On yet another fine sunday morning I rose from my bed to greet a bird oriented morning. Even before we had the honor of caressing and being nibbled on by birds, the excitement was high. The first gripping moment of the day was the Good DoctA's sighting of a yellow warbler in the Ross Highschool parking lot. This was a rare bird because longisland is at the far extremity of its range and because the bird does not usually migrate here in the fall. after the lulling drive/ferryboating we arrived at Dam pond and were immediately greeted by birdsong and lush fauna. We walked down a short path and made the acquaintance of one of the Good Docta's acquaintances, a well known field guide illustrator and enthusiastic bird enthusiast. We continued on our way and came upon the man of the day, residing behind his shifty desk, bird in hand.
We captured a total of eight birds during our time at the banding station, ranging from a golden crowned kinglet to a downy woodpecker. The most incredible thing about viewing the birds up close was their minuscule size and exceptionally small weight, the heaviest bird captured being a smidgen under 30 grams. The thing i most enjoyed was holding the birds, even though i only did briefly. it was sweeet feeling there soft feathers, whilst marveling at their durability.
ALL in ALL it was an interesting day, BUT as already aptly put by the Loon i prefer to watch birds passively rather than with a silken net.
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