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FALL 2007

Sunday 28 October
I went out today to see if there were any America Tree Sparrows around yet. They are the last of the passerines that we look for in the migration monitoring project. Guess what! We saw and caught one so there you go! It was a NW wind and clear last night so that helped bring them down from the north. I had not heard of anyone seeing one anywhere else but that does not mean there weren’t any. The morning was very crisp with patchy frost in the 30’s with light winds out of the NW. I can’t say I missed the normal freezing cold days of October in years past. The mist net poles are bone chilling in the morning when putting up the nets. It warmed up quickly to mid-forties and sunshine by 10:00 AM and turned into a beautiful day.

Navarre was pretty quiet as far as passerines chipping or singing today. During the point count though we saw 5 Snow Buntings fly over. The Snow Buntings were the first for me this fall. Winter is coming, it appears. American Goldfinches were moving pretty well too this morning. Not much else but some blackbirds and not in any significant numbers.

The catch for the day consisted of 37 new banded birds of 12 species. We had 13 recaptures which added 4 more species for the day. We caught an immature White-crowned Sparrow that we had first captured 6 days ago. I imagine it may remain for the winter or for a while.

Top species for the day were:
White-throated Sparrow - 8
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 8
Purple Finch - 4
Myrtle (Yellow-rumped) Warbler - 4
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 4

It has been a slow year for Winter Wrens, kinglets, and Brown Creepers. It has been a booming year for Purple Finches as everyone can attest. Today besides the Myrtle Warbler, a new Blackpoll Warbler was caught and banded. Those were the only warbler species of the day. Rusty Blackbirds are still around the marshes.

As mentioned before the first American Tree Sparrow was captured for the fall. Fox Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, and Slate-colored (Dark-eyed) Junco were seen or captured in the net in Navarre today.

There will probably be only one more day of operation of the migration monitoring station for this year—most likely Wednesday. If I see anything significant throughout the winter I will post it here unless the website manager suggests differently.

I want to thank my many dedicated volunteers for all their hours of sweating, undertaking sudden showers, swatting the many mosquitoes, and putting up with me. Without their tremendous help this project would not be run as efficiently and effectively as it is. This is one of the largest banding operations in the country as far as banding number of birds per 100 net hours which is the way researchers standardize effort. Because Fall season is the dullest as far as the lack of colorful birds, only my most dedicated volunteers stick it out with me.

My hat goes off to all of our volunteers!

THANK YOU!

 

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24 October Wednesday
Well, folks this is that last consecutive banding day for the fall migration monitoring project 2007. There will be a few more days this month and then not again until next April when we start the spring banding schedule. Any band recovery info that comes in, I will report them here.

It has been a slow drawn out season with the northerly cold fronts not really materializing until now in the month of October. We had not seen any since mid-September. Numbers are low from average years in the fall season and can be attributed to the poor weather conditions. The kinglets are coming in finally but no sign of an American Tree Sparrow as of yet.

Early today the winds were out of the WSW and soon turned to the strong North to Northwest by 09:00 AM, blowing up to 15 mph.

Today we caught 86 new birds and 15 recaptures. The recaptures consisted of mostly White-throated Sparrows, a couple Hermit Thrushes, Swainson's Thrush, and a Blackpoll Warbler.

Top five species banded
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 20
Myrtle (yellow-rumped) Warbler - 18
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 16
Hermit Thrush - 8
American Goldfinch - 4

There were quite a few Rusty Blackbirds around. We managed to catch one of them an adult female. The warblers at this time of year were slim with Myrtles dominating. A Common Yellowthroat (immature male) was captured new and the banded Blackpoll Warbler with tons of fat reserves. Only 5 species of Sparrows banded and seen today: White-throated, Song, Swamp, Fox, and Slate-colored (Dark-eyed) Junco.

Until next time, enjoy the beauty of the season.

_________

Tuesday 23 October
Rained out

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Monday 22 October
The weather has been constant SW winds for over a week but the birds today were not in quantity but quality!! And I say quality was the word of the day!

Nothing big as far as numbers of birds go. We had 51 new banded birds of 18 species. I was glad most of the banded Hermit Thrushes left the area or are tired of being reweighed and their fat reserves assessed.

The top species banded new for today
Hermit Thrush - 11
White-throated Sparrow - 7
Myrtle (Yellow-rumped) Warbler
Swamp Sparrow - 6
Red-winged Blackbird - 5

We also caught a foreign banded White-throated Sparrow but the number was not in the Bird Banding Laboratory’s database yet. I am hoping the bander turns their data in soon. We do not get too many of other bander’s birds at our station (maybe 4-6 a year). It is always a treat to get a foreign bird and find out where it has been banded, when it was banded to determine how old it is, and to contemplate where it has been between here and there. The many thousands of miles these small birds travel is amazing.

The kinglets are still absent and there are still very few Myrtle Warblers around.

The point count recorded hundreds of blackbirds flying over leaving their roosts. There were quite a few Pine Siskins flying over all day but none came down to be banded.

The foreign recapture would have been enough to cause most banders to become giddy and really make for a quality day. But let me tell you there is more! The size mesh mist nets we use are around 1 ¼ inch mesh to target the small birds. So the chance of getting a large bird the size of a flicker or larger is rare because the net will not hold them. They can flip themselves out without blinking an eye or a nictitating membrane (sorry for the commentary but I am still on my adrenaline rush for the day). While walking back to the banding building where we process the birds (band, measure, and weigh), I see this large bird flapping near the net so I take off toward the net. There is a female Cooper’s hawk caught in the net by its foot. Remember it is a huge bird and normally the net would have acted like a trampoline with this bird hitting the net. Somehow its one toe was caught long enough for me to scoop up the net to hold it in the net and figure out how to handle it. With accipiters you have to watch the very dexterous feet (sharp claws with speed of lightening reflexes-after all it is their lifestyle). What a Bird! A beautiful adult female Cooper’s Hawk and Big! It took two people to get the band on and not get hit with its talons. If we would catch hawks with any frequency we would have proper holding cans for them but this was the 2nd time in 18 years that a Cooper’s Hawk has been caught in the fall.

This is not the whole story because the other crew of volunteers came back while we were banding the hawk and said “We caught something good too!” Without going into the guessing game they gave me on trying to figure out what they brought me. I will tell you it was as cool as the Cooper’s Hawk and some will say it was a lot better. They brought back a Shrike! After looking in the Pyle Passerine manual and several field guides to confirm what we had it was determined to be a Northern Shrike. Having not seen either shrike except the Loggerhead we caught this spring, I had/have little experience with shrikes. Now having seen both up close and personal I can see the differences. The facial markings are not as distinct in the Northern and the lower mandible was light colored. Even though this bird was an immature-shown by the still remaining yellow gape near its beak, buffy bars on its chest, the coloration in the primaries, and the obvious off-color primary coverts, it showed the typical markings of a Northern Shrike.

I forgot to say that a Purple Finch was the target of the shrike in the net and unfortunately the finch did not make it after it was struck.

The Northern Shrike did not give the warning clicks like the Loggerhead did this spring when in the hand. This bird was calm except when a hand got too close to it. We ran another round of the nets but did not get anything good or that good!

What a day! Who would have thought such quality on this day! Just goes to show you never know what you will find out there unless you are out there looking.

A cold front is coming in tonight so maybe that will bring in the kinglets. Still have not seen a American Tree Sparrow yet.

_________

Sunday 21 October
As expected not a big number day. However, you must get out and enjoy it because even thought the late migrants are not in large numbers we still have the mid-migrants hanging around or being blown back here again. We caught a banded Black-throated Blue Warbler which was unusual since  we had not banded one in over 10 days. A banded House Wren made an appearance again today too.

Newly banded birds totaled 51 with 23 recaptures. Myrtle (Yellow-rumped) Warbler was the number one bird of the day with 15 new birds followed by Hermit Thrush - 7, Red-winged Blackbird - 6, and White-throated Sparrow - 5.

Sixteen species were captured new for the day. An Eastern Phoebe graced us with its presence today. As always the Fox Sparrow is a treat to see up close and personal. Besides Myrtle Warbler we had a new Magnolia Warbler and Blackpoll and the Black-throated Blue Warbler recaptures.

Many Pine Siskins and a few Purple Finches flew over this morning. We were not graced with a Purple Finch catch today.

Tomorrow appears to be another copy of today as far as weather with SW winds strong. Looking at maybe Tuesday for a change but who knows???

_________

Saturday 20 October
It does not appear that the winds nor the weather are going to be favorable for a helpful southward migration in the next couple days. However, today was much better than the last couple days as far as bird catch. With 5.5 hours of open nets we banded 55 new birds and 22 recaptures.

The top species were Golden-crowned Kinglet - 11, Hermit Thrush - 10, Myrtle (Yellow-rumped) Warbler - 5, Purple Finch - 5, and we must not forget White-throated Sparrow - 4.

Highlights were a juvenile male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and nice looks at a male Purple Finch. Most of our Purple Finches are juveniles and look like females. Besides Myrtle Warbler, we had Blackpolls and one Tennessee Warbler today from the warbler guild. Almost caught today was a Yellow-billed Cuckoo. It hit the net but bounced out. The weather is keeping these birds here or blowing them back up here.

If nothing else the days are beautiful and even though the birds are not plentiful get outside and soak up the sun and enjoy!
 

_________

Friday 19 October
It rained on us again early-very cold rain despite the temperatures were in the 60’s. Thank you to the weatherpersons for not announcing this rain shower! The winds were quite strong over 20 mph and supposed to get over 35 mph from the SW. By the time we left it was pretty close to that wind speed.

With a little over 5 hours of open nets we accrued 29 new birds and 12 recaptures. Seventeen species captured new today.

Top species
Purple Finch  - 6 (yes, our highest year ever for them)
White-throated Sparrow - 4
Brown Creeper - 3
Song Sparrow - 3
Slate-colored (Dark-eyed) Junco - 3

No new Blackpoll Warblers but two recaptures today with loads of fat reserves. Myrtle Warbler was the only new warbler caught and banded today.

Of interest a juvenile female Peregrine Falcon flew over the station. Beautiful bird! Pine Siskins and American Goldfinches were flying over today as well.

With all the great winds of the night a fresh dead Black Witch Moth was found near the Davis Besse Security building.

The wind is predicted to move to the west tomorrow with the passing of a weak cold front. Hope this helps the birds move south.
 

_________

Thursday 18 October
Until the winds shift and a northerly front comes through not much movement south will occur. Today produced high winds and rain early causing many, many leaves to come down into the nets (if only they were birds instead!).

Thirty-eight new birds were banded and 12 recaptures—I said it was slow… Top birds were White-throated Sparrow - 7, Hermit Thrush - 6, and Myrtle (Yellow-rumped) Warbler - 5. A nice catch was two Fox Sparrows and a Yellow-shafted (Northern) Flicker. It was pretty ironic to catch a junco and a Gray Catbird in the same net. The catbird was pretty fat too as you can see by the fat reserve on its belly. He/she is doing okay. Eighteen species of birds captured new this day.

Only one Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets caught today. They must be somewhere! Three species of warbler seen and caught today: Tennessee, Blackpoll, and Myrtle.

_________

Wednesday, 17 October
Fog can do wonders in bringing down the birds! The morning was fogged in with temperatures around 60 degrees –still not the temps for mid-October around here. The fog lifted around 11 AM to sunshine and SW wind around 5-10 mph. The southerly winds pushed back some warblers.

We had 6 warbler species of which 5 were recaptured species (Tennessee warbler (2), Ovenbird, Blackpoll and Black-throated Blue Warbler. We caught 2 new Blackpoll warblers with a tremendous amount of fat reserves as usual. They stock up way before they reach the coast to jump off for their long distance trek over the Atlantic Ocean/Caribbean Islands to northern S. America. Nashville warbler was the additional warbler caught today.

The catch for the day consisted of 111 new birds (much better than the last few days) with 37 recaptures (13 Hermit Thrushes). As par for course White-throated Sparrows were the top bird again with 42 new birds, followed by American Goldfinch 18, Purple Finch 8, Swamp Sparrow 6, Song and White-crowned Sparrow 4.

Twenty-one species of new banded birds captured today. As you can see sparrows are filtering in despite the southerly winds. Six sparrow species seen or captured with Fox, White-throated and White-crowned singing in Navarre this morning with the Eastern Towhee “Chew-winking.” If you have never heard the Fox Sparrow sing, it is quite beautiful as is its appearance. It is not hard to learn and recognize its song. Early March and throughout early April they sing quite frequently in northern Ohio. The other sparrows captured today were: Field Sparrow and Slate-colored Junco (Dark-eyed Junco).

Rusty Blackbirds were around the site later today coming in around noon. They also have a unique song or gurgle as I call it. It is an easy one to recognize.
They are calling for a good chance of rain tomorrow but the weatherman may or may not get it right. So who knows what tomorrow will bring, except I do know it will be a southerly wind which is not much to get excited about this time of year unless you are a reptile.

Today's post is in memory and honor of a valued friend and fellow bird banding volunteer Barb Brent. May you all enjoy the beauty of the season.

_________

Tuesday, 16 October
As expected, an uneventful day of SE winds producing 29 new birds and 27 recaptures for 4.25 hours of nets open.

There are still loads of White-throated sparrows and many Hermit Thrushes (17 recaptures) around but numbers of any other species are not what I would expect this time of year. A northerly cold front is really needed to get the birds back on track.

Top species newly banded:
White-throated Sparrow - 11
Hermit Thrush - 4
Blackpoll Warbler - 2
Brown Creeper - 2
Winter Wren - 2

Only two species of warblers were seen today: Myrtle (Yellow-rumped) and Blackpoll Warblers.

Nine species of sparrows were seen at Navarre: Eastern Towhee, White-throated Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Lincoln Sparrow *, Swamp Sparrow*, Song Sparrow*, and Slate-colored Junco (Dark-eyed Junco). (*banded species)

Rusty Blackbirds began moving around noon time today. I don’t expect much change for tomorrow.

_________

Monday, 15 October
Light ESE winds did not produce much activity today. The day started out in the warm 50’s and clear. Many White-throated Sparrows around and our catch was less than 1% of what I saw around the nets. This was the day to see  Bonaparte’s Gulls moving. During the point count at 4 of the 6 points I counted well over a thousand birds (20 minutes). Blackbirds mostly red-wings were also on the move today with a mix of Rusty Blackbirds included.

The day’s total was 66 new banded birds with 56 recaptures. Twenty-two Hermit Thrushes and Swainson's and Gray-cheeked Thrushes made up the bulk of the recaptures with a surprising Eastern Wood Pewee still around the area. Five species of warbler were caught with Black-throated Blue Warbler and an Orange-crowned Warbler recaptures and one of each new banded Myrtle Warbler (Yellow-rumped Warbler), Blackpoll and Bay-breasted Warblers. Warblers were scarce out there today.

Top species for the day in 5.25 hours
White-throated Sparrow - 25
Hermit Thrush - 8
Brown Creeper - 5
Swainson's Thrush - 3
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 3
Fox Sparrow - 3

(Pretty sad when I have to include numbers lower than 10 for a species as the top birds captured! – tells you it was a slow day…).

Highlights were two juvenile Cedar Waxwings and Rusty Blackbirds. Five sparrow species caught today: Slate-colored Junco (Dark-eyed Junco), Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, and Fox Sparrow. A Yellow –bellied Sapsucker left his mark on the volunteers hands. They love to drill for blood!

A front is expected early morning bringing a good chance of rain. Another cold front is needed to move these banded birds out and bring new ones in.

_________

Sunday, 14 October
The day started out clear and cool around 50 degrees Fahrenheit and by noon clouds came in and the wind shifted off Lake Erie.
Supposed to be chance of showers this afternoon. None have transpired yet.

Today's catch included 127 newly banded birds and 63 recaptures. The Hermit Thrushes have been sticking around and for some reason they had little fat reserves today. We caught 34 different banded Hermit Thrushes (recaptures) and banded 34 new ones. There were quite a few Rusty Blackbirds in the marsh today and we ended the day with capturing 4 to band.

Top species newly banded were the numerous White-throated Sparrow 36, Hermit Thrush 34, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 11, Brown Creeper 7, Golden-crowned Kinglet 6, and Purple Finch 5. Eighteen species of newly banded birds for the day. We have not seen the kinglets yet in the marsh. They are around the marsh region but not near the Navarre point where the banding station is located.

Two species of warbler were newly banded today (Nashville (nice adult male and 3 juveniles (HY)) and Blackpoll Warblers) Two banded Black-throated Blue warblers (male and female) and an Ovenbird were caught again today. Myrtle Warbler (Yellow-rumped Warbler) and Common Yellowthroat were seen on the area. Six sparrows captured (Swamp, Lincoln, Field, White-crowned, White-throated, and Song) and another three ( Slate-colored Junco, Fox Sparrow, Eastern Towhee) seen on the area.

Tomorrow according to the weather will be more recaptures and similar species.

_________

Saturday, 13 October
The west winds were somewhat favorable for a good day and by noon they shifted to the WSW. Temps were cool in the mid 30's but warmed to 55 by noon with mostly cloudy conditions.

The day yielded 155 newly banded birds and 33 recaptures. There were 26 species of newly banded birds. Five species of warbler were banded and 7 species seen in Navarre (Blackpoll, Orange-crowned, Nashville, Magnolia, Black-throated Blue warblers (male & female), a recaptured Ovenbird and a Bay-Breasted warbler was seen on the area.

Top species banded:
Hermit Thrush - 40
White-throated Sparrow - 29
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 20
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 10
Blackpoll Warbler - 6

Today's Highlights:
We had 4 Orange-crowned Warblers, 5 Red-breasted Nuthatches, 1 White-breasted Nuthatch, 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker, a juvenile Indigo Bunting, and a female Rusty Blackbird.

Seven species of the sparrow guild including the Indigo Bunting were captured today.

The weather report for tomorrow looks to be a similar day as today only a bit warmer.

_________

Friday, 12 October
As I said yesterday, today would be a better day and it was!

We are still under the influence of the low pressure cell and the winds were strong out of the NNW (15-20 mph) today and turned to the west by late morning. Temperatures were in the high 40's at the start and warmed to around 55 degrees. Mostly cloudy with brief patches of sun. Birds were moving around in packs today. Packs of kinglets, White-throated Sparrows, and Hermit Thrushes were the majority. Today was the first movement of kinglets here at the site.

The day's catch consisted of 196 new banded birds and 27 recaptures. Once again we caught the Blue-headed Vireo we have caught for the third day in a row. It appears okay and it had substantial fat.

We caught 2 additional new Blue-headed Vireos today. Purple finches have been numerous for us this fall with 5 new captures today which puts the site at 30% above previous year's fall numbers.

Top new species banded:
Hermit Thrush - 56
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 31
Golden-crowned Kinglet
White-throated Sparrow - 17
Swamp Sparrow - 12
Brown Creeper - 10

Twenty-seven new species banded for the day. Two more new Yellow-shafted Flickers (Northern Flicker) were caught and banded today. Eight species of warbler rounded out the new species list with a nice looking Orange-crowned Warbler to top of the bunch.

Fox Sparrow made its first appearance in Navarre. No sightings of White-crowned Sparrows but then again they are not as common on the beach ridges. We spotted Lincoln and Savanna Sparrows at the site to make up the six species or seven when you count Slate-colored Junco (Dark-eyed Junco) in Navarre on this day.

Tomorrow should be a good fall day for birding and banding!

_________

Wednesday, 11 October
Weather was a bit different from yesterday in that it began raining around 9:00 AM. Winds strong out of the NNW 15-20 mph. Birds were around and we managed to get in almost 3 hours of nets open with a capture of 89 new birds banded, 19 species of new banded birds, and 17 recaptures. Rain with close to 50 degree temperatures is not good for birds or humans.

Still some remnants of earlier birds sticking around with a banded Magnolia Warbler and the Blue-headed Vireo from several days ago. Five new Gray Catbirds, our first fall Field Sparrow, and 3 Eastern Wood Pewees were the highlights of the day.

There was the sound of more kinglets around this morning however we only caught 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglets. Brown Creepers seemed to be on the increase unless the weather had them down lower. And yes, the infamous White-throated Sparrows were very numerous too.

Top species newly banded were:
White-throated Sparrows - 42
Hermit Thrush - 12
Swainson's Thrush -  6
Brown Creeper - 5
Gray Catbird - 5

Only 6 species of warbler today including Blackpoll, Bay-breasted, Magnolia, and Myrtle (Yellow-rumped) Warblers and Common Yellowthroat.

Tomorrow should be good for kinglets if the wind is calmer.

_________

Wednesday, 10 October
Cooler temperatures and WNW winds brought in the Hermit Thrushes today. Still many thrushes stayed around despite the cold front coming through. Many are carrying much fat, 15- 20 grams over what they weigh during spring season.

Total new birds banded today was 83 new banded and 41 recaptures with a Blue-headed Vireo sticking around for a couple days as well as the many thrushes and Blackpoll Warblers.

Top species for newly banded birds are:
Hermit Thrush - 18
Swainson's Thrush - 16
White-throated Sparrow - 6
Gray-cheeked Thrush - 5
Purple Finch - 4

22 species of newly banded birds. Eight species of warbler still around (Black-and-White, Bay-breasted, Black-throated Blue, Blackpoll, Black-throated Green, Myrtle (Yellow-rumped), Tennessee Warblers and Ovenbird).

Today's Highlights:
Two Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers (Adult female and juvenile Male) and Yellow-shafted Flicker (Northern Flicker).

More American Robins moving today and saw/heard 2 Pine Siskins during the point count.

The weather forecast for tomorrow is supposed to be a repeat of today.

_________

Tuesday, 09 October
The cold front came around 7:00 AM this morning and did not produce many birds but as the day went on birds increased in numbers. So tomorrow should be a better day for migrant passerines.

The banding session today ended with 49 new birds and 32 recaptures indicating that the front did not come in early enough for most birds to leave and others to come in. 20 species of songbirds captured for the 4.5 hours of banding. Top species newly banded today were Blackpoll warbler 11, Gray-cheeked Thrush 8, Swainson's Thrush 6, and a tie for Black-throated Blue Warbler (all males) 3, Myrtle Warbler (Yellow-rumped Warbler) 3, and Hermit Thrush 3.

Seven species of warbler were captured today. White-throated Sparrows, Brown Creepers, both kinglets, even a House Wren along with its cousin the Winter Wren were around for the day's catch.

Looking for tomorrow and the rest of the week to be good opportunities for late fall migrant passerines.

_________

Monday, 08 October
We are still under the influence of a high pressure system pumping up hot weather from the south. Another roaster today with it heating up to 86 degrees by noon. Still lots of blackbirds migrating in the hundreds per stop during the point count this morning.

Today's catch was 68 new birds with many recaptures which totaled 24 species and 12 species of warbler. Unusually high number of warbler species for October. Warbler species include: Black-throated Green, American Redstart, Magnolia, Nashville, Tennessee, Myrtle (Yellow-rumped), Blackpoll, Black-and-white, Common Yellowthroat, Mourning, Cape May, and Ovenbird.

Top species captured and released today were: Gray-cheeked Thrush 9, Blackpoll Warbler 8, White-throated Sparrow 7, Hermit Thrush 7, Myrtle Warbler 4, Golden-crowned Kinglet 4.

Juvenile White-crowned Sparrow captured with it brown crown stripes. It confused many a volunteer today at the station.

Cold front to come in tomorrow. Looking forward to the change in temperature and bringing on the late fall migrants. They have been held up for some time.

_________

Sunday, 07 October
Same old story for the unusually warm October days. Wearing short-sleeved shirts while opening the nets first thing in the morning is quite a change for most October mornings. Temperature this morning was 65 degrees and quickly heated up to 88 degrees by noon. Light wind out of the NW but really did not produce any change in movement of birds.

Five hours of opened mist nets produced 76 new birds of 23 species. Top species captured are Blackpoll Warbler 10, White-throated Sparrow 10, Hermit Thrush 9, Gray-cheeked Thrush 9, Swainson's Thrush 7 (can you tell it was another Thrush day?!) and Swamp Sparrow with 5.

Sparrows still coming in slowly. Besides White-throated Sparrow, Song and Swamp Sparrows in single digits today with our first White-Crowned Sparrow caught and seen at the Navarre site. White-crowned Sparrows were seen at the Window on Wildlife 06 October at the Observatory.

Purple Finches and American Goldfinches were on the move flying over 6 - 10 at a time during the point count this morning.

_________

Saturday, 06 October
Light wind and fog again today with warm morning temperatures at 60 degrees warming to 86 degrees by noon.

A hot one today but still many thrushes around. A little over 5 hours of opened nets produced 111 newly banded birds with 46 recaptures. Twenty-two species were caught including 6 warbler species.

Top birds captured were Swainson's Thrush 23, Blackpoll Warbler 19, Gray-cheeked Thrush 17, White-throated Sparrow 12, Hermit Thrush 7, Purple Finch 5.

Highlights for the day:
First Yellow-bellied Sapsucker for the fall season. A Blue-headed Vireo and 3 Black-throated Blue Warblers were still around.

_________

Friday, 05 October
As expected not much wind. wind mostly out of the SE, foggy early and then cleared to warm up quickly. Not a day conducive for a southerly migration.
American Robins and blackbirds moving heavily in early morning hours.

90 total new birds banded with lots of recaptured thrushes (sticking around for a few days). Thrushes are the dominant birds with Gray-cheeked Thrushes and White-throated Sparrow were the highest species banded with a total of 18 for each.

Blackpoll Warbler held the highest warbler count with 11 new birds. Seven species of warbler caught and released today.

Highlights:
A very nice adult male Indigo Bunting in basic plumage. His brown body was offset with bright blue wings and tail. The Navarre station does not catch many Indigo Buntings in the fall. This one seems a bit late but then again it is 90 degrees in October!

Four species of sparrow: White-throated Sparrow, Lincoln Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow and Song Sparrow. Lincoln's appear to be late. Swamps and Songs will be continuing to increase in numbers as will the White-throated Sparrows.

Not much change expected for tomorrow. Same forecast of little wind and fog in the AM and then making up to 90 degrees again.

Looking forward to a cold front...

_________

Thursday, 04 October:
Light winds with partly cloudy conditions. High Pressure system overhead with temperatures in AM in the low 60's. The sky cleared up around 10:30 AM and began getting warm.

For approximately 5.25 hours of open nets, we captured 142 new birds and many recaptures.

First time for Golden-crowned Kinglets to be heard or seen at the Navarre site. Thrushes were thick with Gray-cheeked Thrushes being the dominant bird of the day. Swainson's Thrush came in second with 19.

We had 8 species of warblers captured and released.

Highlights:
Several Purple Finches (an adult male and female plus a couple juveniles), a Philadelphia Vireo, and a couple of Winter Wrens.
 
Not much change in numbers or species expected for tomorrow.
 

Last updated on Monday, November 03, 2008

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Black Swamp Bird Observatory
13551 W. State Route 2
Oak Harbor,, Ohio 43449
419 898-4070
We are located at the entrance to Magee Marsh Wildlife Area