The 2010 songbird migration has seemed a little bit slow this year only because of our unusually early spring, but the birds are actually arriving pretty close to schedule. After two weeks of banding, we have seen a very good sparrow migration and set new records for Fox Sparrows. Warbler numbers are still low, but we were thrilled to catch our first Common Yellowthroat and Black-and-White Warbler of the season on May 15th. We have caught a few Palm Warblers, and Ruby-crowned Kinglets are present in good numbers. A few rarities for us were the capture of a Rusty Blackbird, and a very early Blue-headed Vireo and Gray Catbird were both captured in the first week of banding.

The TERRA students were dazzled by the capture of a Sharp-shinned Hawk in the back corner nets, and we ended the week with the capture of a beautiful Rose-breasted Grosbeak, making Mitch Loach very happy. Hopefully, the projected strong south winds this weekend will push warblers into our area for a productive third week of banding. We started banding on May 3rd, and will continue until June 3rd.  This report was written by Bruce Murphy on May 15th. For a more thorough look at birds in our area, click the following link: Timbirds.  Thanks to the dedication of this year's TERRA students, whose keen dedication is an inspiration to me and visitors to The Marsh.