Our first day of Fall Banding was August 3rd.
Although it may not feel like fall, migration seems to be in full swing. Huge flocks of Blackbirds and Gulls greet us every morning during their commute from one end of the marsh to the other.
This year’s bander in charge is Kelsey Bell, one of our dedicated volunteers from the last two seasons. She also has banding experience from 3 field seasons banding Grassland birds in Montana and some time banding Fairy Wrens in Australia so she is bringing a ton of knowledge with her. Kelsey will be banding everyday from 30 minutes before sunrise for 6 hours. Weather permitting of course.
Our brand new banding hut is being put to the Fall Banding test and it is working out fabulously! We are hoping to raise funds towards electrifying the building to keep us (and the birds) warm on those chilly fall or spring mornings. Not only is the hut working well but it looks great too! We are so lucky and grateful to our volunteers that helped us build it.
This year we have had lots of interest from past volunteers and new volunteers. Of course, being primarily volunteer run we are always looking for more! If you or anyone you know would like to volunteer for the station feel free to send an email to [email protected]
A big highlight from our first few days included the first ever Mourning Dove banded at DMBO! We’ve been waiting patiently for one of those doves to fly in and it finally happened. A couple other highlights include a Warbling Vireo, American Goldfinch, and Cedar Waxwings. Lucky for us there’s a Cedar Waxwing nest nearby so we will probably be able to get all those babies banded too.
So far the Fall season is shaping up to be a good one! We are so looking forward to what the next two months bring.
— Meredith Stoesz