Matching outfits

Yesterday evening, I went out with long-time (about 30 years!) Mountain Bluebird monitor, Don Stiles, and several other friends, to check on the nesting boxes along his route, SW of Calgary. I always look forward to this annual outing. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't good - it was so dark all evening, pretty much useless for photos - this was one of the only ones that came out well enough. However, we saw a mix of eggs from Tree Swallows and several baby Bluebirds, including this one that was out of the nest to be banded. Don places some dried grasses at the bottom of a bucket and places each baby in there after he has fitted a teeny band around one of its legs (actually, it's foot, as that first big bend is the heel.) Then they are all carefully placed back into the nesting box, ready for Mom and Dad to return to them.

For anyone who might wonder if a baby bird is handled, will its parents pick up my scent and abandon it? The answer below is from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

A. It's a myth that parent birds will abandon young that have been touched by humans—most birds have a poor sense of smell, and birds in general identify their young using the same cues we humans do—appearance and sound. It's perfectly safe to pick up a fallen nestling and put it back in the nest, or to carry a fledgling out of danger and place it in a tree or shrub." Same would apply to bird banding.

Gotta dash, as I have to get my car over to the service place to get a thorough check, to see why the orange Engine Warning light is on. Every time I stop at traffic lights, the car starts jerking and continues till I drive again.

NO BIRD OR WILD ANIMAL SHOULD EVER BE KEPT AS A PET!

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