This Week's Bird in the Hand
As part of the wildlife assessment at the Neawanna Observatory, birds are being captured and banded using
mist-nets. The following photographs were taken of species captured and released during the 2001 banding
season.

Singing female Purple Finches are routinely
reported by those who may not be aware
that males in their first summer (second year)
look like females. These young males go
through all the hormonal and physiological
changes (including testicular development
which can be seen if a bird is in hand) that
older "purple" males go through. If you see
a singing finch that looks like a female you are
almost certainly looking at one of these first
summer males.

Black-headed Grosbeaks - aldult male (left) and adult female (right)

Male MacGillivray's Warbler


Pacific-slope Flycatcher Note: yellow eye-ring elongated behind eye, yellow margins to coverts and tertials, longer primary projection, shorter p10.	Willow Flycatcher Note: virtually no eye-ring, whitish margins to coverts and tertials, (relatively) shorter primary projection, longer p10.

Other in hand shots:
    Hermit Thrushes
    Orange-crowned Warblers
    Fox Sparrows