What is bird banding?

Bird banding is the process of catching birds in mist nets, putting a metal band on their leg, and collecting data. This data goes on to inform scientific and conservation-related efforts.

Mist nets range from 32 to 40 feet in length and have a mesh of about an inch. This kind of net is ideal for catching most birds because they are hard for the birds to see as they fly into them. Don’t worry, the nets don’t harm the birds! Once a bird is caught, bird banders will untangle the bird from the net, put them in bags, and take them to their banding station to await processing/data collection.

We record a variety of data points in our notebooks. When put all together, we can determine the overall health of a species at a specific location, or contribute our findings to determining the species’ health as a whole. Data points include age, sex, breeding conditions, weight, muscle mass, molt limits, and a whole lot more!

Each metal band has a unique set of numbers on it. This way, if the bird is ever caught again, we’ll be able to add onto the data that was collected the first time. We can expand on what we know for individual birds in addition to the population as a whole. Generally when you (repeatedly) get many recaptured birds, it means a significant portion of the birds of that species in the area have been caught. Which isn’t necessarily a good sign…

*** Bird banding operations (handling, setting up nets, placing bands) are conducted by trained professionals under a federally-issued bird banding permit. Birds for banding operations are handled with protocols developed by scientists that are widely accepted as the most safe and humane way to handle birds. ***

Bird Banding at Zuma Canyon

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Bird banders at Zuma Canyon recognize that we are guests in the homeland territory of the Micqanaqa’n Chumash. We extend our respect and gratitude to the many Indigenous peoples who call these lands home.

Zuma Canyon is located in the Santa Monica Mountains in Malibu. Banding operations there have been going on since spring of 1995. The station works to offer a glimpse at what bird populations are like here (resident and migratory species), as well as to train students and volunteers in the art of bird banding. Banding at Zuma Canyon is a constant year-round effort taking place every two weeks.

One of the most notable aspects about banding at Zuma is the current conditions. In late 2018, the Woolsey Fire went through and significantly reduced the number of birds. Some relocated, others perished. Even years after that fire, the effects are still being felt. Compounded with the ongoing drought conditions, resident birds here are struggling. Fewer birds are being seen or heard throughout the canyon, like the once abundant Wrentit (Chamaea fasciata) which is now a rarity. The number of birds being banded significantly drops when the migratory species leave.
Yet thanks to bird banding, we are learning that many resident species are beginning to make a comeback, albeit slowly! Resident birds are breeding, young birds are being banded! Seeing these birds recover has been a fascinating process to watch and we look forward to what we will discover in the future.

Starting in May of 2021, I became a bird bander at Zuma Canyon. I have to wake up two hours or so before sunrise to get there! I call it dedication, my dad who has to drive me there calls it crazy. Yet, the dread of having to wake up so early is completely washed away once I get there and start banding, learning, and having a great time!  
I have also banded birds at Burns Piñon Ridge Reserve in Yucca Valley and at Bear Divide in Santa Clarita as well.

View blog posts for bird banding here

Find info on bird banding terminology here

View the iNaturalist project for bird banding at Zuma Canyon here

View the iNaturalist project for bird banding at Burns Piñon Ridge Reserve here

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Zuma Canyon Bird Banding

May 20, 2023
71 birds, 18 species, 19 nets open

• Phainopepla (PHAI)
  • Second year (FCF) male by molt, male by plumage
  • This bird has some incredible molt limits (second photo). The brown feathers are retained, meaning that that they were from the bird’s juvenile plumage and have become very worn. This includes the primaries, all secondaries except for S8, primary coverts, alula, and a single median covert. The black feathers have been replaced and are part of the bird’s basic plumage and are shiny and fresh. This includes the lesser coverts, most median coverts, greater coverts, and the S8 in this bird.
• Hooded Oriole (HOOR)
  • Second year by molt and plumage, male by plumage
• Purple Finch (PUFI)
  • Second year by molt, male by plumage
  • This bird is molting all of his primary coverts!
• California Towhee (CALT)
  • After hatch year by molt, male by cloacal protuberance (he was breeding!)
• Northern Rough-winged Swallow (NRWS)
  • After hatch year by molt, female by brood patch (next photo)
  • Hatch year (HY) bird by plumage and extent of bill corrugation, male by plumage (extent of irreverent gorget feathers)

April 22, 2023
30 birds, 11 species, 20 nets open

• Lazuli Bunting (LAZB)
  • Second Year (SY) by molt, male by plumage
• Anna’s Hummingbird (ANHU)
  • After Hatch Year (AHY) male by extent of iridescent feathers of gorget
• Lesser Goldfinch (LEGO)
  • After Second Year (ASY) by molt, female by plumage
• Lesser Goldfinch (LEGO)
  • After Second Year (ASY) by molt, male by plumage

February 11, 2023
61 birds, 17 species, 16 nets open

• Cooper’s Hawk (COHA)
  • Adult by molt and plumage (I don’t remember the age code lol), male by plumage
    ** The blood on the hawk’s feet in the second photo is NOT the hawk’s.**
• Hermit Thrush (HETH)
  • Second year (SY) by molt and plumage (Buffy tips on greater coverts), sex unknown
• Lawrence’s Goldfinch (LAGO)
  • Second year (SY) by molt, male by plumage
• Orange-crowned Warbler (OCWA)
  • After second year (ASY) by molt, male by extent of orange in crown

December 17, 2022
118 birds, 20 species, 20 nets open

• Golden-crowned Sparrow (GCSP)
  • Hatch Year (HY) bird by plumage (brown crown) and skull pneumatization, sex can’t be determined
• Fox Sparrow, Sooty subspecies (FOSP)
  • Hatch Year (HY) bird by plumage and skull pneumatization, sex can’t be determined
• Spotted Towhee (SPTO)
  • Hatch Year (HY) bird by dull red iris color, plumage, and skull pneumatization, female by plumage (extent of brown in head, back, and wing feathers)
• Bushtit (BUSH)
  • Age unknown, male by dark iris color
• Yellow-rumped Warbler, Audubon’s subspecies (AUWA)
  • Hatch Year (HY) bird by wing molt, male by plumage
  • Second photo depicts the wing of this bird. You can see that primary coverts 1-3 are truncate, meaning they are adult feathers. Primary coverts 4-10 are still pointed, meaning they are retained Hatch Year (HY) feathers. Even though this bird has some adult feathers, they are still considered a young bird.
• Anna’s Hummingbird (ANHU)
  • Hatch year (HY) bird by plumage and extent of bill corrugation, male by plumage (extent of irreverent gorget feathers)

December 3, 2022
106 birds, 14 species, 15 nets open

** The red on my fingers is from a red pen that I use. It is NOT blood. **

• Anna’s Hummingbird (ANHU)
  • After Hatch Year (AHY) bird by plumage and extent of bill corrugation, male by plumage (extent of irreverent gorget feathers)
• Common Yellowthroat (COYE)
  • Hatch Year (HY) bird by plumage and skull pneumatization, female by plumage
• Dark-eyed Junco, Sierra Oregon subspecies (ORJU)
  • Hatch Year (HY) bird by plumage, female by plumage (extent of brown feathers on head and back)
• White-crowned Sparrow, Gambel’s subspecies (GWCS)
  • Hatch Year (HY) bird by plumage and skull pneumatization, sex can’t be determined
• Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (BGGN)
• House Wren (HOWR) wing

November 5, 2022
115 birds, 19 species, 16 nets open

• Fox Sparrow, Sooty subspecies (FOSP)
  • After Hatch Year (AHY) bird by plumage and skull pneumatization, sex can’t be determined
• California Scrub-jay (CASJ)
  • After Hatch Year (AHY) bird by plumage, sex can’t be determined
• Hermit Thrush (HETH)
  • Hatch year (HY) bird by plumage, sex can’t be determined
  • Fall migrant!
• Allen’s Hummingbird (ALHU)
  • After Hatch Year (AHY) female by plumage
• Gambel’s White-crowned Sparrow (GWCS)
  • After Hatch Year (AHY) bird by plumage, sex can’t be determine

October 22, 2022:
121 birds, 22 species, 20 nets open

• Black Phoebe (BLPH)
  • After hatch year by plumage, sex unknown
• Gray Flycatcher (GRFL)
  • Only the fourth ever caught during Zuma Canyon Bird Banding Station’s 28 year history
• Gambel’s White-crowned Sparrow (GWCS)
  • Hatch Year (HY) bird by plumage, sex can’t be determine
  • This bird had an unusually long bill and an overbite, perhaps caused by a viral infection or genetic mutation
• Audubon’s Warbler (AUWA)
  • After Hatch year (AHY) bird by skull pneumatization, female by plumage
• Wrentit (WREN)
  • After Hatch Year (AHY) bird by skull pneumatization, sex can’t be determined
• House Finch (HOFI)
  • After Hatch year (AHY) by skull pneumatization, male by plumage
• Common Green Darner (Anax junius)
  • Mistakenly caught in mist net and removed and released safely

October 8, 2022:
108 birds, 17 species, 19 nets open

• Dark-eyed Junco
  • Hatch Year (HY) bird by plumage and skull pneumatization, female by plumage
• Gambel’s White-crowned Sparrow (GWCS)
  • Hatch Year (AHY) bird by plumage, sex can’t be determined

September 24, 2022:
63 birds, 17 species, 12 nets open

• Summer Tanager (SUTA)
  • After Hatch Year (AHY) bird by plumage and skull pneumatization, male by plumage
  • Rare bird that should be breeding in Mexico right now. Species known to occasionally frequent Los Angeles County. First Summer Tanager for the banding station!!
• Gambel’s White-crowned Sparrow (GWCS)
  • After Hatch Year (AHY) bird by plumage, sex can’t be determined
  • Fall migrant and first of species to be banded this season!
• Lincoln’s Sparrow (LISP)
  • Hatch year (HY) bird by skull pneumatization, sex can’t be determined
  • Fall migrant
• California Thrasher (CATH)
  • After Hatch Year (AHY) bird by skull pneumatization, sex can’t be determined
• Lesser Goldfinch (LEGO)
  • After Hatch Year (AHY) bird by plumage and skull pneumatization, male by plumage
• House Finch (HOFI)
  • Hatch Year (HY) bird by plumage and skull pneumatization, male by plumage
• Spotted Towhee (SPTO)
  • Hatch Year (HY) bird by plumage, iris color, and skull pneumatization, female by plumage

August 27, 2022:
59 birds, 14 species, 20 nets open

• Pacific-slope Flycatcher (PSFL)
  • Hatch Year (HY) bird by plumage and skull pneumatization, sex can’t be determined
• House Wren (HOWR)
  • After Hatch Year (AHY) bird by plumage and skull pneumatization, sex can’t be determined
• Lesser Goldfinch (LEGO)
  • After Hatch Year (AHY) male by plumage
• Black-headed Grosbeak (BHGR)
  • After Hatch Year (AHY) female by plumage and brood patch
• Song Sparrow
  • Hatch Year (HY) bird by plumage and skull pneumatization, sex can’t be determined
• Rufous-crowned Sparrow
  • Hatch Year (HY) bird by plumage and level of skull pneumatization, sex can’t be determined
  • A good bird at Zuma!! So happy to know the species is breeding!

August 13, 2022
55 birds, 16 species, 20 nets open

• Rose-breasted Grosbeak(RBGR)
  • Rare bird from east coast that has been reported at Zuma Canyon since late June on eBird. Finally caught and banded!
  • Immature male by plumage
• Spotted Towhee (SPTO)
  • Hatch Year (HY) female by plumage and skull
• Pacific-slope Flycatcher (PSFL)
  • Second Year (SY) bird, sex can’t be determined
• Purple Finch (PUFI)
  • Hatch Year (HY) bird by plumage, sex can’t be determined
  • Uncommonly banded at Zuma (only about 100 ever banded in station’s 28 year existence)
• Bewick’s Wren (BEWR)
  • After Hatch Year (AHY) bird, sex can’t be determined
• Orange-crowned Warbler (OCWA)
  • Hatch Year (HY) female by plumage and skull

July 30, 2022
53 birds, 18 species, 17 nets open

• Dark-eyed Junco (ORJU)
  • Hatch Year (HY) bird, sex unknown at this time
• Common Yellowthroat(COYE)
  • Hatch Year (HY) bird, sex unknown at this time

July 16, 2022
36 birds, 13 species, 12 nets open

Short spiel: The vegetation at Zuma is officially pretty much dead and dry. Certainly not as bad as a year ago, but still not great. The number of birds caught in nets hasn’t seemed to be severely affected considering the shortage of nets that were set up. Two Ash-throated Flycatchers were caught, which was exciting! Oddly large number of California Towhees too (5 total).
Lots of molt is happening as Second Year (SY) birds who bred this season are transitioning into their “complete” pre-basic molt (an upgrade!) Also lots of molt is being seen in the Hatch Year (HY) birds, who have a ton of pin feathers and feathers growing in sheaths! They are undergoing their first pre-basic molt, which is limited to just the body feathers.

• Ash-throated Flycatcher (ATFL)
  • After Second Year (ASY) bird by plumage, sex can’t be determined
• Common Yellowthroat (COYE)
  • Hatch Year male by plumage
  • Male Common Yellowthroats begin to develop their black masks within a few months of hatching (perhaps as few as 3-4 months)
• Bewick’s Wren (BEWR)
  • After Hatch Year by plumage, female by brood patch
• California Towhee (CALT)
  • Second Year (SY) female by plumage and brood patch
  • This bird was molting her greater coverts and the secondaries were quite worn in contrast to the wear on the primaries and primary coverts. While it’s getting more difficult to age birds past After Hatch Year (AHY)*, we thought this was enough evidence to conclude the bird a Second Year (SY)
    *An After Hatch Year (AHY) bird is any bird that was not born in the calendar year you are in, which would be a Hatch Year (HY) bird. AHY is used as a catch-all when a bird can’t (reliably) be aged any older than a year. A SY bird is included under this umbrella and is not the furthest we can age birds (for instance After Second Year and After Third Year birds for some species).
• Blue-eyed Darner (Aeshna multicolor)
  • Mistakenly caught in mist net, but removed safely
  • Suspected to be a female based on the shape of ovipositor at the end of the abdomen

July 2, 2022
67 birds, 18 species, 17 nets open

Short spiel: Lots of less commonly birds including four California Scrub-jays (see below for one of them), a Cassin’s Kingbird, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, and Acorn Woodpecker (our 6th ever in 28 years)! Lots of Hatch Year (HY) birds too, evidence of breeding! Some vegetation left, but is lessening with each cycle.

• California Scrub-jay (CASJ)
  • Second year female by plumage, breeding
  • One of four scrub-jays caught today!! Scrub-jays are very smart and are usually able to avoid the mist nets. I guess not those ones!
• Wrentit (WREN)
  • After Hatch Year (AHY) bird, sex unknown
  • This bird had a brood patch and was therefore breeding, but because both males and females incubate the nest, a brood patch is not indicative of a particular sex
• Song Sparrow (SOSP)
  • Hatch Year (HY) bird, sex unknown
  • This bird is undergoing some serious molt (head, body, greater coverts)!
• Rufous-crowned Sparrow (RCSP)
  • After Second Year (ASY) male, breeding
• Cassin’s Kingbird (CAKI)
  • After Hatch Year (AHY) bird, sex unknown
  • Rarely caught bird! The 12th Cassin’s Kingbird ever caught during the station’s 28 year history!
• Acorn Woodpecker (ACWO)
  • Second Year (SY) male
  • Rarely caught bird! The eighth Acorn Woodpecker ever caught during the banding station’s 28 year history!

June 18, 2022
45 birds, 14 species, 12 nets open

• California Quail (CAQU)
  • One of two quail chicks caught in a net! Released unbanded as quails are considered game birds
• Common Yellowthroat (COYE)
  • Hatch Year (HY) bird, sex unknown
  • This bird had a ton of molt! The second COYE photo depicts greater and median coverts growing in.
• Black-headed Grosbeak (BHGR)
  • Hatch Year (HY) female
  • The grosbeaks currently residing at Zuma are successfully raising young!
• Hooded Oriole (HOOR)
  • After Second Year (ASY) female, breeding

June 4, 2022
18 species, 92 birds, 20 nets open

• Bushtit (BUSH)
  • Age unknown, sex unknown
  • Bushtits can be fun. From the months of January-March and November-December, it’s easy to determine the sex of Bushtits at Zuma. Adult males have a dark iris and adult females have a white-iris. Juvenile birds will also have a dark iris, so during spring breeding and up until November, we can’t differentiate between a juvenile bird and an adult male. And because Bushtits are difficult to skull due to their dark skin, it’s hard to determine if the bird’s skull is open or closed (open = juvenile, closed = adult). This Bushtit had a dark iris and couldn’t be reliably skulled, so we left them as sex unknown, age unknown. Such a mystery!
  • We caught 23 Bushtits this cycle! 14 of which were all caught in one net at the same time.
• Bullock’s Oriole (BUOR)
  • After Second Year (ASY) female
  • Had a brood patch, therefore a breeding bird
• Costa’s Hummingbird (COHU)
  • After Hatch Year (AHY) male
  • One of the more rare birds caught at Zuma!
• Mourning Dove (MODO)
  • After Second year (ASY) Male
  • Mourning Doves are not usually caught (or are able to easily escape) from nets, so this was exciting!
• Lesser Goldfinch (LEGO)
  • After Second Year (ASY) female
  • Breeding as evidenced by brood patch

May 21, 2022
86 birds, 20 species, 15 nets open

• Black-chinned Hummingbird (BCHU)
  • Adult male by plumage
• Anna’s Hummingbird (ANHU)
  • Second Year (SY) male
  • Had an interesting amount of iridescent feathers on gorget and crown (next photo) for a SY bird
• Spotted Towhee (SPTO)
  • Second year (SY) male
  • Breeding bird as evidenced by cloacal protuberance. Spotted towhees, a resident bird at Zuma, are breeding!!
• Black-headed Grosbeak (BHGR)
  • Second year (SY) female
  • Breeding as evidenced by brood patch
• Wrentit (WREN)
  • After Hatch Year (AHY) female by plumage and brood patch
  • Breeding as evidenced by brood patch. Wrentits are breeding!!!
• Yellow Warbler (YWAR)
  • Second year (SY) male
  • Yellow Warblers have arrived at Zuma!
• Warbling Vireo (WAVI)
  • Second Year (SY) bird, sex unknown
  • Usually vireos are hard to reliably age, but this one had an interesting molt limit in addition to other characteristics that made us conclude that it was a SY bird. Otherwise, we could have used the catch-all value for any adult bird: After Hatch Year (AHY), which would have been accurate here too.
• Common Yellowthroat (COYE)
  • Hatch year (HY) bird, sex unknown
  • Common Yellowthroats are successfully breeding at Zuma!!

May 7, 2022
35 birds, 13 species, 12 nets open

• Hooded Oriole (HOOR)
  • Adult male by plumage
  • Breeding bird as evidenced by cloacal protuberance!!
• Hooded Oriole (HOOR)
  • After second year (ASY) female
  • Breeding bird as evidenced by brood patch!!
• California Thrasher (CATH)
  • Second year (SY) male
  • Breeding resident bird!! Both male and female California Thrashers will incubate eggs/chicks, therefore meaning a male can have a brood patch (generally a female characteristic). A female however will not have a cloacal protuberance, so this bird has to be male (along with other features that make this bird a male).
• Spotted Towhee (SPTO)
  • Second year (SY) male
  • Breeding bird as evidenced by cloacal protuberance. Spotted towhees, a resident bird at Zuma, are breeding!!
• Wrentit (WREN)
  • Hatch year (HY) bird, sex unknown.
  • Wrentits used to be the most common bird banded at Zuma, but after the fires of 2018, the population took a hard hit. Two weeks ago while banding, we got a breeding male Wrentit (see below), the first since last summer. We were hoping breeding would be successful and this young bird is proof! Yay!!
• Common Yellowthroat (COYE)
  • Second year (SY) male
  • Breeding bird as evidenced by cloacal protuberance. Common Yellowthroats, a resident bird at Zuma, are breeding!!
  • Literally the third time I’ve had to process this bird! I guess he just doesn’t learn (or really likes to see me every two weeks)!
• Song Sparrow (SOSP)
  • Hatch year (HY) bird, sex unknown
  • We’ve been getting a lot of breeding Song Sparrows. This bird is evidence of successful breeding!
• Black-headed Grosbeak (BHGR)
  • Second year (SY) female
  • Breeding as evidenced by brood patch

April 23, 2022
32 birds, 12 species, 13 nets open

• House Finch (HOFI)
  • After hatch year (AHY) male by plumage
• House Finch (HOFI)
  • Hatch year bird, sex unknown
  • You can see some of the baby feathers at the sides of the head. These sparsely separated feathers are remnants from when the bird was a chick.
• Common Yellowthroat (COYE)
  • Second year (SY) bird by molt limit in greater coverts, male by plumage and cloacal protuberance
  • One of the Common Yellowthroats I banded last cycle!
• Song Sparrow (SOSP)
  • After second year (ASY) male, in full breeding!!
• Lazuli Bunting (LAZB)
  • After second year (ASY) female by plumage
  • A spring migrant!!

April 9, 2022
33 birds, 12 species, 21 nets open

• Black-headed Grosbeak (BHGR)
  • After second year male by plumage
• Common Yellowthroat (COYE)
  • Second year male by plumage and molt limit in greater coverts
• Common Yellowthroat (COYE)
  • After second year male by plumage
• Wrentit (WREN)
  • After hatch year (AHY), male by cloacal protuberance (CP)
  • Used to be the most common caught species, but numbers greatly reduced after fires of 2018. The last Wrentit caught and processed was in June of 2021. The Wrentit above is the first of 2022 and did show signs of breeding!

March 26, 2022
37 birds, 15 species, 19 nets open

• Mourning Dove (MODO)
  • After second year by dark brown iris color, sex unknown
• California Thrasher (CATH)
  • After second year male
• Gambel’s White-crowned Sparrow (GWCS)
  • After second year by crown color, sex unknown
• Gambel’s White-crowned Sparrow (GWCS)
  • After second year by crown color, sex unknown
• Allen’s Hummingbird (ALHU)
  • After hatch year (AHY) female

March 12, 2022
25 birds, 9 species, 21 nets open

• Song Sparrow (SOSP)
  • After second year by dark brown iris color, sex unknown

February 26, 2022
26 birds, 10 species, 21 nets open

• Allen’s Hummingbird (ALHU)
  • After hatch year (AHY) male by intensity of gorget (throat) feathers (completely developed)
• Audubon’s Warbler (AUWA)
  • Second year male by plumage
  • Audubon’s Warblers can be quite difficult to age and sex. Following the Tabular Pyle, it usually comes down to an adult female or a young male. In this bird, the tail was a giveaway: half of the feathers were old and ratty while the other half was new. This bird likely came into contact with a predator and lost some feathers, later regrowing them. Because the bird still has old tail feathers, the individual is still a young bird.
• Myrtle Warbler (MYWA)
  • Second year female by plumage
  • 0.5% of Yellow-rumped Warblers are of the Myrtle subspecies. The remaining 99.5% are the Audubon’s subspecies.
• Common Yellowthroat (COYE)
  • After second year male by plumage
• Oak Titmouse (OATI)
  • Recapture, second year bird, sex unknown
  • The best way to tell age for an Oak Titmouse is to open up its beak and see the color of the roof of the mouth. Black means an after second year bird and gray-pink means a second year bird at this time of year.
  • There is no way to tell sex for an Oak Titmouse.

January 29, 2022
54 birds, 11 species, 18 nets open

• Audubon’s warbler (AUWA)
  • After second year male by bold colors and bright yellow throat
  • As with many adult male Audubon warblers at this time, this one is beginning to molt into his pre-alternate plumage. The pre-alternate plumage involves bolder colors and the presence of black on the chest (see second photo). The molt begins on the wintering grounds from February-April and is completed during their northward migration or before.
• Audubon’s warbler (AUWA)
  • Second year female by dull colors, few yellow throat feathers, and upper tail coverts edged brown
• Spotted towhee (SPTO)
  • After second year male by bold, glossy black head and bright red iris
  • My first time banding a spotted towhee!
• Bushtit (BUSH)
  • After hatch year (AHY) male by dark brown iris and absence of hatching year birds at this time of year
  • 1 of 6 that ended up in a net at the same time. Bushtits almost always travel in large flocks of around 20 individuals. Usually when one lands in the net, the others follow.
• Ruby-crowned kinglet (RCKI)
  • Second year male by presence of red crown feathers and tapered rectrices

January 15, 2022
46 birds, 14 species, 19 nets open

• Dusky flycatcher (DUFL)
  • After second year, sex unknown
  • This is the third time that this same bird has been caught in a net. We have named the bird Danny. More on Danny in the blog post Recaps and Rain- January 15, 2022!
• Gambel’s white-crowned sparrow (GWCS)
  • After second year by adult plumage, sex unknown
• Gambel’s white-crowned sparrow (GWCS)
  • Second year by immature plumage, sex unknown
• Golden-crowned sparrow (GCSP)
  • Second year, sex unknown
  • My first golden-crown to process!
• Acorn woodpecker (ACWO)
  • Second acorn in the past three months, sixth ever!
• Bushtit (BUSH)
  • Age unknown, female by yellow eye color
• Ruby-crowned kinglet (RCKI)
  • Second year male
  • Wintering bird

December 18, 2021
46 birds, 11 species, 15 nets open

• House finch (HOFI)
  • After hatch year (AHY) male
  • I had never banded one before. Today I got to band two males!
• Audubon’s warbler (AUWA)
  • After-hatch year (AHY) male by plumage
  • The males are developing their bold plumage!
• Anna’s hummingbird (ANHU)
  • Male (I forgot the age)
• Oak titmouse (OATI) (not pictured)
  • As I was getting the OATI out of the net, he bit me multiple times, very hard I might add. Upon reaching the banding station, I promptly handed him off for someone else to deal with. Apologies to Jim, who was unfortunately bitten as well while processing the feisty titmouse. 😉

November 20, 2021
28 birds, 10 species, 12 nets open

• Hermit thrush (HETH)
  • Hatching year bird, sex cannot be determined at this time
  • Migratory bird!
• Ruby-crowned kinglet (RCKI)
  • Unknown age, male by red crown, which you normally don’t see
  • Last cycle (November 6, 2021), net #1 was most prouctive. So, when closing out on the 20th, I decided to take down that net last. Glad I did, because we caught the kinglet and a fifth Audubon’s warbler!

November 6, 2021
59 birds, 20 species, 20 nets open

I was unfortunately being discharged out of the hospital that day and couldn’t make it to banding (and therefore have no photos), but when I checked my email later that day, I was excited (and jealous) to see that 59 birds were banded!

• Black phoebe (BLPH)
  • Not commonly banded, seen or heard every so often at Zuma
• Pacific-slope flycatcher (PSFL)
  • Migratory bird
• Dusky Flycatcher (DUFL)
  • Migratory bird
  • First thought to be a willow flycatcher (WIFL), but later identified as a dusky by John Garrett. Not every bird is easy to ID, especially empids (genus Empidonax).
• House Finches (HOFI)
  • Uncommonly banded species, but 2 left the station with an honorary metal band!
• Ruby-crowned kinglet (RCKI)
  • Migratory bird
• Hermit thrush (HETH)
  • Migratory bird

October 25, 2021
37 birds, 11 species, 19 nets (new net added: 26)

• Gambel’s White-crowned sparrow (GWCS)
  • Immature, sex unknown
  • Great to see all the white-crowns back!
• Audubon’s warbler (AUWA)
  • After hatch year (AHY) male by wing chord
  • The Audubon’s warblers are back!!!
• Common yellowthroat (COYE)
  • Adult male by bold face markings!
  • Resident warbler species
• Acorn woodpecker (ACWO)
  • Second year female by plumage and molt limit
  • We set up a 26th net today by a water source. As everyone was talking, we saw the ACWO fly right in! We quickly took her out of the net as she screamed loudly. Woodpeckers are rarely caught and banded at Zuma, let alone acorns.

September 25, 2021
20 birds, 13 species, 14 nets open

• Gambel’s White-crowned sparrow (GWCP)
  • After Hatch year bird by plumage, sex unknown
  • The White-crowns are back! Zuma gets a mix of two of the five subspecies– Gambel’s and Puget Sound. As these sparrows and other fall migrants file in, we’ll have the opportunity to study them in the hand!
• Yellow warbler (YEWA)
  • Female
  • Another migrant coming down from their northern breeding range. By January 2022, they’ll be in Mexico and South America!

September 11, 2021
19 birds, 8 species, 18 nets open

• Spotted towhee (SPTO)
  • Dark areas on growth bars represent area where feathers were growing at night. The light areas are lighter and had come into contact with sunlight, indicating the feathers were growing during the day. The study of these growth bars is called ptilochronology.
• Nuttall’s woodpecker (NUWO)
  • Juvenile male
  • Woodpeckers not commonly caught (and banded) because they tend to stay up in the trees. But we were lucky!
• Yellow-breasted chat (YBCH)
  • Usually only 1-2 chats are caught each year. Instead, we caught two in one day which is super exciting!

August 28, 2021
15 birds, 10 species, 18 nets open

• Rufous-crowned sparrow (RCSP)
  • Not normally caught in the net but heard fairly regularly throughout the canyon
• Anna’s hummingbird (ANHU)
  • Adult female

July 3, 2021
11 birds, 7 species, 20 nets open

• Swainson’s thrush (SWTH)
  • Abnormal for this time of year as majority are caught in May
• Common yellowthroat (COYE)
  • Hatch year (HY) male, mask indicates male, not fully developed mask indicates juvenile