Date: 9/22/25 1:28 pm From: Violet Wu via groups.io <zishiwu33...> Subject: [NEBirds] Wildcat Hills Banding Station Week 4 #WCHbanding
This week I caught *88 new birds of 17 species*. The weather was unpredictable—I had to close nets early on some days and even rearranged my day off to work around the rain.
*Spotted Towhees* remained the top species with 25 new captures. The second place was *Pine Siskins* : I just got the first of the season early in the week, and suddenly they were everywhere—small flocks of mostly juveniles hitting the nets and filling all the pines above. These little finches look plain at first glance, but their streaky brown plumage hides flashes of bright yellow in the wings and tail.
Other highlights:
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*First White-crowned Sparrow* of the season (Gambel’s).
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A *Field Sparrow* , only the *7th record* for the station.
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A stunning adult *Rock Wren* —just the *2nd record* here (the first one was in 2012). Typically they stick to cliffs and rocky habitats, so I was surprised and delighted to find one in dense pines and brush!
Species totals:
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Spotted Towhee — 25
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Pine Siskin — 21
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House Finch — 9
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American Goldfinch — 7
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Orange-crowned Warbler — 5
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Chipping Sparrow — 5
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Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon’s) — 3
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Wilson’s Warbler — 2
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Lesser Goldfinch — 2
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Red Crossbill — 2
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Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) — 1
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Lincoln’s Sparrow — 1
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Field Sparrow — 1
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Clay-colored Sparrow — 1
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Northern House Wren — 1
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Rock Wren — 1
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White-crowned Sparrow (Gambel’s) — 1
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This banding station will be operating Tuesday through Saturday until October 11th, weather and trail conditions permitting.
