Some Interesting Birds

We have a MAPS program here locally that I go and work with every now and again. The acronym stands for Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship. It is a nationwide effort started in 1989 by the Institute for Bird Populations to study and come up with statistics for mostly passerines . Here are a few of the more unusual bird we have caught and banded. The first is a common bird, but not common in the mist nests, it's an Oak Titmouse. The second is also a common bird in the area, but we have never before caught one, it's an Ash-throated Flycatcher. The last bird is a bit more unusual for us this close to the coast. It was probably passing through on it's way to higher elevations locally, it's a MacGillivray's Warbler. It's a really fun program to be a part of and a great place to learn more about birds. You learn so much more when the bird is in hand. Just look at that partial eye-ring on the warbler. That kind of detail is so hard to see when looking through a hundred yards of willow branches.