Common Redpoll and 2012 Banding Report

Common Redpolls have discovered the banding station. We banded six in December and look forward to many more with the new year. Redpolls are an irruptive species whose abundance is tied to seed production by arctic trees like spruce and birch. When these seed crops fail, redpolls invade the northern United States.

During their first and second years, male and female Common Redpolls can not be told apart by plumage. Only after their second year do males become rosy-breasted--see my previous post for a photo of one of these older males.

With the New Year, I have updated my banding summaries for my Dundas and Northfield banding stations. To see this list, click on the appropriate tab at the top of this blog page. Basically 2012 saw similar banding results as in 2011. These results may be a bit deceptive, since, as stalwart readers of this blog are aware, Erika and I travelled during most of last March.