A Third New Species for the Station in 2011

On April 7th an American Kestrel magically appeared in net "C5" in the late morning. I had not previously seen a Kestrel in First Landing State Park and other birders have since confirmed that the Kestrel, while common to the Eastern Shore of Virginia landscape, is rare within the Park. This individual is a second-year male and is the 114th species banded at the station.

First Prothonotary Warblers Netted

Two, stunning, male Prothonotary Warblers were banded in the past week. The first bird was marked on April 7th and the second was netted today, the 12th. Whole blood was taken from each bird to compare with that of the Prothonotarys captured and bled last January on their wintering grounds in Panama City, Panama in conjunction with a VCU project. The plumage of each male was brilliant.

Bridge Almost Finished!

CVWO 2011 field assistant, Kimberley Pasterik, is very pleased that the bridge across the tidal creek to White Hill Lake is about finished. Access to our group of "C" nets is much improved. More about Kim's background soon.

Recent Arrivals

Early April has brought a steady trickle of new-for-the-year migrants. The female Black and White Warbler arrived today. One or two Prairie Warblers have been marked each time the temperature perks up. The Blue-headed Vireo made its annual visit a bit later than usual. And the House Wren completed our first ever "wren sweep" in a season--Carolina, Marsh, Sedge and House!