Weather was not the best this morning at Brian Johnson's bird-banding demonstration at the Muskegon Lake Nature Preserve for residents of Lake Woods Nursing Home and The Cove Assisted Living Facility. Unseasonably cool temperatures and moderate northeast winds kept the audience bundled and the number of netted birds low.
Nevertheless, Brian was able to capture and process three birds before the group had to leave. The Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Brian's first this year, was a favorite with the residents and seemed to relax as he showed it around before its release.
The Gray Catbird chattered throughout its processing and screamed a few angry words as it flew out of the pavilion and back to the woods.
A very late Northern Waterthrush which Brian had banded earlier this week dropped into a net again this morning. Brian determined that the bird's physical condition was still excellent but questioned its mental ability for sticking around Muskegon until late September.
During the program Brian mentioned that more than a quarter of a million migrating birds flew over Muskegon County last night recorded by weather radar!
(Brian will be banding birds most weekday mornings through October at the pavilion in the middle of the preserve. The public is welcome.)
- Ric
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