This week's banding sites included some of the higher elevation sites (6000 feet) that we work at in Northern California. We banded at two natural high elevation wet meadows dominated by mixed conifers and willow thickets, great for breeding warblers and sparrows. The sites were Plaskett Meadows and Masterson. We had our busiest days this season capturing 36 birds and Plaskett Meadows and a remarkable 58 birds at Masterson.

Plaskett:
Nashville Warbler
Yellow Rumped Warbler (Audubon's Race)
Orange Crowned Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Lincoln's Sparrow
Fox Sparrow (Pacific thick billed race)
Purple Finch
Robin
Stellar's Jay
Black Headed Grosbeak
Warbling Vireo
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Mountain Chickadee
Red-Breasted Sapsucker
McGillavry's warbler
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon Race)
Red-Breasted Nuthatch


Masterson:
Hermit Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Orange Crowned Warbler (including an entire nest of fledglings in one net!)
Yellow-rumped warbler (Audubon's Race)
Lincoln Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)
American Robin
Fox Sparrow (Pacific thick billed race)
Black-headed grosbeak
Red-Breasted Sapsucker
Dusky flycatcher
Pine Siskin

Olive-Sided Flycatcher at Plaskett Meadows, CA(very unusual to catch in the nets, one of my favorite birds)

Stellar's Jay at Plaskett Meadows, CA

Fox Sparrow at Plaskett Meadows (note the thick finch-like bill in this race)

Mountain Chickadee at Plaskett Meadows

Yellow Warbler at Plaskett Meadows

Campsite at Masterson Meadow in CA

A few pics that I shot in Samoa, CA near my house. Enjoy!!

Caspian Tern - Samoa, CA

Barn Swallow - Samoa, CA