Today we caught our first White-throated Sparrows. White-throated Sparrows occur in two distinct morphs, more commonly known as 'white-striped' and 'tan-striped'. I caught both adults and second year birds of both morphs today. There was a study published in 2010 (Falls and Kopachena) that suggests that mated pairs often include one of each morph and that because of the chromosomal arrangement, this pairing always produces equal numbers of tan-striped and white-striped offspring.
Although White-throated Sparrows were the only species caught today, it's still a positive sign that the migrants are on the move. With tonight and tomorrow night's south winds it will hopefully be a good weekend. Maybe we will finally see some wood warblers in the hand. I know a few have been spotted in the park this past week.
Also, remember, banding is always at Fry's Landing on the weekends unless otherwise specified.
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| White-throated Sparrow, 'tan-striped' morph |
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| A young (born last year) White-throated Sparrow, 'tan-striped' morph. |
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| White-throated Sparrow, 'white-striped' morph |