Above: Sunrise on way to Zuma
Start at 6:50am, closing at 12:50pm
Total 18 nets up
100% cloud cover with Santa Ana Winds
Total 54 birds, 11 species
- 4 Anna’s hummingbird (Calypte anna)
- 1 Allen’s hummingbirds (Selasphorus sasin)
- 5 Gambel’s white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii)
- 4 Golden-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia atricapilla)
- 4 Spotted towhees (Pipilo maculatus)
- 18 Audubon’s warblers (Setophaga coronata auduboni)
- 2 Oak titmice (Baeolophus inornatus)
- 2 Ruby-crowned kinglet (Corthylio calendula)
- 8 Bushtits (Psaltriparus minimus)
- 1 Blue-gray gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea)
- 6 Hermit thrushes (Catharus guttatus)
This cycle, we got an average mix of birds– Audubon’s warblers, a flock of bushtits, a few hummingbirds, and some others. Most cycles, we get at least one uncommon bird, or as we call them: “exciting birds”. For instance, last cycle we banded an acorn woodpecker, which is extremely exciting since only 6 have ever been banded at Zuma during the 27 year project. Though this cycle didn’t see any of these birds make their way into the nets, it was still a fun day with lots of learning! I’m definitely not complaining about the number we caught, which is so much higher than what we were getting in the summer months of 2021 (10-15 birds if we were lucky).
The day started off with some light Santa Ana Winds, which have been picking up since earlier in the week. The master bander was already preparing us for a potentially shorter cycle (luckily it didn’t come to that). As we set up the nets, we made sure they were pulled tight and that the rebar was hammered in deep enough so as to avoid the nets toppling over in the wind. A short while after setting up the three nets I was in charge of, a fellow bander alerted me of a spotted towhee that flew into one of my nets. I quickly got the bird out and began processing them. As with most birds, I pulled rectrices for DNA Analysis done at Colorado State University (previously at UCLA’s Center for Tropical Research). The beautiful towhee was released and quickly disappeared into the shrubbery.
While banding, a Cooper’s hawk (Accipiter cooperii) decided to come visit us at the station. At first, the hawk eyed the numerous Nanday Parakeets (Aratinga nenday) that flew between the Western sycamore trees. Then, as one bander released a weary white-crown sparrow into the vegetation, the hawk made their move by quickly diving down from their perch up in the trees. The hawk watched as we banded and eyed their next meal for hours, meandering from tree to tree. Luckily for the birds we were releasing, the hawk had left empty by the end of the cycle.
One species that surprised me was the Audubon’s warbler, a migratory bird. This cycle, we processed a total of 18, the highest number since the species reappeared on our banding summaries back in October, 2021. It was so exciting and insightful to process so many Audubon’s warblers (they accounted for 6 of the 9 birds I handled that day)!
We are starting to see adult males transition to their boldly colored pre-alternate molt, which they are preparing for the breeding season on their summer grounds up north. The first two photos below are of an after second year male who is starting to develop black feathers on his chest. Adult male Audubon’s warblers are one of those birds that you can identify right away. Their bright yellow throat and overall plumage is enough to distinguish them from the more dull colored females and young males. The adult females and young males on the other hand, are especially difficult to distinguish as they share many common characteristics, including the extent of white on their rectrices, extent of black on their back feathers, and the pattern of the upper tail coverts. Aging and sexing the Audubon’s warbler can quickly become a very technical process.
By the end of the day, we had caught a total of 54 birds representing 11 species. I look forward to the next cycle on February 12!