FINAL REPORTS FOR 2007 WILL BE POSTED SHORTLY! YES, WE'RE
INCREDIBLY LATE WITH THIS!
September Banding Report
American goldfinches topped the list at 52, with gray catbirds
following at 45. Species banded in September included:
Blue
jay
Gray
catbird
Northern cardinal
HY-Lincoln Sparrow
Chipping sparrow
White-throated sparrow
Lincoln sparrow
Field
sparrow
American goldfinch
House
finch
Song
sparrow
Common
yellowthroat
Magnolia warbler
Yellow
palm warbler
Nashville warbler
Ovenbird
Prairie warbler
Black-throated blue warbler
Northern parula
Ruby-crowned kinglet
House
wren
Carolina wren
Eastern tufted titmouse
Black-capped chickadee
Brown
creeper
Downy
woodpecker
Red-bellied woodpecker
Yellow-shafted flicker
Gray-cheeked thrush
Swainson's thrush
Wood
thrush
Eastern towhee
Eastern phoebe
Cedar
waxwing
Red-eyed vireo
Mourning dove
Breeding Season (June - July)
Banding Report
Breeding season banding takes place in
June and July on a very limited schedule as compared to the
migration season. We banded a total of only thirteen days
during the two-month period, operating between 7 and 9 nets.
Nets #1 and #2 often remain closed after a heavy rain, as they
are located near the swamp and the net lanes tend to hold
water.
Nets are opened at 6AM and usually closed
between 9:30 and 11 AM, depending on heat, humidity, and sun
conditions. Several nets are located in an open field so strong sun
becomes an issue early in the day and are closed usually by 9 AM.
We banded only 279.50 net hours during these
two months. The top five species banded were Gray catbird
(45); Yellow warber (17); Eastern phoebe (16); Common yellowthroat
(14); and Red-eyed vireo (13). Surprisingly, we caught only
one hummingbird and few were seen on the feeder plants.
New birds banded: 213
Species banded: 34
Species Handled: 36
Breeding Season Totals
Veery - 7
Song Sparrow - 11
Purple Finch - 2
Eastern tufted titmouse - 2
Carolina wren - 2
Cedar waxwing - 7
Scarlet tanager - 4
Downy woodpecker - 2
White-breasted nuthatch - 1
Ovenbird - 10
Red-eyed vireo -13
Blue-gray gnatcatcher - 1
Blue-winged warbler - 5
American redstart - 4
Prairie warbler - 4
Trail’s flycatcher - 3
Black billed cuckoo - 1
Red-winged blackbird - 3
Eastern towhee - 2
Northern waterthrush - 1
American goldfinch - 1
Chipping sparrow - 11
Common yellowthroat - 14
Yellow warbler - 17
Black-capped chickadee - 2
Eastern phoebe - 16
Chestnut-sided warbler - 1
House wren - 2
Field sparrow - 4
Barn swallow - 1
Gray catbird - 45
Brown-headed cowbird - 1
Baltimore oriole - 9
Rose-breasted grosbeak - 4
* Ruby-throated hummingbird (unbanded) - 1
Summer Banding
After taking a few weeks off, we started regular
banding again in late June. The usual catbirds, song
sparrows, yellow warblers, chipping sparrows, and vireos in
various stages of breeding were banded.
On July 10, with temperatures at 6 AM hovering around 64 F
and temps forecast for the mid 90s, we opened 8 nets and
anticipated a slow-as-usual day. We were wrong. On
the first net round, net #1 held 16 birds, and the remaining
nets were almost as crowded. We closed at 10 AM due to
excessive heat and humidity. We processed 50 birds of 13
species in 4 hours, with about 40 of them caught in the first
net run.
We haven't figured out why there was such a surge of birds
that morning, but suspect weather conditions may have played a
part. This morning's session was back to normal - we banded 25
birds of 12 species in 4 hours, at a much more evenly-spaced
pace.
Opening temperature was 56 F and the average temps for the day
only reached the high 70s.
July 10 breakdown:
Yellow warbler - 8 (7 banded, 1 recapture)
Chipping sparrow - 2
Chestnut-sided warbler - 1
Eastern phoebe - 6
Red-eyed vireo - 5
Blue-gray gnatcatcher - 1
Ovenbird - 1
Scarlet tanager - 2
Cedar Waxwing - 5
Baltimore oriole - 8
Gray catbird - 6
Rose-breasted grosbeak - 4
Black-billed cuckoo - 1
Spring Migration Results
Spring migration banding ended on June 5.
We seemed to get off to a slow start, what with bears in
the net lanes, early morning rain and wind, and frozen dew on
the nets as late as May 22. Warblers were late in
coming. May 7 - 11, which should have been one of
our prime weeks for migration banding, was cut short every
morning by 8:30 AM, in order to conduct demonstration banding
(using our feeder nets) for about 200 visiting school
children.
We also lost a few days in the lab as custom bookshelves
were installed in the library and tile flooring completed.
The building is now finished. Really.
Our spring total was 287 new birds of 44 species. We
had 36 recaptures of 13 species.
White-throated sparrows topped the list with 47 banded;
followed by blue jays at 39, chipping sparrows at 36
(reflecting our use of feeder nets for the demo week in May);
gray catbirds at 26; common yellowthroats at 23; and yellow
warblers at 16.
We added 13 new species: black-billed cuckoo, blue-gray
gnatcatcher, brown-headed cowbird, blackpoll warbler,
blue-winged warbler, golden-winged warbler, indigo bunting,
northern waterthrush, rose-breasted grosbeak, red-winged
blackbird, white-eyed vireo, yellow-bellied flycatcher, and
yellow-shafted flicker, bringing our species total to 74 since
banding began here on April 29, 2006.
May 22 - Really Frozen Nets and
Cuckoos
One would think that with only nine more days until June,
ice on the nets would no longer be a problem. Not so
this morning; ice balls the size of a chickadee's eye on every
net, making opening a nightmare. And this was the one
morning without appreciable wind, with southerly winds
overnight. The morning improved with the capture of a
black-billed cuckoo, and a near-miss of a yellow-billed cuckoo
which was barely in the net the round after the black-billed
capture, but escaped.
This was a breeding female with a well developed brood
patch. What I assume to be the male continued to hover
around the nets, so she was processed quickly and released in
the capture area.
Other birds banded this week include blue-winged warbler,
Canada warblers, prairies, yellow warblers, ovenbirds, and
finally, the female common yellowthroats. All yellowthroats
banded prior to this morning have been males. A blue-gray
gnatcatcher, several orioles, robin, and veery were also
banded.
Another ruby throated hummer was released unbanded.
Totals and the full species list will be posted here at the
end of the month.
May 15 - Warblers and Frozen Nets
Weather the last few days has been less than perfect for banding.
It began with hoar frost on the nets and progressed to high winds by
9 AM on several days. Temperatures are warming since last
night, but the wind remains.
Canada, magnolia, northern parula, common yellowthroats, yellow
warbler, indigo bunting, veery, catbirds, cardinals, and house wrens
were among the birds banded during the last several days.
Although wood thrushes can be heard singing, none have ventured
into the nets. A flock of crows continues to harass a great horned
owl nest in the pines two fields over from the net lanes. The
bald eagle has moved on; but a red-tailed hawk attempted a raid on
one of the nets (and missed) earlier in the week.
Ruby-throated hummer (male) was caught but released unbanded at
the net on May 15.
Maple and oak leaves finally opened these last few days.
Sycamore leaves are still very small. Newly-hatched caterpillars
are abundant, so the warblers now have something to eat besides ticks,
which are everywhere in unimaginable numbers.
A lone black bear made an appearance last Friday; it was seen
taking a swim in one of the small ponds.
May 10 - Warblers
Today was the first 'good' morning, with the arrival of
common yellowthroats, Acadian flycatcher, indigo buntings, and
Veery. In addition to these species, we banded yellow
warblers, prairie warbler, yellow-shafted flicker, and
Lincoln's sparrow.
Yesterday, May 9, we banded a female blackpoll warbler.
A brown thrasher was also at the nets this morning, but
eluded capture. A bald eagle has been hanging around the
lakes for the last three days. Today it was sighted at
the pond across the road.
May 4 - First Warbler
It seemed like we'd never actually net any of the few
warblers sighted on the grounds - but today, the first warbler
of the 2007 banding season was caught, and we couldn't have
asked for a better bird - a male Golden-winged warbler!
We also banded this northern waterthrush - first-of-season
at RRBO.
Other birds banded today included a single dark-eyed junco,
numerous white-throated sparrows, chipping sparrows, and blue
jays, and catbirds.
One brown thrasher escaped the net.
One catbird was a return, first banded May 13, 2006.
We opened field nets for only a couple of hours and then
had to switch to feeder nets to accommodate a visiting school
group. We held banding demonstrations for 200 kids over the
last two days.
Normal field banding resumes tomorrow (Saturday,
May 5).
A white-eyed vireo was also a first-of-season bird May 4.
Yesterday's fallout included several rose-breasted
grosbeaks at the feeders - we banded this beautiful male.
April 15 Start Date
Our April 15th start date met with an unexpected delay.
I went down to open the swamp net as planned, and fortunately,
looked before I got out of the Jeep. This bear was
sitting about 20 feet from the net lane. This is a
small, narrow swamp - more technically a marsh - and at the
top of the picture, you can see the guardrail on Flatbrook
Road. The swamp is smaller than a football field - and
on our intended start of the banding season, was filled with
bears instead of birds.
This was a huge and magnificent animal, sitting down on her
backside way too close to my net. I watched her from the
Jeep, and it was only after five minutes or so that I noticed
something moving around her feet. As it turned out, there
were four somethings, about the size of small cocker spaniels.
Mama had four cubs, and showed absolutely no interest in moving on.
In fact, I suspect this may have been their first day out of their
den, which was is probably in one of the large blow-down trees - of
which there are several.
So, instead of banding, I spent most of the day sitting in the Jeep,
watching the cubs play and cavort in my banding area. They
never went near the net lane, but stayed closer to Mama, climbing
trees, wrestling one another, and generally having a great time.
Mama would stand up every so often, look straight at me, put
her nose in the air and sniff in every direction, then walk off a
few feet and lie down. When she did that, it was impossible to
see her again, which made me realize how difficult bears are to see
if they don't want to be seen. In spite of their bulk and
blackness, they blend surprisingly well with the surroundings.
I spent the entire day (with the exception of about two hours)
sitting in the Jeep watching these magnificent creatures, with the
windows open, and my old dog Boomer sleeping in the front seat -
and these bears never made a sound. Not once. Even
when the mother walked through the brush in the swamp, not a twig
snapped.
It was difficult to get a good photo of Mama. In this one, she
is walking over to the pine tree where her four cubs are playing.
The black spot near the upper left corner is one of the treed cubs.
Obviously, banding was cancelled for the day. I wasn't going
to miss the opportunity to watch this family, and I also wasn't
about to challenge Mama for the net area.
The next morning the bears were gone, but the rain moved
in.
The swamp net is still there, but you can be sure we take a
long, hard, look before opening nets. And the Jeep is always
nearby. Start of actual banding met with other delays - flooding
of the net lanes, flooding of access to the net lanes - but now,
we're underway. |
