Puget Sound Bird Observatory

Winter Color Banding – Saunders Site – January 29, 2012

PSBO — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:06:36 +0000

The day started a little drizzly and pretty slow, but ended with a bunch of activity. We got a great look at the difference between plumages of male and female red-breasted nuthatches. The female had a grayish colored crown which didn’t contrast very much with the gray back color The male had a black crown with very . . . → Read More: Winter Color Banding – Saunders Site – January 29, 2012

Molbak’s Seminar

PSBO — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 03:03:12 +0000

Attracting Birds to Your Backyard

Featuring Christine Southwick, National Wildlife Federation Certified Habitat Steward; Project Manager, Winter Urban Color-Banding Project; and Columnist

Learn how to make your garden a sanctuary for both you and our native feathered friends. Christine will discuss which plants attract birds, bird feeder options, birdbaths, and bird identification. Also learn . . . → Read More: Molbak’s Seminar

PSBO Board Member Returns to NW to Run Established Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) Routes

PSBO — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:12:05 +0000

Despite working on the BP Oil Spill in Louisiana for much of the last 20 months, PSBO Board Member Don Norman returned to the northwest in June in 2010 and 2011 to complete BBS routes that he’s been running for more than a decade. “In one day I get a glimpse of the birds . . . → Read More: PSBO Board Member Returns to NW to Run Established Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) Routes

PSBO member Dawn Garcia Recaptures Foreign-Banded Northern Saw-whet Owl

PSBO — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 21:07:32 +0000

Written by Dawn Garcia, edited by Mary Huff

PSBO member and experienced bander Dawn Garcia recently recaptured a Northern Saw-whet Owl (NSWO) in Chico, CA, that was banded earlier this year in Montana.

Dawn set up a NSWO fall migration monitoring station at Chico State University after leaving the Pacific Northwest in 2005 to attend school there. She and her . . . → Read More: PSBO member Dawn Garcia Recaptures Foreign-Banded Northern Saw-whet Owl

Saunders Site Banding – 12/11/2011

PSBO — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 23:14:06 +0000

We had a late start today due to light rain. We opened the nets about an hour late, and only opened 3 of our usual 4 nets. One net is under a large tree and there was just too much dripping from the tree to be able to open that net. The day was . . . → Read More: Saunders Site Banding – 12/11/2011

Shoreline CC Banding Report 11/26/11

PSBO — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 03:36:43 +0000

Written by Kira L. Wennstrom, edited by Mary Huff

It was a chilly, damp morning and bird activity was slow, but we still had some exciting moments. We caught twelve new birds and recaptured seven, including:

Bewick's Wren recaptured at Shoreline CC on 11/26/2011

Oregon Junco–4 new House Finch–4 new Fox Sparrow–3 new . . . → Read More: Shoreline CC Banding Report 11/26/11

Owl Box Building

PSBO — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 03:23:37 +0000

Join PSBO for our second annual owl box building event on Saturday, February 4, 2012, for people of all ages at the Edmonds City Park shelter #1. The timeline is as follows:

10:00 – 11:30 Bird Walk

11:30 – 12:30 Break for Lunch (enjoy one of the picnic areas at the park, or visit one . . . → Read More: Owl Box Building

11/20/2011 Color-banding

PSBO — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 03:11:57 +0000

Summary from the Southwick Site, written by Chris Southwick, edited by Mary Huff

Despite the fact that we didn’t start banding until 0920 due to the cold–it finally warmed up to 38 degrees F–we still managed to catch 37 birds with less than two full hours of open nets.

Highlights included a Hatch Year (HY) Downy Woodpecker . . . → Read More: 11/20/2011 Color-banding

Snowy Owl Facts and Precautions

PSBO — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 05:25:36 +0000

Phone interview with Paul Bannick, 11/17/2011, by Christine Southwick Editor’s Note: View Paul Bannick’s photo “Snowy Owl Singing in Fog” here Today I talked to Paul Bannick, Author and Photographer of The Owl and The Woodpecker. With the reports of sighting along the Washington coast, this year appears to be an irruptive year for the . . . → Read More: Snowy Owl Facts and Precautions

Saunders Site Banding Summary, Nov. 13

PSBO — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 06:14:11 +0000

The second day of banding at the new Saunders site was very successful. It was overcast and damp, but we had a lot of bird activity. We are still experimenting with this site, trying to figure out the best net positions. We tried a new net and it was very successful. It is located . . . → Read More: Saunders Site Banding Summary, Nov. 13