Banded baby Mountain Bluebird

A few evenings ago, I went with a gentleman who has had a Bluebird nesting box route for something like 25 years, recording and banding the various birds he finds. These include Tree Swallows, too. This is the third year in a row that I have gone on this drive south of the city and I enjoy it every time. This little Bluebird has just been banded. Apparently, in all these years, this gentleman has never known a mother to abandon her babies after they have been picked up and banded. The Mountain Bluebird population was dropping drastically but, thanks to this nesting box program, their numbers are increasing again. These birds would not be handled just so that I could take photos - they are only picked up in order to be banded. I just happen to be there with my camera at the ready! Thanks, Don!