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WINTER
POPULATION MONITORING |
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Week
9: December 26, 2006 - January 1, 2007 |
Welcome
to the McGill Bird Observatory weekly report. Click
here for a complete listing of our archives. Comments or questions are welcome at mbo@migrationresearch.org.
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PICTURE OF
THE WEEK: |
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Winter has arrived at last! Bird activity at the feeders
seems to have picked up as a
result, with visitors including this somewhat shy Blue Jay,
hanging out on the snowy
"roof" of the feeder after prying loose a kernel of corn.
(Photo by Marcel Gahbauer)
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THIS
WEEK |
THIS
WINTER |
2006
TOTAL |
SITE
TOTAL |
| #
birds (and species) banded |
-- |
62 (9) |
4265 (84) |
9318 (96) |
| #
birds (and species) repeat |
-- |
21 (5) |
671 (39) |
1549 (52) |
| #
birds (and species) return |
-- |
3 (1) |
131 (22) |
200 (26) |
| #
species observed |
14 |
48 |
159 |
180 |
| #
net hours |
-- |
66.0 |
7600.7 |
14022.8 |
| #
birds banded / 100 net hours |
-- |
93.9 |
56.1 |
66.4 |
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Note: table does
not include nocturnal banding (owls) |
Observer:
Marcel Gahbauer
Notes:
Happy New Year! It was another quiet week at MBO, with snow
finally arriving on Tuesday, bringing with it a change in the community
of birds - the Canada Geese have moved on at last (though they are still
in the region, with several thousand counted on Sunday's Christmas Bird
Count in Hudson), while the Juncos, Goldfinches, and Chickadees seem to
have settled in at the feeders, emptying them at a much quicker pace
than earlier this season.
Though only marginally ahead of 2005, 2006 set
new records for the number of birds banded in a year at MBO, as well as
the number of repeats. In every respect, 2006 was a great year for
MBO, and we would like to thank all those who made it possible -
Mountain Equipment Co-op, the James L. Baillie Memorial Fund of Bird
Studies Canada, Bird Protection Quebec, and Canada Steamship Lines for
providing the funding that enabled us to for the first time accomplish
complete coverage of our spring migration season in addition to fall; to
Banders-in-charge Barbara Frei, Marcel Gahbauer, Marie-Anne Hudson, and
Seabrooke Leckie for putting in long hours coordinating the banding
operations throughout the year; and especially to the over 100
volunteers who put in time helping with banding (and/or maintenance
projects) at MBO over the past twelve months. A research program
of this scope is impossible without such support; we hope that the
experience has been as rewarding for all sponsors and participants as it
has been for us as coordinators/researchers, and that we can count on
everyone's continued involvement in 2007 and beyond!
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