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03/16/08
Rosy-Finch Update: March 16
Filed under: General, Birding & Outdoors, NM & SW US, Florida & SE US, Sandia Crest
Posted by: Ken @ 5:06 am

Waving Flag-- Rosies have returnedUpdate on the Rosy-Finches of Sandia Crest, New Mexico.  The flag is waving–
flocks of Rosy-Finches are still visiting the feeders at Sandia Crest House.


Today’s Banding Report

The  researchers will make a decision as to whether they will cancel the final banding session at Crest House on Easter Sunday, March 23,  depending upon reports from Gene and also other birders as to whether the birds continue to be present in any numbers. The average departure date for flocks is March 27th, and flocks have persisted beyond that date in 5 of the past 8 winters that we have been keeping records. In six of eight winters, single or small numbers of rosy-finches have been reported into or beyond the end of March. We will keep everyone advised, and ask that birders contact us with late-season sighting reports as well. If you visit, please record observations in the sightings log at Crest House.

The banders also notified us that  they have to cancel the final Rio Grande Nature Center banding session, which had been scheduled for the last weekend in March. The final banding day at RGNC will now be Saturday, March 22.

Note that the banding spreadsheets (link to a free Excel viewer is provided, if needed) now break out the number and percentage of the two races of Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches newly banded each year. There has been a remarkable increase in the number of coastal (Hepburn’s race) over the five winters, from none in 2004 and 2004-05, and five in 2005-06, to 104 last winter and 27 this winter. Also, Brown-capped species was very numerous this winter (2007-08), with 288 newly banded, compared to a total of 101 during the previous 4 winters.

Date: March 16, 2008
From: Nancy & Steve Cox

Hi all,

Today was a very windy day here in Albuquerque and up at the Sandia Crest.  We didn’t catch our first bird until 11:30 but it was well worth the wait.  It was a Black Rosy-Finch that we originally banded on January 22, 2006.  That brings us to 48 birds we have recaptured this year that were from previous seasons.  We only caught one more bird before we gave up.  It was an unbanded Brown-capped making 288 Brown-caps banded for this season.  Not bad since our previous high for Brown-capped Rosy-Finches was only 50 in the winter 2004/2005.

It is likely that today will be our last day.  We only saw one flock of about 50 birds.  However, we are going to rely on Gene Romero of the Crest House to let us know what the numbers are like for the rest of the week. We will make a final decision at that time.

Nancy & Steve

“Why We Band Rehab Birds”

Nancy and Steve Cox, of Rio Grande Bird Research, who direct the rosy-finch banding operations at Sandia Crest House, just sent this very interesting note:

We just got a report from the Bird Banding Lab about a Cooper’s Hawk that was one of Shirley Kendall’s rehabilitated birds.  We banded it on July 6, 2000, as a hatch year female.  The hawk was released in the Corrales Bosque.  It was found (dead, unfortunately) in Berkeley County, West Virginia, by someone from Winterhaven, Florida.  It was found on March 10, 2008, almost 8 years later.

Nancy & Steve

Key West Migration Radar

Yesterday afternoon the wind shifted from the northwest to the southwest, and the skies were clear. I did not stay up very late, but around 9:45 PM  the Key West radar appeared to show movement of waves of birds northward out of Cuba and the Florida Keys about an hour after sunset. Note that the weather echoes are moving northeast, while the presumed flocks are heading almost due north.  (Click on thumbnail for enlarged view).

Key West Radar March 15

===========================




April 11-13, 7th ANNUAL PRAIRIE CHICKEN FESTIVAL in Milnesand, NM.

Information available at www.wildlife.state.nm.us 

The contact
person is Tish McDaniel (505-762-6997), chickenfestival@yahoo.com 

The number of participants is limited to 100 people.

May through October,

TUESDAY MORNING GUIDED BIRD WALKS
in the Sandia
Mountains, sponsored by the
U.S. Forest Service and Central New Mexico
Audubon.

Birders meet at 8:00 a.m. (8:30 in May and October)

at the
Sandia Ranger Station, 1176 Highway 337, in Tijeras.


Thursday Birder
and Central NM Audubon Field Trips

 Sandia Crest House Sighting Logs (199 - 2008) Table and Spreadsheet of all Banding Results

CORRESPONDENCE: Narrative Banding
and Sighting Reports

ID Tips: the Four Rosy-Finch Races at Sandia Crest

 Check Weather, Webcams and Road Conditions Rosy-finch and Nature Center Banding Schedule
 Return to ROSYFINCH.COM

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