! Obviously, our bird today was a male.

Sometimes what birders see and what banders can determine are quite different. The Yellow Warbler in the photo below appears to have some chestnut streaks on the breast, which might suggest that it is a male to some birders (perhaps second-year as they're not particularly bold).

But examination of this individual's molt indicates that it is an after second-year bird, and further, checking under the feathers reveals a surprise. It is clearly a female as she is showing an extensive brood patch, and is clearly developing an egg in her abdomen.

Thanks to Tom Schlack for taking the photo above while I blew her feathers aside until I nearly passed out! A good number of Red-winged Blackbirds was banded today, making up somewhat for the ones we usually get in April, but missed this year.

Interesting birds observed today but not banded included two rather late Common Loons flying northeast off Lake St. Clair just at sunrise, a Blue-winged Teal calling softly from the swamp near the Upland Nets, and the continuing presence of Cooper's Hawks at their second nesting site after apparent failure at their first. Singing Eastern Wood-Pewee and Alder Flycatcher were of interest, as was both Red-eyed and Warbling Vireo. A Swainson's Thrush singing briefly and softly was the only species noted today that does not breed in southernmost Michigan.

Thanks to Jean Gramlich and Tom Schlack for helping out today in the heat, and beginning of mosquito season. Banding could not have been done today without you.

============================

Banding Data
-------------------------------------
FRIDAY, May 28, 2010
Sunrise (E.S.T.): 5:00
Time Open (E.S.T.): 5:45
Time Closed (E.S.T.): 13:00
Hours Open: 7.25
No. of Nets: 4.25-13.25
Net Hours: 87.813
Temperature (F): 62-84
Cloud Cover: 10-0%
Wind: NW @ 3-7 mph
Barometer: 30.00-29.93
Precipitation: None
No. Banded: 36 (plus 22 recaptured and 2 released unbanded)
No. of Species: 18
Capture Rate: 68.3 birds per 100 net hours
Volunteers (worked 10.0 hours, 6:00-16:00): Jean Gramlich, Tom Schlack.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 1
Downy Woodpecker - 1
Northern Flicker - 1
"Traill's" Flycatcher - 1 (plus 1 recaptured)
Great Crested Flycatcher - 1
[Tree Swallow - 1 recaptured]
House Wren - 1
Wood Thrush - 1
American Robin - 5 (plus 1 recaptured and 1 released unbanded)
Gray Catbird - 2 (plus 2 recaptured)
European Starling - 1
Yellow Warbler - 1 (plus 4 recaptured)
Common Yellowthroat - 1 (plus 4 recaptured)
[Song Sparrow - 4 recaptured]
Swamp Sparrow - 1
Red-winged Blackbird - 14 (plus 3 recaptured)
Common Grackle - 2 (plus 1 recaptured and 1 released unbanded)
Brown-headed Cowbird - 1 (plus 1 recaptured)

Metro Beach banding report - May 20, 2010

It seems that it has been a long time coming, but finally on May 20 we had a good day for banding warblers, with 43 individuals of 10 species plus recaptures of one additional species. But it was also a pretty good day for sparrows and thrushes too, and a surprise capture near the end of the day (as well as more net damage by White-tailed Deer). Few spring days have seen more than 100 birds banded, so this was a good day by any measure and the 31 species captured is one of the best ever. It is unfortunate that scheduling issues prevented banding on two days this week.

Highlights of birds banded on Thursday, May 20 included a recaptured Northern Flicker that was originally banded in April 2009, and may be the first recapture of this species at Metro Beach.

After second-year male Northern Flicker

Only the second Marsh Wren ever captured at Metro Beach in spring (and the second THIS spring) was caught in the Field Nets, where the first was also captured...a rare locale for this species in the fall. It seems that this odd situation might be one immediate effect of the burn as Marsh Wren habitat is not yet grown back sufficiently to provide cover, so they're seeking cover near the shrubby area around the Field Nets.

After hatch-year Marsh Wren

Swainson's Thrushes were much in evidence, with several heard singing, and a good number captured. Among the warblers, Magnolia and Common Yellowthroat were the most numerous captures, while a few American Redstarts in the nets under-represented the number that were in the bushes singing. This second-year male can be recognized by the black feathering on its face, not present in females.

Second-year male American Redstart

It was a very good day for Canada Warblers, with a total of six including both males and females.

Second-year female Canada Warbler

Second-year male Canada Warbler

Only the fourth Northern Parula banded in spring at Metro Beach was a delight, as it was also of personal interest being only the second I've personally captured in spring, and the first spring male. It was a second-year bird and had a chestnut breast band but not a gray band.

Second-year male Northern Parula.

The six Lincoln's Sparrows banded today brings the season total to 15, a very good number. Also, two White-crowned Sparrows were nice as they rarely are captured in swamp woods or marsh edges. But the biggest surprise of the day was the first ever Cooper's Hawk banded at this station. It was an adult (after second-year) male, with rufous-banded underparts and blue-gray upperparts and flight feathers, so it was definitely not the male of the breeding pair as that bird was a second-year retaining juvenile plumage. Perhaps a male from a nearby pair sneaking in to feed, or even to attempt to lure the local female into infidelity.

After second-year male Cooper's Hawk

Eye color of juvenile Cooper's Hawks (and Sharp-shinned too) is yellow, and is maroon in older birds. But the rate of change is variable, and some adults may never get a maroon eye, instead having an in-between orange eye like this bird did. So, aging is best accomplished by looking at the molt of the flight feathers.

Interesting birds observed but not banded today included singing Eastern Wood-Pewees, Willow and Great Crested Flycatchers, a rather late Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (maybe they'll nest in the banding area this year), single Wood Thrush and Brown Thrasher, and additional warbler species including Tennessee, Black-throated Green, Blackburnian, Blackpoll, and Black-and-white.

Many thanks to the volunteers who made banding possible today: John Bieganowski, Amanda Grimm, and Dave Lancaster.

============================
Banding Data
-------------------------------------
THURSDAY, May 20, 2010
Sunrise (E.S.T.): 5:06
Time Open (E.S.T.): 5:45
Time Closed (E.S.T.): 14:00
Hours Open: 8.25
No. of Nets: 4.25-13.25
Net Hours: 102.313
Temperature (F): 55-78
Cloud Cover: 0-20%
Wind: SW-S @ 3-5-7 mph
Barometer: 30.10-30.12
Precipitation: None
No. Banded: 104 (plus 21 recaptured and 4 released unbanded)
No. of Species: 31
Capture Rate: 126.1 birds per 100 net hours
Volunteers (worked 10.5 hours, 6:00-16:30): John Bieganowski, Amanda Grimm, Dave Lancaster.

[Downy Woodpecker - 1 recaptured]
[Northern Flicker - 1 recaptured]
Warbling Vireo - 1
[Black-capped Chickadee - 1 released unbanded]
House Wren - 2
Marsh Wren - 1
Veery - 1
Swainson's Thrush - 14
American Robin - 5 (plus 1 recaptured)
Gray Catbird - 2
European Starling - 1
Northern Parula - 1
[Yellow Warbler - 2 recaptured]
Chestnut-sided Warbler - 2
Magnolia Warbler - 10
Black-throated Blue Warbler - 2
American Redstart - 5
Ovenbird - 3
Northern Waterthrush - 1
Common Yellowthroat - 11 (plus 6 recaptured and 1 released unbanded)
Wilson's Warbler - 2
Canada Warbler - 6
Song Sparrow - 3 (plus 4 recaptured)
Lincoln's Sparrow - 6
Swamp Sparrow - 7 (plus 2 recaptured)
White-crowned Sparrow - 2
Red-winged Blackbird - 8 (plus 1 released unbanded)
Common Grackle - 1 (plus 1 released unbanded)
Brown-headed Cowbird - 3 (plus 1 recaptured)
Baltimore Oriole - 3 (plus 3 recaptured)