FreeLists / va-bird / [va-bird] First Landing banding 4/29-5/2:Lots of wind

[Jethrorunco@xxxxxxx]

Howdy all,

Sorry for the lack of posting. Been SO busy here. Or something. 
A quick rundown for the time span from the 29 Apr through the 2 of May. 
The wind was a huge problem for most of that time span. We only banded 6 on 
the 29 Apr and then couldn't band on the 30 Apr and the 1 May. It was way too 
windy. We were able to open some of the nets on the 2 May and were able to 
catch 11 birds. No major highlights from that time span.
However, I did have an experience that reminded me of a past job I had in 
Arizona a few years back. One day while banding in Arizona, I was walking up to 
a 
net but could only see a small section of it (the rest was blocked by 
trees/brush), anyway, that little section was just going ballistic! Bouncing 
all over 
the place! So I took off running, totally anticipating what was going to be 
in the net. When I turned the corner, there was two Red-shafted Flickers in the 
net doing their best to get out. How the net held both of them, I'll never 
know.
Well, it was almost déjà vu on the 2 May. I turned the corner to one of the 
nets and saw the net move like I have never seen a net move before! This time 
no pair of Flickers could make a net move that much, but a pair of PILEATED 
WOODPECKERS could!!! And boy, let me tell ya, those Pileateds about took the 
net 
with them! And somehow, the net held both of them. I am still in amazement! 

Anyway here are the totals for those four days.

29 April:
Black-and-white Warbler       1
Worm-eating Warbler            1    first of the season
Swamp Sparrow                   1
White-throated Sparrow         1
Gray Catbird                         2
TOTAL ------------------------------   6

30 April:
TOTAL -----0      didn't band; too windy

1 May:
TOTAL ----- 0      didn't band; still too windy

2 May:
Prairie Warbler                      2
Common Yelowthroat            2
Swamp Sparrow                    1
White-throated Sparrow          1
Great Crested Flycatcher       1      first of the season
Common Grackle                  2
Pileated Woodpecker             2       wow!
TOTAL ---------------------------    11


Cheers,
Jethro Runco