This morning I went out birding at the Picnic Grounds area, and saw this female Western Bluebird checking out some natural cavities, and it turns out she’s banded. There’s Black over Blue on her right leg, and Green over Silver on her left. She was banded as a nestling in May at the UC Davis Arboretum. She made her way down to the Putah Creek Riparian Reserve, perhaps we will see her as a breeding adult at this site this upcoming spring.
Western Bluebird (female)
Here’s a photo that shows the band combination a bit better, a butt shot showing off all the colors.
Color bands on bluebird
Also, a few days ago, birders Ed Whisler and Jo Ellen saw a color banded bluebird at the Davis West Pond, with combinations that show the bird was (also) from the Arboretum, banded as a nestling in mid-July, in a box not too far away from where the bluebird I saw at picnic grounds came from (photo below from Jo Ellen:)
Banded Western Bluebird. Photo: Jo Ellen Ryan
Hoping to see more color banded birds this upcoming spring and seeing where they decide to breed!
-Evelien de Greef
The Putah Creek Nestbox Highway 