Extracting the Grosbeak

My extraction, banding and processing skills are really getting better. Today we were at the other part of Hodgdon Meadows.

Hodgdon Meadow Field Site

The first bird I extracted today was a Black-headed Grosbeak. Any birders reading this blog know how large the bill is. Believe me, it hurts just as much as you think it would when it bites you. I couldn't get a picture with the male (we were processing a lot of birds), but here's a picture of me with a female I banded later.

Me with a female Black-headed Grosbeak

We banded about 50 birds today. Other cool species on my list include: Juv. Orange-crowned Warbler, Hermit Warbler, Song Sparrow, and Purple Finch. Jessica, one of the other interns, got a White-headed Woodpecker.