Sand Bluff Birder – March 2023
Every banding season the question is, “What returns have we received of birds we banded in past seasons?” 2022 was a year with several migrants that returned to the Sand Bluff area. In birds that we recaptured, most notable, was an Eastern Kingbird caught in the...
Sand Bluff Birder – December 2022
The Sand Bluff Bird Observatory hawk station gained a new bit of flash this fall. It now sports a radio mast and 3 antennas, making it one of the newest receiver stations in the Motus network. The Motus network is...
Sand Bluff Birder – March 2022
Redpolls breed in the arctic tundra and boreal forests, so it is a real treat when an irruption year occurs, and the birdsseek a winter food source farther south. The last time I saw...
Sand Bluff Birder – December 2021
Mid-October: it’s predawn, silent and cool, at ColoredSands Forest Preserve as I begin to open the netsnear the Sugar River. There is no wind, so I hear... Dec 2021 Birder
Sand Bluff Birder – August 2021
Greetings fellow avian enthusiasts,It’s midsummer. Red-eyed Vireos, Indigo Buntings, Common Yellowthroats and many other species can yet be heard advertising their territories with song. Still, there is a sense that the season is moving on from the nesting...
Sand Bluff Birder – February 2021
Bird watching can relieve the doldrums during the long Midwest winter months and in 2021, a pandemic. A favorite winter feeder visitor and year-round resident is the White-breasted Nuthatch; a little gray sparrow-sized bird havinga dark cap, white cheeks and...
Sand Bluff Birder – December 2020
The fall season at SBBO has wound down and while banding was successful, we truly have missed sharing our work with visitors. Covid-19 is still an issue but there is a light at the end, and we are hopeful things will have improved by spring migration. Inthe...
Sand Bluff Birder – August 2020
The day is the 28th of April, spring of 2020. Winter has been long and stressful, but on this day, I receive a gift that truly lifts my spirits. I amgreeted with the perky song of an old friend.It is May 9. I watch as he awkwardly maneuvers sticks into a nest...
Sand Bluff Birder – February 2020
Everyone is familiar with the Blue Jay’s striking blue color and raucous jay-jay-jay call. Listen for its musical weedle-eedle; and the next time you think you hear a Red-tailed or Red-shouldered Hawk, check to see if it’s not a Blue Jay imitating their calls. Blue...
Brewster’s Warbler: a hybrid warbler captured and tagged
And Whoosh! The migrating birds return! A strong south wind sent many beautiful birds into our area these last few days. Today our volunteers were able to capture this beautiful Brewster's Warbler: a hybrid warbler (a golden winged warbler and a blue warbler made at...