To all readers,
Today at the after school hours from three to five I was invited by Mr.
Atwood to join him and a few others to do some bird banding. It was fairly
warm and very cloudy as if it was about to rain. I arrived just as 2 Field
Sparrows were being banded. Another birdwatcher arrived shortly after I. In
between the time we checked the nets we observed many species of birds,
with which I will record later. One of the birdwatchers, Nick, very expertly
flushed the birds out and into the direction of the nets. We caught a Song
Sparrow and a Swamp Sparrow. The Swamp Sparrow had yellow malars suggesting
a subspecies or something of the sort. Bluebirds were very abundant, but
none flew into the nets. We got close to banding a Carolina Wren and a
Bluebird but they dodged the nets. Two more Song Sparrows were banded as
well as a Titmouse. At around five Starlings and Grackles started to gather
around their common roosting place. Mr. Atwood has said there was between
ten and twenty thousand in the one roost place. The totals of the day are as
follows:
2 Field Sparrows(both banded), 4 Song Sparrows(three banded), 1 Swamp
Sparrow(banded), 2 Tufted Titmice(1 banded), 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker, 1
Downy Woodpecker, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 1 Carolina Chickadee, 2 Carolina Wren,
1 Yellow-rumped Warbler, 1 White-breatsed Nuthatch, 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet,
2 American Crows, 1 House Finch, 12 Eastern Bluebirds, 46 American Robins,
and several hundred European Starlings and Common Grackles heading to a
roost.
Jacob Barkett
