Date: 10/10/26 5:28 pm From: cronakelsey via groups.io <cronakelsey...> Subject: [NEBirds] Bird Conservancy of the Rockies Banding Report - Wildcat Hills Station 10/4/2026 - 10/10/2026
Hi everyone!
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Checking in here with the recap of the final week, as well as a season recap, for the Wildcat Hills banding station. This week I banded a total of 133 new birds of 23 species including 3 new species.
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Red Crossbill: 29
Pine Siskin: 26
Oregon Junco: 20
House Finch: 14
Cassin’s Finch: 11
Evening Grosbeak: 6
American Robin: 4
Gambel’s White-crowned Sparrow: 3
Townsend’s Solitaire: 3
Black-capped Chickadee: 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch: 2
Audubon’s Warbler: 1
Myrtle Warbler: 1
American Goldfinch: 1
Blue Jay: 1 *new species*
Downy Woodpecker: 1 *new species*
Brown Thrasher: 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet: 1
Pink-sided Junco: 1
White-winged Junco: 1
Unknown Dark-eyed Junco: 1
Orange-crowned Warbler: 1
Pygym Nuthatch: 1
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This brings our season tally up to 808 new birds banded of 41 different species.
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Red Crossbill: 251
House Finch: 85
Pine Siskin: 78
Spotted Towhee: 65
Cassin’s Finch: 59 - a station record!
Red-breasted Nuthatch: 33
Oregon Junco: 32
Audubon’s Warbler: 29
Pygmy Nuthatch: 18
American Goldfinch: 15
Orange-crowned Warbler: 14
Wilson’s Warbler: 14
Townsend’s Solitaire: 12 - a station record!
Evening Grosbeak: 10 - a station record!
Black-capped Chickadee: 9
Chipping Sparrow: 9
Gambel’s White-crowned Sparrow: 7
Ruby-crowned Kinglet: 7
American Robin: 6
Western Tanager: 6
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher: 5
Northern House Wren: 5
Pink-sided Junco: 5
Townsend’s Warbler: 5 - a station record!
Yellow-breasted Chat: 5
Lesser Goldfinch: 4
Mourning Dove: 2
Myrtle Warbler: 2
Swainson’s Thrush: 2
Western Wood-Pewee: 2
White-winged Junco: 2
Blue Jay: 1
Brown Thrasher: 1 - a station record!
Downy Woodpecker: 1
Dusky Flycatcher:
Lazuli Bunting: 1
MacGillivray's Warbler: 1
Unknown Dark-eyed Junco: 1
Unknown Warbling Vireo: 1
Unknown Yellow-rumped Warbler: 1
Field Sparrow: 1
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Remarkable records broken include Cassin’s Finch (5 caught in 2012), Evening Grosbeak (never caught at the station before), Townsend’s Solitaire (10 caught in 2022), Brown Thrasher (never caught at the station before), and Townsend’s Warbler (3 caught in 2020). We didn’t break the record for Red Crossbills (323 in 2010) but came in second. Lastly, this season fell in fourth place for total birds banded (1006 in 2020, 915 in 2012, 855 in 2010).
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Species I haven’t banded until now include Red Crossbill, Cassin’s Finch, Evening Grosbeak, Pink-sided Junco, White-winged Junco, and Field Sparrow. Being the bander at Wildcat Hills for the 20th season was a pleasure! It has been a wild ride. Thanks so much for tagging along with these weekly updates!
