Banding buntings in a blizzard




Recently we went on a birding road trip near Hamilton Ontario. Down near Haggersville there was a banding station and they were getting snow buntings, horned larks and longspurs.

It was a nasty, cold, very windy day, just the way these birds like it.

It is the winter vacation in the balmy south.

They use ground cages baited with seed.
The snow and drifting was so heavy the cages were filling with snow.
The banders go to the cages, reach in and take one bird at a time and put them in bags.
They return to the shelter of their vehicles to do the actual banding.

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