Yesterday we topped out at 31 new birds- 29 captures in the AM prompted us to go out again in the afternoon for a few hours in the hopes of catching some more. We were a little disappointed with only 2 new captures in 2.5 hours in the PM, but it was good practice opening and closing our nets.
Today was much slower (7 new birds banded) but I had a fabulous first round: a whip-poor-will, a ruby throated humning bird, a northern mockingbird and a Kentucky warbler. See pictures of the whip-poor-will and Kentucky above. It's always nice to have some crazy birds in the nets- whip-poor-wills are part of a group called "nightjars" and are nocturnal so you are only likely to catch them during the first round.
Otherwise, this morning's highlights included . . . net repair! Seeing as a pelican could have flown through one of our nets, it was time for replacement and repair. It can be really tedious work but ultimately rewarding if we catch more birds as a result.
Jenn, Neat pics-esp. of your left hand!!!!xxo Mom
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