I've been banding at Clear Spring Ranch for 2 weeks, but there hasn't been much to report. As expected, not much happens until May 1. I did band a Pacific Wren and 2 Rock Wrens last week, but not much else beyond arriving House Wrens, and departing overwintering Gambel's White-crowned Sparrows (and 1 White-throated Sparrow.)
This is all on eBird.
Yesterday saw FOY Northern Waterthrush, an adult, and today FOY MacGillivray's Warbler, Imm male. Still pretty slow for arriving migrants EXCEPT….
I had only had a handful of Chipping Sparrows, about 20, until yesterday. They were arriving all morning long, strung out in waves of 10-25 at a time, and straight into the nets. Totaling 308 netted yesterday, and another 196 today. I won't pretend I can (or want to) band all of them, so I band a sampling of the first 10-12, and release the rest. And, boy, was I releasing them. At one point yesterday I cleared 55 from my long line of nets by the road, turned around, went back and released another 50, turned around and release another 15. Today, I opened nets, came back and released 125 before 6:45. They were flowing out of the stubby hay field and into the brush at waist level. In addition, I have been banding a handful of Clay-colored and Brewer's Sparrows mixed in with the chippers, so I have to pay attention to those little faces before I toss them!
So the NUMBERS are huge the last couple days, but the diversity, not so much. Still haven't seen many Lincoln's Sparrows, only a few Common Yellowthroats. Orange-crowned and Yellow Warblers so far, and no tanagers, grosbeaks, buntings, orioles, empids, or Green-tailed Towhees yet.
More soon,
Happy Migration,
Steve Brown
Colo Spgs
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