There are some birds the banding lab catches more than once, and among them a few have characteristics remarkable enough for us to recognize them without even checking their band number. We get to know some of these birds so well, we even give them a name. We’d like to introduce you to Todd, the odd Titmouse. Todd was first caught and banded on July 17th of this year, and aged as a “Local” - the age given to a bird hatched nearby, who is too young to be capable of sustained flight. Since then, Todd has grown to attain “Hatch Year” status, and been recaptured over a dozen times. He (or she – we’ll find out once breeding season begins) is easily recognizable due to very unusual wing feather coloration, likely the result of poor nutrition while growing those feathers in the nest. Like most tufted titmice, Todd likes to bite our fingers, and enjoys millet, sunflower seeds, and taking long flights down the net lanes. He hopes to one day raise a family here at Powdermill, just like his parents did, and we hope his children will follow in his banded footsteps.
Posted on: Tue, 16 Dec 2014 21:45:25 +0000
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