First ever Elkhart Hill bird banding a cold but colorful success
ELKHART - Despite less than ideal weather, the bird watchers and banders had a successful weekend on Elkhart Hill. A small group was up early Saturday for the 6 a.m. bird watching tour, which started at the old Latham cemetery and concluded at the home of Bob and Lynne Neal, who graciously hosted the bird banders’ demonstrations under cover of a porch.
Tony Rothering and others from the Lincoln Land Community College Bird Banding Station had placed seven mist nets in a secluded location on the hill. Every 30 to 40 minutes, they would check the nets and bring any captured birds back to the demonstration area to be banded and released.
The team had planned to spend the whole day Saturday on the Hill, but were only able to collect and band birds from 6 to 10 a.m. because of the incoming storm front. They returned Sunday afternoon and banded from 3 to 5:30 p.m., which coincided with the Elkhart Historical Society’s Flower Walk, rescheduled from Saturday afternoon.
As Rothering banded each bird, he talked about the species, how or whether they are able to determine sex and age by the bird’s markings or other characteristics, and how they collect and record the data about each bird. Each species wears a specific size of aluminum band as determined by a measuring card. For each bird, the wing length is measured, and its checked for a fat cap or brood patch on the chest by holding it and blowing the breast feathers.
Spectators were offered the opportunity to hold and release the birds after they were banded. Most made a hasty escape and flew back to the woods or high up into one of the old trees, but one robin landed just across the driveway and paused for several minutes as the bird watchers watched it watching them. By late Sunday afternoon, it was chilly enough that a blue jay didn’t care to be released, preferring instead to sit in the releaser’s warm palm for a minute.
After two days and about seven hours of collection time, the team banded 44 birds of 18 species.
"I was pleased with the number and diversity of birds! The location of the banding station was ideal. Having feeders close by allowed us to point out field marks and behavior of species we banded and beyond,” wrote Rothering in his follow up report. (A complete list of the species banded is at the end of the article.)
One of the most prevalent species tagged over the weekend was the Ruby-crowned Kinglet, which is Illinois’ second smallest bird after hummingbirds. By coincidence, one of the last birds caught Sunday happened to be one that was tagged early Saturday morning. Rothering said it is unusual for a bird banded by them or any other banding group to be recaptured at the LLCC banding station, but LLCC banded birds have been captured at other stations in places like Minnesota and even the East Coast. Anyone finding a banded bird, or capturing one at a banding station, can report it online and the data helps scientists understand migration patterns and other aspects of avian life.
Species (# banded)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (1)
Downy Woodpecker (2)
Eastern Phoebe (1)
Warbling Vireo (1)
Blue Jay (2)
Black-capped Chickadee (3)
Tufted Titmouse (2)
House Wren (4)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (8)
Hermit Thrush (2)
Wood Thrush (2)
American Robin (8)
Northern Waterthrush (2)
Song Sparrow (1)
Lincoln's Sparrow (1)
Swamp Sparrow (1)
Northern Cardinal (2)
Red-winged Blackbird (1)
Related links:
Bird Banding dinner program at Wild Hare Café http://newherald.news/gotta-catch-em-all-elkhart-hill-bird-banding-april-p9268-103.htm?fbclid=IwAR1uQdnwB7KNBI83ZSw-8Qi_8cFAjMYBkP4FNdzKj0wI8nAW82ScABbcEJc
Bird banding added to Elkhart nature walk http://newherald.news/ehs-adds-bird-banding-demonstration-to-aprils-nature-walk-schedule-p8965-103.htm
Bird watching in Kickapoo Park http://newherald.news/birdwatching-at-kickapoo-creek-park-p9358-103.htm
LLCC Bird Banding Station https://www.llcc.edu/public-relations-marketing/spotlights/a-passion-for-birds-and-bird-banding/