Greetings from First Landing State Park. The CVWO spring migratory bird banding station opened as scheduled on March 15, 2008. The station will be open daily from sunrise for six to eight hours, weather permitting, until May 31, 2008. The location remains at the intersection of Long Creek Trail and White Hill Lake Trail. The station can only be reached on foot. The shortest route from the Trail Center at First Landing is Cape Henry Trail to Kingfisher Trail to Long Creek Trail to the in intersection with White Hill Lake Trail. The walk can be a brisk 20 minutes or a leisurely 45 minutes. All are welcome.
During the 2007 spring 1293 birds new birds of eighty species were netted and banded along with 162 recaptured birds. The Alder Flycatcher pictured above was the last bird captured in 2007. A male Northern Cardinal was the first bird captured on March 15, 2008. He sported a band on his right leg. As he initially had been banded on the opening day in 2007, one might say Mr. Cardinal "threw out the first leg" of the spring banding season. More later about other recaptures in 2008.
Three new species have been banded already at the station in 2008. An American Woodcock, a Belted Kingfisher and two Red-breasted Nuthatches have been ringed. The Kingfisher was netted by one of our three new aerial nets as she took a shortcut through the woodland bordering the marsh. What a surprise to be netted nearly twenty feet in the air!
