We ended October on a fun note with the capture of this tiny Ruby-crowned kinglet, another species that is a common winter visitor to most of the southeastern US but is rare in deep south Florida.
This bird is a male. The top photo shows the bird with its’ crown feathers in a normal posture, hiding the ruby cap. We have parted the feathers in the lower photos to show off the red patch. The males flare this patch in the springtime when they are getting exciteable and starting to sing.
We reached a milestone we weren’t sure we were going to reach this season; the 2,000th bird banded at the station this year. This female Northern parula was the one.
October at a glance: 1148 birds banded of 49 species. Days open: 31.
Top ten:
Gray catbird- 310
Black-throated blue warbler- 269
Common yellowthroat- 99
Ovenbird- 88
American redstart- 61
Western palm warbler- 55
Black & white warbler- 41
Painted bunting- 34
Northern parula- 31
Worm-eating warbler- 16
I love RCKI eyes. So cool! Great pics.
Congratulations on reaching 2000 birds! That’s awesome!
I love all the pictures ! It was great visiting the banding station this season—Thanks!