WESJ

Western Scrub Jays are very common around these parts, but finding a nest and catching one still feels special.  This lady was found by Xeronimo in our back yard.


This one was caught a few days ago at the field station.


The color bands are useful tools for identifying the bird in the field as an individual.

At Diana's

Western Scrub Jay, eating it all


California's Towhee


Golden-crowned Sparrows, not color banded

Bitey

Black-throated Gray

Yesterday I banded at Redwood Creek with Amanda. We caught 14 birds, with 10 species, including two Lincoln's Sparrows, the first and possibly only Black-throated Gray Warbler of the year and a Western Scrub Jay, a common bird, but not often caught.

Hatch year female






This bird was at least ten years old (it was already banded, so we could look this up)




Lincoln's Sparrow

Bath

Western scrubjay bathing at Keith Hansen's gallery. We were looking for the dickcissel that has been seen there the last few days, but did not see it, sadly.

Western Scrubjay

Western Scrubjay

We caught this Western scrubjay on our closing net run today. They general stay above the nets, and are pretty smart, so we don't catch many. Scrubjays are one of the study species here at Palo, so in addition to the usual silver band with a number on it, we fashioned it with some color bands, allowing the nest searchers/finders/gridders to identify the individual again, without having to recapture it.

With a couple of the color banded species we have to use pyropens to melt the plastic bands together so that the birds cannot pick them off with their strong bills


This bird was just beginning to go through its prebasic molt (the yearly replacement of feathers) and may be the first adult bird we've seen in this process this year...

WESJ

Slow and foggy day banding. This was the first Western scrub jay we've caught since I've been here though. They're everywhere, but rarely low enough for the nets.