Wing Island Bird Observatory

08/27/2026

Our favorite junior banders were out today !
They helped us release a beautiful Cedar Waxwing as well as a Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Amazing morning out on Wing Island 🌞🪶

08/22/2026

Such an amazing time of year, when we get to see birds growing into their formative feathers or molting into basic plumage in preparation for migration.

Here we have a few examples of this on Wing Island’s favorite bird—the Gray Catbird!

So incredible to see this up close.

Slide to the end to see our big visitor on the island today 🪶

08/19/2026

Check out the Great Crested Flycatcher we banded this week!
This is Hatch Year bird who is just molting into its formative plumage
Glad for see this bird before it heads South 🌴

08/06/2026

A nice mix of species we had on the island this week!

Comment your favorite of the bunch 😊🐦‍⬛

All banding, marking, and sampling is conducted under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U.S. Geological Survey

07/21/2026

We color-banded 17 baby Purple Martins yesterday for the first time at Cold Brook Preserve in Harwich, MA! Watch for orange-colored bands at any Purple Martin colonies in the future. All banding is done under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U. S. Geological Survey.

07/18/2026

Lots of babies on Wing Island this week! Here we have a young Prairie Warbler molting into its formative plumage

06/09/2026

Last week we banded this Gray Catbird.
This bird’s crossed bill is a physical deformity it was born with. This condition often impacts a bird’s ability to feed or preen, which can significantly affect its chance of survival.
HOWEVER, we caught this bird again today and he has put on a gram of fat in the last week! He seems to be thriving while overcoming this adversity.
Just another amazing story of resilience from one of our favorite birds.

05/18/2026

05/06/2026