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.


Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Banding at ACES on 26 July

We had a good day with lots of hatching year birds today at the Vestaburg Station.  There were a total of 19 captures of 11 species of which 17 were new, 1 was a recap, and 1 was unbanded.  The unbanded bird was a second-year male Ruby-throated Hummingbird.  It was showing just a few feathers in the gorget that were the brilliant red from which they get their name.  By next spring it should have a completely ruby-feathered gorget.

With only a few exceptions, most of the captures had at least one hatching year bird representing each species.  Especially cute are the young Baltimore Orioles.  Even though they aren't as flashy as their parents yet, they just look cute.



One adult we captured was already molting into his winter plumage.  This Rose-breasted Grosbeak was showing several of its brown and streaky body feathers that it will sport while in the tropics this winter.


So, here's the catch:

Ruby-throated Hummingbird  1 U
Hairy Woodpecker  2 N
Northern Flicker  1 N
Acadian Flycatcher  1 N
Wood Thrush  3 N,  1 R
American Robin  1 N
Gray Catbird  3 N
Song Sparrow  1 N
Northern Cardinal  1 N
Rose-breasted Grosbeak  1 N
Baltimore Oriole  3 N
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