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McGILL BIRD OBSERVATORY |
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Welcome
to the McGill Bird Observatory weekly report.
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Banders-in-charge: Simon Duval, Gay Gruner, Marie-Anne Hudson, Lance Laviolette
Notes: Another crazy week with only one left in the season to go! Migration is still very much underway here at MBO - though we didn't match last week's break-neck pace, the 225 birds banded this week still rank as the second busiest spring week in MBO's 5-year history. Compared to last year at the same time, we banded 50 more birds and four additional species. In terms of species observed, we’re on par with last week but four species lower than last year. It appears the peak of migration was a little earlier this year compared to 2008. Six species were added to the list of species observed (chronologically): Northern Shoveler, Swainson’s Thrush (Sunday), Spotted Sandpiper, Alder Flycatcher (Monday), Field Sparrow (Tuesday) and Merlin (Thursday). Four species were banded for the first time this season: Grey-cheeked Thrush, Swainson’s Thrush (Sunday), and Brown Thrasher, and Blackburnian Warbler (Thursday). We’re still surprised at how many new species we’ve added this week despite being so close to the end of the season. More interesting is the number of repeats (caught within three months) we’ve had this season compared to last season – it appears the birds just can’t get enough of us! This week’s list of most frequently observed species is remarkably stable in relation to last week, with the same species in similar number from the first to the fourth spots. Our only two newbies to the list highlight what it’s been like at MBO this week – the week of the “squeeze-toy”. The “usual” suspects were all singing away throughout the week, but they were accompanied by a wave of high pitched steets-steets-steetsing Blackpoll Warblers and a fairly large flock of Cedar Waxwings (more squeeze-toy sounding birds), allowing them both to enter the top ten. This week’s list of most frequently banded species is again comprised of many warblers – still 7 out of 10! The top spot again – incredibly – goes to Tennessee Warbler. We’ve never had any kind of spring Tennesse movement like this before - the number banded this week alone (44) is more than double our previous record for a full spring season! Compared to last year at the same time, we banded almost twice as many Blackpoll and Magnolia Warblers and similar numbers of Yellow-rumped and Wilson’s Warblers, Northern Waterthrush, American Goldfinch and Cedar Waxwing. In fact, aside from the surging Tennessee Warblers, the only other notable differences this year were the addition of Traill’s Flycatcher in seventh spot, and the disappearance from the list of Red-winged Blackbirds, which were in top spot for week 9 last year. Before we end this week’s report, we’d like to pass along a neat event that occurred during banding this past week. As Simon tells it, two Pileated Woodpeckers were hanging around B/N (the series of nets near the cabin), going back and forth and weaving around. He was sure he'd get one in the nets if he just waited out of sight. Sure enough, one hit the top of the nets, causing Simon to start running towards them to get it out ASAP. Within those few seconds, a couple of Common Grackles also flew into the net, followed by a chasing Cooper's Hawk, and a crow chasing the hawk! Understandably, Simon was floored! With all these big birds in the nets, there was so much movement that they all escaped, and the only thing Simon could do was write up the incident in our log. Much less satisfying and interesting than banding all four species… But it made for a great story! Which one would you have tried to nab out of the net first, at the risk of losing the others? We BICs discussed it and all came up with different answers.
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