kingfisher!!!!!!! great diversity and solid numbers makes for a very happy banding crew

What a couple of days of banding . As mentioned before Greg  Rand a bander  who has banded at Mcgill bird observatory and Fort McMurray was here to help us for a week. So if we were attempting to show off  I think we did it .  Greg was hoping to get a chance to see and band some species he has not had the chance to . The marsh banding station offers banders some unique opportunities to get boreal species that they sometimes have a difficult time getting on the migration. I may have mentioned that banders get a weird sense of of boastfulness about the species and numbers they band . it has very little to do with the banders themselves but everything to do with the habitat. having said  all of that I am  do amazed at the species we were able to show Greg the past two days  and i believe he was able to band 6 species  that he had not banded before which for a bander is a pretty big deal. It was not in my wildest dreams that  he would have the chance to band a kingfisdher!! it was however in crew member  Alex Shillinglaw who told us he had a dream that we would band a big blue bird . As i mentor bob Sargeant used to say you just can't make this stuff up.  The other intersting sidebar to  the story is a that Friday we had a lot of amazing species and i forgot my camera at hone . Greg suggested i make it a habit, Murphy's law strikes again!!  Thanks for all of the help Greg we are sad to see you go.

american kestrel caught in a mist net

Thursday Aug 18th
ruby throated hummingbird  9
least flycatcher  5
alder flycatcher   9
chestnut sided warbler  5
Tennessee warbler  5
Nashville warbler  3
common yellow throat 7
Canada warbler 2
cape may warbler   2
black and white warbler  1
mourning warbler    1
ovenbird     3
yellow rumped warbler 1
wilsons warbler 1
american redstart 18
yellow warbler  2
black throated blue warbler  1

Stacy utas and family banders can never start too early

Blackburnian warbler   1
red breasted nuthatch
Philadelphia vireo   4
red eyed vireo   6                                      
eastern phoebe  1 ( 4th record for station )
Lincoln sparrow  1
song sparrow 1
white throated sparrow 9
swamp sparrow 3
veery 1
swainson thrush 3
cedar waxwing  4
grey catbird 1
american kestrel 1
mourning dove 1
american goldfinch 3
purple finch  3


total birds banded 120      

total species 35



Friday August 19th

ruby throated hummingbird   9
belted kingfisher  1  ( second station record )  **********
chestnut sided warbler 10
Nashville warbler   8
Tennessee warbler  1
magnolia warbler   3

Jacob "oisseau" Lacahpelle  returns to help us out and gets the season first canada warbler 

mourning warbler 3
yellow warbler 1
common yellow throat  7
Canada warbler 1
black and white warbler   4
black throated blue warbler   3
northern water thrush 2
ovenbird  4
northern parula  1
bay breasted warbler  1
american redstart  4
Wilson warbler  1
Philadelphia vireo   3
red eyed vireo   13
red breasted nuthatch   2
least flycatcher     9
alder flycatcher   6
swamp sparrow    2

the ststions 4th ever phoebe last year we caught three in the same net. this is a hatching year bird suggesting in was born close to the marsh a good sign indeed

song sparrow    4
white throated sparrow     5
purple finch    1
veery                         4
swainson thrush       2
cedar waxwing      2
rose breasted grosbeak   2
sharp shinned hawk   `1



120 birds

32 species





Saturday August 20th  rained out

young Brodie  medland   well done getting the phoebe for us 

less than 2 hours of banding


ruby throated hummingbird   2
least flycatcher 4
alder flycatcher  3
black and white warbler  3
common yellow throat  1
Nashville warbler   1
red eyed vireo  1
song sparrow  1

Sidd  Coll after banding her first mourning dove . Surprisingly the three we have now banded represents a station record!! southern banders will be laughing at us 

yellow bellied flycatcher a true boreal specialist

Alex shillinglaw with his favourite bird  black throated blue warbler . Keep dreaming of birds Alex 

blackburnian warbler  always a treat to find one in the net

Young Jack hardwick getting close to the kingfisher. His mom April brought him out to the marsh for his  10th birthday. jack tells me that he wants to work at the marsh one day and I believe he will. It is inspiring to see  young kids that love birds and parents who fan the flame of an interest in the outdoors.

Greg with the first sharp shinned hawk he has banded  and the 20th we have had  wander into our nets. Always a great day when we get a sharpie but to get a sharpie on the same days as a kingfisher is banding heaven!!