The Alma College Bird Observatory is operated by Mike Bishop of the Alma College Biology Department. The ACBO operates from April through October banding breeding birds and transient migrants as well as conducting directed studies of various breeding and overwintering species. The Vestaburg Station is located in Vestaburg, MI about 16 miles west of Alma. It is situated at the Alma College Ecological Station. The station is 186 acres of mixed hardwood forest, old fields, willow marshes and a relic boreal bog and lake. The Chippewa Nature Center Station is located at Dragonfly Marsh on the property of the Chippewa Nature Center near Midland, MI. It is approximately 96 acres and is a mixture of old fields, young forest and a large mitigated wetland.
Net Repairs and a couple of birds
Today I spent most of the morning repairing nets damaged by deer last season. I did leave them open while I was laboring and managed to catch a few birds, although I heard and saw many more than I caught.
This male Ruby-crowned Kinglet was the first volunteer. He was still showing a fair amount of fat so is probably headed a ways north before he gets to his breeding grounds.
I also caught four Black-capped Chickadees of which two were banded and two were new. Both of the recaptured birds were originally banded last summer. One was an adult last year and one was a hatching year bird last summer.
And that was it. Notable birds seen but not captured were Sharp-shinned Hawk, Ruffed Grouse, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and Vesper's Sparrow. I suspect this next week will see things pick up regarding neo-tropical migrants.
To round an otherwise slow day out, here are some of the trees that are in blossom at the station:
Amelanchier
Apple (just about to pop)
Pin Cherry
Here's the tally:
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1 N
Black-capped Chickadee 2 N, 2 R
I should be running nets again on Monday (4/26).
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