With the start of the new field season today, so started our increased efforts in mist-netting birds; not only at the Palomarin Field Station (6 days a week vs. 3 of last season) but also banding efforts at 2 new off-sites, increasing our total of non-Palo sites to 5. The two new offsites include Redwood Creek near Muir Woods, and Lagunitas Creek off of Platform Bridge Rd. near the town of Olema, CA.

Arriving to Lagunitas Creek early today (6am), it was hard to not feel excited with the possibilities the day held. Not only did the site hold a new suite of birds not found typically at Palo (Western Wood-Pewee, Chipping Sparrow, etc.), but it is reported to be the most consistent of our sites, averaging ~30 birds a day. Unfortunately, the thrill of excitement quickly turned to frustration that even the singing Swainson’s Thrushes (Catharus ustulatus), Western Wood-Pewees (Contopus sordidulus), and Black-headed Grosbeaks (Pheucticus melanocephalus) could not sway.

Many of our poles and ropes that we leave on site had been either removed, or sabotaged (ropes tied together) by unknown vigilantes. Our day was off to a wonderful start! Fortunately, our gear had not been tampered with enough to stop our chance at banding. However, to make matters more complicated during our first hour, while returning from my first net run, I nearly stepped on a fawn Black-tailed Deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) which was bedded down in knee-high grass. With the knowledge of flushing a doe Black-tail out of the area upon our arrival, we decided we needed to pick up and move all of our gear in hopes that the lack of our presence would allow the doe to come back to attend to her newborn. We do not know if she did or not, but we do know that all of the commotion in the morning was not the worst thing in the world…the lack of birds clearly was. We caught 7 for the day.

Birds caught on the day included:

• 1 Anna’s Hummingbird
• 1 Western Scrub-Jay
• 3 Steller’s Jays
• 2 Song Sparrows

For the three of us banding today, the Steller’s Jays (Cyanocitta stelleri) were the clear stars. All 3 birds caught were in the finery of their plumage and looking rather sharp. What follows are some photos of one of the individuals caught today and the bird list of birds detected on site. While the images possibly don’t do the birds much justice, they should give an idea of the beauty of this raucous species.

Species detected (with number of individuals present):

Common Merganser (1)
Turkey Vulture (3)
Red-shouldered Hawk (1)
Band-tailed Pigeon (2)- one individual above a net lane with material!
Mourning Dove (1)
Allen’s Hummingbird (1)
Anna’s Hummingbird (1)
Acorn Woodpecker (1)
Nuttall’s Woodpecker (1)
Western Wood-Pewee (3)
Pacific-slope Flycatcher (1)
Ash-throated Flycatcher (1)
Hutton’s Vireo (1)
Warbling Vireo (1)
Steller’s Jay (4)
Western Scrub-Jay (1)
Common Raven (1)
Barn Swallow (1)
Swainson’s Thrush (2)
European Starling (3)
Wilson’s Warbler (1)
Chipping Sparrow (1)
Song Sparrow (7)
Black-headed Grosbeak (2)
American Golfinch (1)

Good birding,

~Chad (05/01/2006)