a male Magnolia Warbler
I am working as a volunteer with the Toronto Birding Observatory a non profit organization that bands birds to help study migration patterns and the health of the general bird population.
I took a week off earlier to help because this is warbler season. We didn't catch a single warbler during my week off.....heard and saw them all around us but none in the net. Yesterday I was at the nets for eight hours and all we caught was a pair of white throated sparrows.
Today two hours in very near freezing and we caught this fellow, (we cheered :-) a pair of American Redstarts, an Ovenbird, a nuthatch and a chickadee.
Happy happy banders :)
Nickel Xie, miz.lee, and Ginger 71 added this photo to their favorites.
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V a n e s a 75 months ago | reply
What a beautiful bird!!
Very sweet shot.
IngallsIdyllGirl 74 months ago | reply
So wonderful to see this bird in the hand! I love the mask.
As far as the pesticide issue, there is the additional aspect of genetically modified food crops which incorporate the pesticides into the body of the plant (it's not supposed to hurt us, of course, being "in such small proportions" to our bodies). I can't help but think that this would affect birds, and it is one of the factors being hypothesized as responsible for the current catasrophic disappearance of bees. (They don't come back to die and be studied as they did in the big mite-caused die off.)
Another theory is that their navigational systems are disrupted by cel phone signals and they can't find their way home.
Growing organic food in our backyards is the best protection we can have, for ourselves and our feathered friends.
METAL-ARMZ 68 months ago | reply
I feel like I want to volunteer for something like this.
Literally picking up chicks! (well, in a net).
Ginger 71 58 months ago | reply
Wow what a strikingkly beautiful bird!!!!
LOL @ METAL-ARMZ