Today I had some friends from the duck hunting world and California Waterfowl Association come do some banding of hens that use the nesting boxes on the project I maintain. We met at my house at 9:30 and headed out. After checking a few boxes that did not show any activity we hit pay dirt. The first lady of the day.
We gave her a little bling on her leg and continued.The Region 5 manager was on hand to observe my project as well as do some community outreach with the individuals who had questions while walking by.
We continued banding and checking boxes the rest of the morning and ended up banding 7 hens, having 3 nests already hatched with 35 ducklings coming from them, and counting 113 eggs in current nests. The nesting season runs through July but the busiest months are April and May. Robert, a CWA volunteer and different Region Manager was the official bander for the day.
The suprise of the day came when we opened a box and found a Hooded Merganser hen sitting on 12 of her eggs and 2 wood duck eggs. In 17 years of managing my progect I have never got to get one banded. In fact last year was the first year I ever had one in a box.
Here are some other pictures
A Nesting Box
A Pretty Lady
A Little Bling
Hello
Another Lady
With the gracefulnees of a lumbering ox I take my svelte 280 pound frame up a ladder
The special lady
Nice! I just tried emailing you at work -- and calling -- but I realized that if you're writing this post -- you ain't at "the yard." You're blogging.
ReplyDeleteI've got to go into Lincoln after work (about 30 minutes from now) to pick up a package of Cranberry Red potatoes that a friend was kind enough to bring down from Grass Valley for me. Lincoln was as far as this lady would go (her son is playing baseball there at the moment).
This puts me in YOUR neighborhood Greg on the way back out -- as I make my way back to North Natomas. If you're still interested in parting with one of your Mason Bee homes -- I'm still interested in putting it up.
My cell numbers are (916) 204-8429 or (916) 397-5877.