Notes from the Station

Species: Marsh Wren
Most recent capture date: 11/14/2021
Age: less than seven months old

​Notes: This species is common in wetlands in our area, but since our banding station isn’t in a wetland (except sometimes when it rains a lot…), we rarely catch them. This is just the 14th Marsh Wren we have caught in the last ten years. I have most often experienced Marsh Wrens as an emphatic angry sound coming from inside a dense clump of reeds. It’s a pity that they like to hide, because they are gorgeous: that loudly striped tail, the dramatic black-and-white mini-cape.

Species: Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Most recent capture date: 1/01/2022
Earliest capture date: 11/20/2021
Age: at least seven months old
Sex: male

Notes: Our first capture of 2022!

Species: Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon form)
Most recent capture date: 10/23/21
Age: Less than eight months old
​Sex: Male

Notes: Juncos use their tails to signal to each other, both in territorial disputes and when courting. Research has shown that females prefer males with more white in their tails, and that tail white is associated with dominance.

Species: Fox Sparrow
Most recent capture date: 10/17/21

Species: Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Most recent capture date: 10/17/21
Sex: Female

Notes: It’s a pity that serious scientists like us don’t use terms like “borb,” because this bird clearly is one.

Species: Townsend’s Warbler
Most recent capture date: 10/16/2021
Age: at least one year old
Sex: Female

Notes: A once-a-year kind of treat for us, this particular Townsend’s Warbler flew in with a friend: a younger female Townsend’s. After banding them, we released them together so they could continue to keep each other company.

Species: Black Phoebe
Most recent capture date: 10/13/21
Age: less than 7 months old

Notes: Black Phoebes like to flycatch around our nets, and often perch on the net poles. We catch them less often than you would think – these are savvy aerialists.

Species: California Towhee
Most recent capture date: 10/13/2021
Earliest capture date: 1/13/2019
Age: three years old

Notes: California Towhees are subtly gorgeous birds up close, and also some of the feistiest birds we regularly band.

Species: Hermit Thrush
Most recent capture date: 10/13/21
Age: Less than 7 months old
Notes: This bird has a slightly malformed bill that makes them appear to be smiling mischievously. They were in good health so the bill does not seem to be negatively impacting them. If we see this bird again, we’ll recognize them without even needing to read the band number.

I apologize for the break in posting here! Your friendly neighborhood ornithologist broke their ankle on a hike and has been distracted by having what seems like the contents of an entire aisle of the hardware store surgically attached to their fibula. Please accept this photo of sunrise through the mist nets in recompense, and be assured that regular posting here has now resumed.