In 59 years of #birdbanding at #PalomarinFieldStation, only 26 #BeltedKingfishers have ever been caught. Therefore, it was a huge surprise to our banders when they caught this #HotBirdInHand at Palomarin on 7/13 + a second one only 3 days later at the nearby Pine Gulch! 🤯📅🌎🦉🧪🌐

We’re back with #hotbirdinhand! Palomarin banders caught their first-ever #Merlin! These fierce falcons inhabit a wide variety of habitats around the globe, migrate north to breed & hunt other birds mid-air. A rare and thrilling capture! 🦅🦉📸🌎 #BirdBanding #Ornithology #MarinBirding

It’s easy to see dozens of #ChestnutbackedChickadees a day when birding in the forests of Northern CA, but not all of them look as unique as this #HotBirdInHand! Banders at Palomarin recently caught a partially #leucistic one—can you spot the single white feather? 🦉 #rarebird #ornithology

🐦✨ #HotBirdinHand alert! We're back with a follow-up on the Palomarin #aberrantplumage Varied Thrush! Have you ever spotted a a bird rocking a one-of-a-kind look? Comment, repost, or tag us to share your #rarebird moments! 📸
#birding #ornithology #leucism #pallid #axanthic #addBirder

We're back with #hotbirdinhand! Varied Thrushes are a common winter resident in Marin. They are large, robust thrushes and typically boast bold, black-and-orange feathers. Which is why this bird, banded at Palo, caused a lot of head-scratching: it was black-and-white, instead! Credit: Mason Avelar.