Late Winter Banding Summary, January-February 2026

July 8, 2026

This summary was compiled by Point Blue’s Palomarin banding apprentices (now technicians!) Sarah Needles and June Yost with help from Larissa Babicz, Banding Supervisor.

Exciting Captures and Observations:

Between rainy days in January and February, the Palomarin banders continued to band at the Palomarin Field Station and our banding site at the Bolinas Lagoon Preserve, Pine Gulch. Due to funding challenges, we were not yet able to resume banding at our other two sites. However, at the end of February, we finally began to prepare these sites for our return in March.

In the winter, banders mostly catch the year-round resident species like Wrentits and Song Sparrows, as well as overwintering birds like Hermit Thrushes, Fox Sparrows, and Golden-crowned Sparrows. However, we were delighted to capture our first spring migrant in January!

Anna’s Hummingbirds are the only hummingbirds we typically catch year-round. Around January and February, we start to see our two other common hummingbird species, Allen’s Hummingbirds and Rufous Hummingbirds (both in the genus Selasphorus). Allen’s Hummingbirds migrate from Mexico to California in late winter. Rufous Hummingbirds migrate north from Mexico to as far as Alberta and British Columbia, but do not breed in this area of California like Allen’s Hummingbirds do. On January 27th, we found a Selasphorus hummingbird in our net. Looking at its plumage, we determined that this individual was a female. Banders need to take specific measurements to determine the exact species, since Rufous and Allen’s can look extremely similar. Even with such careful observation, some individuals cannot be identified, however, as was the case for this individual. We suspect that it was an Allen’s due to the timing.

 

One of our most exciting captures this winter was a male American Kestrel that we caught on February 6th at Pine Gulch, one of our remote banding sites or “off-sites”, located at the Bolinas Lagoon Preserve. We could tell that this individual was a male based on the blue-gray color of the wings, lack of streaking on the breast, and solid black stripe at the end of the tail. Typically, American Kestrels prefer more open habitats, making this capture very special because most of our nets at all our sites are located in more vegetated areas that kestrels do not frequent. It is much more common to catch small forest-dwelling raptors such as Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks. The last time a kestrel was caught by Palomarin banders was in 2010 at the Palomarin Field Station, and this individual is the first one ever caught at Pine Gulch.

 

Another exciting capture at Pine Gulch in February was this Savannah Sparrow. Savannah Sparrows are a grassland and marsh sparrow with an insect-like, buzzy song. Although they are a resident species and breed at Pine Gulch, we only catch an average of one per year. This January to February, we caught three! The distinctive yellow wash above their eye sets them apart from other similar-looking sparrows.

 

One species we frequently catch at Palomarin is the Song Sparrow. Song Sparrows and many other bird species have regional populations called “subspecies” that vary in size, vocalization, and color. The typical subspecies of Song Sparrow caught at Palomarin is gouldii, which is brown with distinct streaking and high color contrast. Occasionally, Song Sparrows belonging to the subspecies of morphna or merrilli will spend the winter at Palomarin and get caught in our mist nets. These individuals look quite different from our usual gouldii subspecies, often noticeably larger, more gray overall, with less distinct streaking and less contrast. With these criteria in mind, Song Sparrow subspecies can still be tricky to distinguish in the field, so we always appreciate a close look at one in the hand.

 

Varied Thrushes are a winter resident species here at Palomarin. They are secretive and often hard to spot. More commonly, birders will hear their song, which consists of long, minor-key whistles. In 1923, ornithologist William Dawson described their breeding habitat in Canada and Alaska beautifully: “where spruce trees and alders and crowding ferns contend for a footing, and where a dank mist drenches the whole with a fructifying moisture” (Dawson 1923: 769)*. In the winter they forage in loose groups from Oregon to southern California. At Palomarin, we often see these flocks disperse silently in the forest while checking our nets. We typically catch around ten Varied Thrush each winter, making them a relatively common capture this time of year. However, their beautiful multicolored plumage and elusive nature make them a special bird to have in the hand and see up close.

 

Throughout the winter and early spring, our wonderful volunteers continued to help us run our banding stations. We were excited to be able to provide some learning opportunities for newer and longer-term volunteers and appreciated all their help with keeping the station running during this time.

*Dawson, W. L. (1923). The Birds of California: A Complete, Scientific and Popular Account of the 580 Species and Subspecies of Birds Found in the State. Volume 2. South Moulton, San Diego, CA, USA.

Let’s Do the Numbers:

In 25 days (2260.19 net hours) of mist-netting at Palomarin in January and February, we captured 97 new birds and recaptured 113 previously banded birds. A total of 210 birds of 24 species were caught. Approximately 8.5 birds were caught per banding day.

At Pine Gulch (Bolinas Lagoon Preserve), we captured 85 new birds and recaptured 56 previously banded birds. A total of 141 birds of 28 species were caught over 8 banding days in January and February (290.56 net hours), an average of approximately 17.6 birds per day.

The highest capture rate at Palomarin was on January 20th with 19 birds, and the highest capture rate at Pine Gulch was on January 16th with 26 birds.

At Palomarin, the following species were caught in the highest numbers: Dark-eyed Junco (47), Ruby-crowned Kinglet (32), and Song Sparrow (25).

At Pine Gulch, the highest numbers of captures by species were: Yellow-rumped Warbler (34), Song Sparrow (24), and Common Yellowthroat (14).

About these Summaries:

Point Blue apprentices and staff at our Palomarin Field Station share these blog posts in an effort to further engage the public in our science. We are grateful to our partners at the Point Reyes National Seashore, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and Marin County Parks, and to our surrounding Bolinas and West Marin County community for their support of our work.

Early-career bird banders are part of a rigorous training program at Point Blue’s Palomarin Field Station, where they learn to capture birds safely using mist nets and record data on each bird caught. The information collected allows us to better understand how populations of birds are doing and in turn gives us insight into the health of the systems we research. Learn more about our seasonal apprenticeships by visiting the careers page on our website.

All banding, marking, and sampling is being conducted under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Bird Banding Laboratory.
Our Palomarin Field Station is open to the public. Consider visiting us! Learn how on our contact & visit us web page.