Sunday September 7. 27 new of 15 species; new species Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Blue-headed Vireo, Blue Jay, and Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Erin Karnatz is BIC with help from Leanna Twohig, Diane Ryan, and Greg Lawrence. Ryan Kayhart, our Fall Research Assistant, arrives from Vermont and begins banding. Bird of the day is Gray Catbird with 5 banded.

Monday September 8; 24 new of 12 species. Mark Deutschlander, Betsy Brooks, and our fall Intern Emily Runnells, a 2008 graduate of Hobart & William Smith Colleges , begin their five-week season. Members of the Colony Garden Club watch birds being banded and afterwards enjoy a presentation by Mark on Bird Migration. Bird of the day is Blackpoll Warbler with 5 banded. Sue Smith, a post-doc from Villanova University (SUNY Brockport student from Rochester), begins her research at the banding station. She is taking blood samples from several species to determine the levels of fat and protein metabolites in their blood. Analysis of the samples will enable her to determine the quality of the food resources available for birds at this stopover site.

Tuesday September 9; 20 new of 8 species. It’s raining at dawn so we delay raising our nets. Finally, we put a few nets up and almost immediately get 20 birds, just as the power goes out. We carry on, banding outside, with our battery-operated scales. Bird of the day is Magnolia Warbler with 7 banded. After dinner we watch a beautiful sunset and then see hundreds of migrating Monarch butterflies covering the tops of the trees along the lakeshore.

Wednesday September 10. 34 new of 18 species; Brown Creeper, Winter Wren, and Lincoln’s Sparrow. We have great expectations for a big day, but the NW wind fizzles. Kelly Dockery is BIC with help from Linda Boutwell, Aggie Windig, Marilyn Guenther, Sue Evans and Tom Verhulst. Paul Taillie, on his way to Costa Rica for two months’ research, bands a few birds. Bird of the day is Magnolia Warbler again, with 7 banded.

Thursday September 11. 37 new of 14 species. It is another slow day. Bird of the day is a tie between Magnolia Warbler and Gray Catbird, with 6 banded of each. Michael Warren Thomas of Radio Station WYSL 1040 AM of Avon interviews us for his Saturday morning radio show. It will be replayed on the WYSL website at www.SavorLife.com on a later date. The Fall RIT Bander Training Course begins with 7 students enrolled.

Friday September 12. 27 new of 11 species; new species Northern Parula. It’s a wild start to the day with rain threatening as we set up a few of our nets. After 27 birds, we close nets for the day. Bird of the day is Magnolia Warbler with 14 banded.

Saturday September 13. 62 new of 21 species; new species Gray-cheeked/Bicknell’s Thrush. Bob McKinney is BIC . Alan Clark of Fordham University begins a three-day visit. Bird of the day is Blackpoll Warbler with 17 banded.

Note: BIC = "bander-in-charge"