Hi folks,

Took a sick day today to try to shake "the cough" without infecting my
co-workers. So, of course, I set up the mist-net for a couple of hours, and
banded a few of the arriving 'wintering' sparrows and juncos.

I ended up with 3 Golden-crowned sparrows (all birds-of-the-year), and 6
Oregon Juncos. Of the half-dozen juncos, 5 were recaptures of birds I had
previously banded. What is more interesting is that, of those 5 recaps, 3
were birds that I had banded in 1998 and had not seen (i.e., recaptured...)
since! Through the years, I have had a few juncos return up to 5 years in a
row.

It's kind of neat to renew my acquaintance with these friends from 2 winters
ago. Here's hoping that the little 'black-headed rain birds' can enjoy
several
more visits to this little corner of south Puget Sound.

Jon. Anderson
Olympia, Washington
festuca at olywa.net