Today's diary will be a bit photo-heavy and text-light... a bit of a recap of my banding season so far. It got off to a very slow start, and the peak of the season was decidedly un-peakish, but the last month or so has been kinda fun.
I'll start with our first bird yesterday - she's the kind of bird that banders just gotta love: Within five minutes of setting up yesterday, while we were still futzing with our seats and our lines and our munchies (start with the muffins or chocolate?), she appeared out of nowhere and came in for instant capture. To take a line out of its normal context: wham, bam, thank you ma'am - she didn't mess around and yes, we were happy to see her.
Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk (female)
And now an assortment from over the course of the season.
This sharp-shinned hawk really wanted to make sure the data was recorded accurately. If you want something done right, you've just got to do it yourself...
Kestrel, in the obligatory kestrel pose. Falcons do love to bite.
That same bird, showing the eyespots on the back of his head very clearly.
The reason for the slow start to the season was fog - lots of it. This shows it creeping back in after a few hours respite, just about to obscure Hawk Hill (where the hawkwatchers conduct their count) from view. Again.
Merlin in a can while being processed. That's my blood on the label. They really like to bite while they're being removed from nets.
Merlin out of the can, about to go free. Such a fine bird... that's why we're happy to endure the bites.
Odd angle on a redtail... makes it look almost vulture-ish. I like this because it shows the curve of the immense eye.
Another bird trying to be helpful. Our early-bird redtail from yesterday really wanted to hold the binder while the bander was recording data.
This beautiful adult coop looks like she could be the spokesperson for American Accipiters Foundation.
This juvenile Cooper's Hawk from yesterday has subtler coloring than her older relative above, but is certainly a beautiful bird nonetheless.
That's all for now. Wonder what the last few weeks of the season will bring?
