Sharp-shinned Hawk

Sharp-shinned Hawk
Sharp-shinned Hawk, by Steve Thornhill

Friday, June 21, 2013

Prothonotary Warblers on pace for a record year

By Shirley Devan

As of June 18, 143 Prothonotary Warbler nestlings have been banded at Northwest River Park in Chesapeake, VA. And we've banded 24 new females.

A personal highlight for me occurred June 18 when I recaptured a female that I had banded as a nestling in 2011, the first year I was involved in the project. She was the smallest of four nestlings in box 39 on June 7, 2011. She was recaptured at box 32 about 1/4 mile from where she hatched.

Meanwhile, here's a photo of a newly banded nestling almost ready to fledge. It weighed 13.4 grams -- a very robust "teenager." His band # is 2640-44172. See you in a couple of years!