Species: Varied Thrush
Most recent capture date: 10/23/2022
Age: less than six months
Sex: male
Notes: Plain brown birds are plain and brown because the Varied Thrush took more than his fair share of style. This species regularly winters in our area but in unreliable at the banding station; the last time we caught one was in 2019.
Species: Northern Flicker (red-shafted x yellow-shafted intergrade)
Most recent capture date: 10/16/2022
Age: less than six months old
Sex: male
Notes: Northern Flickers come in two flavors: yellow-shafted, in the east, and red-shafted in the west. They sport their nominate colors on the undersides of their wing and tail feathers, and wear different make-up: yellow-shafted males have a black mustache and red on the back of their head, while red-shafted have a red mustache and no red on the head.
*This* bird, you will notice, has orange tail feathers, a red mustache, and red on his nape: he is a hybrid between the two forms. Yellow- and red-shafted flickers may interbreed where they meet in the middle of the US, and the resulting birds can take on a variety of looks. Another male flicker we caught recently had a mustache that was a mix of black and red. These hybrid individuals can help us understand the genetics of color and pattern traits in birds.
Species: Philadelphia Vireo
Most recent capture date: 10/22/2022
Notes: This bird is a bit lost. Philadelphia Vireos breed in the northeastern US and across most of Canada, not quite reaching to the west coast; they migrate across the eastern half of the US and winter in Central America. At no point during any of that should they be within 500 miles of the San Francisco Bay! Birds who have strayed outside their usual range are called vagrants. Vagrants have a reputation for not faring well, but this is because a lot of vagrants are trying to migrate out over the ocean when they should remain over land, or trying to spend the winter somewhere snowy when they should be somewhere tropical. This vireo is nowhere near Central America, but winter in the Bay Area is warm and wet and might not be too alien for him. We hope that we or some other station catches him again in the future so we can find out where else he goes!
Species: Fox Sparrow
Most recent capture date: 10/31/22
In recent years we have tried to band Northern Saw-whet Owls during their fall migration. I say “tried” because although we caught a handful of owls in 2019, every year since has seen very few or none. Owls are nocturnal, so these efforts occur at night. Although we were not visited by any owls this fall, around sunset we caught a few diurnal birds just about to settle in for the night, like this Fox Sparrow.
Species: Bushtit
Most recent capture date: 10/12/2022
Earliest capture date: 06/01/2022
Age: about six months old
Sex: Female
Notes: Bushtits love to talk when we band them: they chatter to their flockmates and scold us enthusiastically. Because they alternate between doing each of these, it gives the overall impression of: “Let go of me, big featherless monster! – Hey guys hang on, I’m just putting this clown in its place. – You should be ashamed of yourself!”
Species: Hermit Thrush
Most recent capture date: 10/15/2022
Age: less than seven months
Notes: Some of this bird’s claws are pale-colored, rather than the usual dark. All individuals have some genetic abnormalities, most of which—like this one—have no impact on health; this one just happens to be visible.
Species: White-throated Sparrow
Most recent capture date: 10/09/2022
Age: less than seven months
Notes: Some of the most fun unusual birds look enough like a common bird that they make you do a happy little double-take. We only get a few White-throated Sparrows a year, but in size and overall impression they resemble young White-crowned Sparrows, so it can take a second to notice your good fortune. (The White-throated is on the left here, with a White-crowned on the right.)
