September Week 3

21st September – owl season starts!

Last night the fall owl banding started on a calm warm (14 degrees Celsius) evening. Hopes for a bird were low as the standard period passed with no sign so I called it a night. Crazy Dave however goes all night no matter what and on his last net check in the late early hours he got his reward. So as I surfaced I was greeted with a bag in the banding lab that contained a cracking little (very cute!) Northern Saw-whet Owl.


Northern Saw-whet Owl

Afterwards the nets were opened and we followed on with the story of the week, ground traps good with 77 birds and nets slow with 11 birds! A much quieter day all round with only 66 AMGO’s as 11 Blue Jays made up the rest of the ground trap total. Out of the nets came a Sharp-shinned Hawk, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Blue-headed and Red-eyed Vireo, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, …….

Long Point finally updated their fall totals for last week and I’m not saying that Dave is competitive! But he is a very happy man. Even with our relatively slow week, well lets be truthful above average week thanks to all those Goldfinches we have banded more birds than ALL THREE stations put together down at Long Point Bird Observatory.

20th September – rusty starts to move as record is reached

A calm and sunny day meant a few birds were on the move again. Jays were heading over straight from first light shortly joined by a few Red-winged and 3 Rusty Blackbirds. Finally we broke the Goldfinch record today as we passed 1400 birds! A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was also added to the season’s list.


male American Goldfinch
(hatch year – second year – after second year)

19th September – first sign of coolness

The first cool morning of the season as temperatures just dropped into single figures (9.5 degrees Celsius). Hoping this may spur some birds to move it was good to see a slight increase from the nets. Starting off with a Lincoln’s Sparrow that was an addition to the list, also caught were 8 Brown Creepers, 8 Blackpoll, 2 Ovenbird, 7 magnolia and 4 Black-throated Blue Warblers. But of course we can’t forget the 131 AMGO’s. As the day heated up by noon a Red-tailed Hawk circled with a flock of Turkey Vultures.


female American Goldfinch
(hatch year – second year – after second year)

18th September – that’s 3000 for the fall

A cloudy day with the odd light shower and a westerly breeze. Not a great deal around but a Ruby-throated Hummingbird was the first at our feeders for some time, Out of the nets came 2 Black-throated Green and 4 Black-throated Blue Warblers whilst overhead flocks of Blue Jays moved over with an estimated total of 3000. The fall banding total passed 3000 with yet a further 174 AMGO’s banded.


American Goldfinch (bright female – male)
These are still possible to age as after second years because they are only just starting to moult after their late breeding season.

17th September – pisi drops in

Much the same weather as yesterday, with only 34 birds coming from the nets continuing on the same recent pattern. First for the fall was a little Winter Wren (tangle just the same as at home!) whilst other birds included 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Chestnut-sided Warbler, 2 Northern Parula and a Myrtle Warbler that hung around the yard. The ground traps delivered again with 225 yellow and black things (all except one that was grey!) as well as a little surprise with a Pine Siskin thrown into the mix.


Northern Parula

16th September – afternoon twitch

Overnight a strong northeast wind developed that reduced bird numbers greatly. Once again however the Goldfinches continue to move with another 127 today. Otherwise there was a sprinkling of warblers including a Blackburnian, Northern Parula and yet another Mourning as a Tree Swallow migrated south.

In the afternoon we headed towards Point Petre on the southwest tip of the county where earlier in the week there had been reports of a Black Vulture and a Dickcissel. But all we could find was a flock of Chipping Sparrows that contained a single White-crowned as they sheltered out of the wind under a tree. Just further up the road another good bird had been present the day before. Once in the vicinity we slowed right down and started to scan the roadside bushes and electiric (hydro) wires from the car. First spotted were a couple of Purple Finch, then a few Chipping Sparrows and then “there is that it?” as a bird was picked up perched low on top of a telegraph pole, being blow about by the wind. Yes that was it, a Western Kingbird, the bird showed well for a minute or two before it flew off over the field being followed by two Chipping Sparrows. Despite spending the next hour in the area we failed to relocate the bird finding just an Eastern Kingbird instead!


Western Kingbird

15th September – thrushes dominate the wood

Back too normal today as we catch 116 American Goldfinch (AMGO) on a partly cloudy day with a light northeast breeze. There was a bit of life in the trees today with a Black-billed Cuckoo and a late Blue-grey Gnatcatcher being seen. The nets tallied up 18 species with most numerous being 15 Swainson’s and 10 Grey-cheeked Thrush. A visit to the harbour found the Night Heron still in situ showing well whilst catching frogs.


Black-crowned Night Heron

September Week 2

14th September – star find goes to yet another caterpillar

A very still cloudy morning brought the first Blue-headed Vireo to the yard as 400 Blue Jays passed over that seemed to unsettle the Goldfinches reducing our catch to only 32. 47 birds found their way into the nets with the most common being 8 Blackpoll Warblers and new for the season were a couple of Northern Flickers. Dave came up trumps again mid-morning with the discovery of two splendid Promethea Moth caterpillars along net lane 3.


Promethea Moth

Around in the harbour hid a juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron. Whilst staring skyward 10 Red-tailed and 6 Broad-winged Hawks circled high with 4 Bald Eagles. A trip to Point Traverse towards the end of the day was very disappointing with just 3 Western Palm Warblers and a male Downy Woodpecker being seen.

13th September – the one that got away

Light northeast winds continued over night with the radars indicting that many birds were on their way south. The day was mainly cloudy and the nets were much more productive with 12 species of warbler, 2 Philadelphia Vireos and 7 Brown Creepers all helping towards the days tally of 240 birds but the most help came from the 158 Goldfinches! This brought our fall total to more than 2000 birds, not a bad start being well up on the best fall ever so we will just have to wait a see what happens over the next 3 weeks!


Sharp-shinned Hawk

A visiting birder in the morning reported a Connecticut Warbler around at the lighthouse so after the nets were closed we headed around but all we could find were Blackpoll, Bay-breasted, Black and White, Black-throated Blue and Magnolia Warblers mixed in with a few Brown Creepers and a single Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

12th September – raptor watch

Overnight a light northeasterly wind developed and a cloudy morning dropped in a Cap May Warbler and Winter Wren both being firsts for the fall. The nets were slightly busier with 37 birds caught including a late Canada Warbler and a Scarlet Tanager and I can’t forget the 3rd ever Merlin for the observatory, whilst Goldfinch numbers dropped to 146.


Merlin

15:00 hrs arrived and as the sun started to warm things up it was obvious raptors were becoming active so I spent an hour on the mound. Here are my totals - 75 Sharp-shinned Hawk, 44 Turkey Vulture, 7 Red-tailed Hawk, 5 Bald Eagle, 2 Northern Harrier along with single Merlin, Kestrel and Osprey.


Bald Eagle

11th September – record low return from nets

Much the same weather as yesterday and straight away the signs were bad when Dave could only manage ten species on census!! Banding was consequently slow as a single Black and White, Magnolia, Nashville and 4 Common Yellowthroats appeared from the nets. Thankfully there was a steady turnover of Goldfinches to keep us occupied as the first real movement of Blue Jays moved over with 2 of the 100+ finding their way into a net bringing the grand total of 10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! birds from 26 nets in 6 hours. (Wow that’s productive!)


Red Bat

However the days tally was boosted by 187 American Goldfinch resulting in an above average day. Also seen during the morning was a Red Bat that choose to roost under a leaf on a path side tree.

10th September – warbling beats record

A bright day with the wind back in the south. Out of the nets came a few more birds with the most stunning being a Northern Parula shortly followed by a Philadelphia Vireo along with a late record breaking Warbling Vireo. Goldfinch numbers increased on the feeders with 47 being trapped. An after lunch walk to the lighthouse was deadly quiet with a 1st calendar year Bald Eagle being the best sighting as it perched overlooking the harbour.


Bald Eagle

9th September – brisk north easterly

A day with a strong wind and patchy cloud resulted in a poor mornings banding as were dropped even lower to 21 birds and without the 10 Magnolia Warblers it could be much lower! Thankfully there was more activity above the trees with many Sharp-shinned Hawks whizzing by along with an Osprey, Merlin, American Kestrel, 2 Northern Harriers and 3 Bald Eagles. Apparently very unusual on this wind direction as most of the birds were heading back north.


Merlin

An evening stroll to the harbour found a Green and Great Blue Heron in residence.

8th September – clumsy Grouse

The week carried on from last week with calm settled sunny weather and very few birds finding the nets! Today catch dropped to just 24 new birds with the most excitement coming from a Ruffed Grouse that had bumped into net 7B, shedding masses of feathers in the process before he was sent back into the undergrowth. A little female Ruby-throated Hummingbird was a good addition to the days tally with Warblers in the form of 3 Black-throated Blue, a Blackpoll, Chestnut-sided and a Tennessee.


Ruby-throated Hummingbird

In the afternoon 3 Least Sandpipers were out on the rocks (no bands present!) along with 4 Spotted Sandpipers. By the evening we had found a Western Palm Warbler but very little else.

September Week 1

7th September – way below par

Much the same weather as yesterday, resulting in even fewer birds. 2 Great Crested Flycatchers, Scarlet Tanager along with Blackpoll, Black and White, Ovenbird, Waterthrush and 4 Magnolia Warblers all helped towards the 26 birds banded.

Throughout the morning a second calendar year Bald Eagle was seen, as were 6+ Sharp-shinned Hawks and a Merlin. Over on the beach remains just one banded Least Sandpiper. As for the Giant Swallowtail caterpillar he has now passed the stage of looking like the perfect bird dropping and in growing into being a splendid creature.


Giant Swallowtail

6th September – they come, they go

The weather remained unfavourable with the wind now in the southeast and it was obvious that it was much quieter than yesterday. The nets brought us just 36 birds with the best being a Northern Waterthrush, 3 Black-throated Blue and 6 Blackpoll Warblers. Down in the swamp (now dry of course) lingers a banded Broad-winged Hawk as a Common Loon flew over.


Philadelphia Vireo

In the afternoon a trip to Traverse failed to find any warblers but there were still a group of 6 Philadelphia and 12 Red-eyed Vireos whilst a Whip-poor-will flushed from the edge of the trail.

5th September –warbler arrival

The day started of with a fresh easterly wind and cloudy conditions, not ideal for birds so we thought but how wrong could we be? It was very apparent whilst opening the nets that birds were present and the nets were filling up straight away. Four additions to the season came in quick succession with Brown Creeper, Philadelphia Vireo, 2 Northern Parula and a Blue Jay. The morning was definitely dominated by warblers with a total of 14 species being banded but the best once again falls to a Broad-winged Hawk, they have so much character! That’s four just one more to equal the record now! Days catch reached 98 birds.


Least Sandpiper

A walk around the shore found the 2 least Sandpipers still present as I headed up to Point Traverse. Once in the woods a discovery of a warbler flock added a further Myrtle and Black-throated Green Warbler to this mornings tally along with two more brightly coloured Philadelphia Vireos. At dusk 14 Blue-winged Teals shot over.

4th September – increasing numbers

Our days catch improves to 63 birds, well above average of 40 ish for this period. Most interesting were 2 Tennessee Warblers, 2 Northern Waterthrush, 2 Grey-cheeked Thrush and most numerous being 16 Swainson’s Thrush.

After a trip to Picton our return journey just after dusk was brightened up with a Whip-poor-will resting in the road.

3rd September – early surprise

I awoke on a calm clear morning to find a banding tick waiting for me in the banding lab! Thanks to Dave’s efforts over night he caught a Whip-poor-will just before sunrise. Shortly after the standard nets were opened with a reasonable catch including a Grey-cheeked Thrush that was new for the season. Most common birds today were 12+ Red-eyed Vireos, 9 Blackpoll and 3 Bay-breasted Warblers also in the wood were a couple of Scarlet Tanagers. At the feeders the late breeding Goldfinches finally brought their young whilst overhead an immature Bald Eagle floated by. Two Least Sandpipers still present.


Whip-poor-will

2nd September – 2 is better than 1

The weather was good again with a light northwest wind over night and clear skies for raptors moving. Not just as busy around the nets today but still a good selection with 13 species of warbler, Savannah Sparrow new for the fall and a milestone reached as Bobolinks passed 400 as their passage slows towards an end. The best round came near 10am but not for numbers as only 6 birds were collected but for quality as one was a Sharp-shinned Hawk and 2 were Broad-winged Hawks! Now we have caught three of these stunning birds with amazing character, which is quite astonishing so early in the season considering that in the last ten years only one was caught in 2002, 2004 and 5 in 2007.


Broad-winged Hawk

Overhead more raptors were noted with Red-tailed Hawk, 6 Broad-winged Hawks, 7 Northern Harriers, Bald Eagle, American Kestrel, Merlin and 16 Turkey Vultures. On the rocky beach remained the two Least Sandpipers, a single Spotted Sandpiper with the addition of a Semipalmated Plover.

1st September – migration starts

Northwest winds over night again resulted in the arrival of some birds with over 120 new birds banded. A record was broken with our 5th Mourning Warbler of the season and a cracking male as well. New birds banded for the season were an Eastern Pheobe, Blackpoll Warbler, 3 Bay-breasted Warblers (now I know why some fall warblers are confusing!),


Bay Breasted and Blackpoll Warbler

And finally Tennessee Warbler. As the sun started to warm up by noon raptors started to appear overhead but sadly banding prevents looking up at the sky so I tend to miss a large percentage. Here are some that I saw, 2 Broad-winged Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Northern Harrier, Bald Eagle, 7 Turkey Vulture and a Merlin. Back with the banding we managed to lure in 36 Barn Swallows and the most numerous warbler caught was 11 American Redstarts.

In the afternoon a look over on the rocky shore revealed two Least Sandpipers with shiny bands and 3 Spot Sands, as the sun set there was a single Nighthawk seen.

Today’s banding total brought us to 1040 birds for the season, 350 more than the best previous total from the last ten years by this stage so signs are good for a productive season.

August Week 4

31st August

Northwest winds over night had our hopes high for a few birds moving and we got lucky with a surprise find in one net. A sunny cool start as census produced 31 species. Banding was steady with a total of 43 new birds caught. A record was broken with a juvenile Black-billed Cuckoo taking us to 5 for the season as Veery was also added to the fall list. But the best bird was found in the Bobolink net alongside 8 Bobolinks and was a first for the observatories banding list!!! A Solitary Sandpiper, what the hell it was doing to end up there is any ones guess but a very nice bird. It was also a good morning for Sharp-shinned Hawks with 3 being caught.


Solitary Sandpiper

As the day heated up by mid afternoon thousands and thousands of Green Darners descended on the point as they two are preparing for a long journey south. Out on the lakeshore were 4 Spotted Sandpipers and a couple Least Sandpipers that proved too tempting so it wasn’t long before the two little chaps had their bit of jewellery.

30th August

A calm morning dominated by one sudden heavy downpour. The nets yielded one new bird for the fall today with a Northern Waterthrush, totals just reached 31 birds with warblers including 2 Canada, 1 Blackburnian, 3 Magnolia, 6 American Redstarts and 2 Black-throated Blues.

In the afternoon we decided to go on a little twitch to a sod farm near Oshawa where a Buff-breasted Sandpiper was seen yesterday. On arrival at the bare field we soon spotted two large flooded pools where shorebirds were congregated with the most obvious being 200 Killdeer, 7 Lesser Yellowlegs, 5 Least Sandpipers and 15 American Golden Plovers. Intensive scanning over the rear of the field found a Baird’s and Semipalmated Sandpiper along with a Semipalmated Plover but there was no sign of any buff-breast.


American Golden Plover

29th August

Awoke to a showery start and still strong winds that were now from the southeast. Most of the morning was spent waiting for a rain front to arrive from near Toronto so the nets weren’t opened. Meanwhile a walk around the harbour found 116 sheltering Mallards with 3 Black Ducks and a Green-winged Teal. A little further on a juvenile Broad-winged Hawk flushed from a tree before 2 Chimney Swifts flew over with 3 barn Swallows. Scanning out over the lake hoping for some windblown migrants but all we could manage were 4 Common Loons.

The front passed through and the hawk nets were opened in the afternoon as a long shot to catching a new bird for my Birthday! A couple hours passed before bang, there it was lying quietly in a net. The juvenile Broad-winged Hawk that was seen earlier in the day, this impressive bird put up little resistance once its feet were under control. Shortly after the nets were closed producing a small male Sharp-shinned Hawk. At dusk 7 Common Nighthawks were logged.


Broad-winged Hawk

28th August

An extremely quiet day thanks to the brisk easterly wind (can’t believe I said that!). We only caught 11 birds with the best being 3 Yellow Warblers, Rose-breasted Grosbeak and a female Black-throated Blue Warbler. Trying to fill the spare time a walk to the harbour produced a Great Blue Heron and 7 Canada Geese with the usual Belted Kingfisher and Merlin that seems to have set up residence. Also of note in the area there was a flock of c.100 Common Grackles, 3 Red-winged Blackbirds, 12 American Robins and 3 Baltimore Orioles. The wind increased to over 30km per hour by dusk so no attempt was made for nighthawks.

27th August

A much cooler start to the day at 16 digress Celsius with the wind blowing from the northeast. I don’t know where we would be with out Bobolinks that made up 75% of today catch! The truth is out of 26 standard nets we caught a grand total of 8 new birds with the best being a Wilson’s Warbler, couple Magnolia’s and 3 Least Flycatchers. The six ground traps continue to produce very little with a single American Goldfinch and the usual retrap Chipping Sparrows and Mourning Doves. In the harbour there were 2 Black Ducks with the 100+ Mallards but there were no sign of the Least Sandpiper as the build up of weed on the beach seems to disappear as quickly as it forms.

26th August

A very quiet day with few birds seen moving around. An overcast morning turned into drizzle before some heavy showers passed through. As a result we only managed a total of 21 birds but this did include 2 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers. Typically as the nets were closed the sun decided to shine. In the afternoon a look around the shore found 2 Spotted Sandpipers and a juvenile Least Sandpiper. Just one Nighthawk was seen at sunset on a breezy evening.


Least Sandpiper

25th August

Migrant numbers continue to increase with an above average catch of 82 for this time of year bringing us only 25 shy from doubling last years total at this stage! Again today the Bobolinks were the majority catch with a total of 50 taking us over 300 for the fall. Also out of the bobolink net came a female Brown-headed Cowbird that could prove to be very useful for the fall list. A scattering of warblers and flycatchers make up the rest of the numbers and our 4th Sharp-shinned Hawk in 5 days. Whilst overhead 3 more sharpie’s were seen along with a juv Red-tailed Hawk and the Merlin. At the onset of sunset a group of 10 Common Nighthawks patrolled the area before moving on somewhere else.

24th August

A light northerly breeze was blowing this morning but this didn’t mean that there was to be lots of birds. The nets were quiet with only just over 40 birds with the main species being Traill’s and Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Red-eyed Vireo and the only warbler being an American Redstart! However it was definitely a morning for watching raptors with a Merlin flying around the obs first thing followed by 3 Sharp-shinned Hawks and a adult female Northern Harrier quartering over the shrubland. Mid morning came as did a Red-tailed Hawk low over the lawn before perching on a telegraph pole for over an hour. Whilst watching the Red-tail the juvenile Bald Eagle circled high overhead with a couple Turkey Vultures not far behind. In the evening a beautiful sunset was enhanced with the presence of 25 Nighthawks hawking alongside hundreds of dragonflies in the orange light.


Red-tailed Hawk

23rd August

Yet again a good morning as banding totals continued to increase with 78 new birds. Bobolinks again made up 29 but warblers continued to arrive with a Wilson’s (1st for fall), Canada, 3 Chestnut-sided, 4 Magonlia, Blackburnian, 3 Black and White, Black-throated Blue, Nashville and a couple Common Yellowthroats. A fourth Black-billed Cuckoo equalled the fall record and 3 Baltimore Orioles bring them closer to theirs.


Black-billed Cuckoo

A look around to the lighthouse was as quiet as expected except for the Mallards in the harbour that have built up to 82 with a single Black Duck. Along the rocky shore were 2 Spotted Sandpipers and the usual Belted Kingfisher flew around calling loudly. As the sun set we positioned ourselves behind the obs scanning the horizon and it wasn’t long until 3 Common Nighthawks were spotted moving through but a total surprise sighting came when a Whimbrel glided over heading towards the lake shore.

22nd August

Hot once again as Bobolinks passed last years record with a total of 202 now banded! New birds seen for the fall were a very early Brown Creeper as well as a Black-throated Green, Nashville and Chestnut-sided Warbler. A second Sharp-shinned Hawk fell into a net with another seen soaring high overhead and 2 Northern Flickers also passed by. Over on the lake was a group of 38 Mallards.