October Week 4

This will be my last post for this amazing trip to North America as the next two days will be spent shutting down the banding station before jumping on a plane and heading back home to Lancashire (who should I pack?). Adding up my lists for the journey I have seen 290 species since crossing the Atlantic of which 63 have been lifers. This made me look at my life list and I soon realised that Kittlitz’s Murrelet was a very important bird taking me to the landmark of 1000. I have really enjoyed getting to learn more about the birds through banding and have reached an impressive total of 116 species. So it’s now time to go back to all my Blue Tits in the garden and try to sort out what to do with my life!!!!!!!!!!!! (any ideas?)

31st Oct – wash out

Rain and more rain as the season comes to an end.

30th Oct – 3rd Shrike

Banding was slow today as just 25 birds were caught. However another record was broken as we caught our third Northern Shrike. Only raptors of the day seen were a Cooper’s Hawk and a Northern Harrier but a cool surprise in net 8 was a Saw-whet.


Downy Woodpecker

29th Oct – Blackbirds head south

A light northerly wind definitely had our heads pointing up this morning as an estimated 2500 Red-winged Blackbirds and 700 Common Grackles moved over, as did 27 Buff-bellied Pipits. The majority of the days catch were 20 Slate-coloured Juncos whilst a Pine Siskin was a nice change.

The lake was full of life on a calm afternoon as I recorded:
· 67 Common Loons
· 46 Horned Grebes
· 2 Gadwall
· 4 Black Ducks
· 65 Mallards
· 500 Long-tailed Ducks
· 4000 Greater Scaup
· 10 Black Scoter
· 12 Surf Scoter
· 420 White-winged Scoter
· 9 Buffleheads
· 75 Red-breasted Mergansers

28th Oct – closed

A rather damp day resulted in very little noted with just a Northern Harrier, whilst a walk in Traverse Wood found just 10 Golden-crowned Kinglets and a Myrtle Warbler. Last night we caught a Screech Owl.

27th Oct – Meadowlark drops in

104 reached now as a Red-bellied Woodpecker found our hawk nets, also caught were 2 House Finch. By the afternoon the wind had gone and out on the lake were 10 Black, 7 Surf and 500 White-winged Scoters as well as 40 Horned Grebes, 300 Long-tailed Ducks, 30 Buffleheads, 15 Black Ducks and 3000+ Greater Scaup. A group of shorebirds also flew by comprising of 4 Sanderling, 3 Dunlin and a White-rumped Sandpiper. Late afternoon and the grass in front of the house filled with 40+ Robins and an Eastern Meadowlark.


Eastern Meadowlark

26th Oct – repeat of yesterday

The sun was out today and thankfully this meant we could get a little electricity from the solar panels. Today we dropped to 39 birds banded but our observations were similar to yesterday with a Golden Eagle over and a visit from an Evening Grosbeak but this time a female and unfortunately she was more interested in the few hornbeam seeds rather than our sunflower seeds.


Eastern Bluebird

25th Oct – list grows one more

At last the wind finally makes it back around to the northwest. Bird numbers stayed very stable though but there was a little activity overhead with a 1st year Golden Eagle (first for year at the point) and 2 Red-tailed Hawks. A walk to the lighthouse found a very late Blue-grey Gnatcatcher with a group of Chickadees. But by far the best sighting of the day was of a bird I’ve been hoping to see for some time now. It was mid morning when a volunteer walked into the banding lab saying she had just seen a large bird by the feeders with yellow and a big bil…………. I shot out and after staring at the large cedar trees for ten minutes or more, the bird hopped out into view, WOW it really was an EVENING GROSBEAK and a stonking male as well! (that’s when the eagle flew over which was a lifer for Brendan)


Evening Grosbeak

An hour later and he finally made his way into the trap. As the sun set we were ready for a busy night and we were not disappointed as we got our biggest catch of the season as were hauled in 79 Saw-whets along with another Barred Owl.

24th Oct – first tree return

Much better weather today as a gentle southeast wind blew and cloud cover meant for warmer temperatures of 12-15 degrees Celsius. The nets delivered 70 birds with another addition to the seasons list when two American Tree Sparrows were caught. In the yard 3 Eastern Bluebirds made a brief visit. Out on the lake there are still 8 Black, Surf and 200 White-winged Scoters but conditions were far from ideal for scanning.


American Tree Sparrow

23rd Oct – strong winds stop play

Sadly the strong easterly winds and threat of rain tracking over the lake meant no banding was carried out. An early watch on the lake found a flock of 80 Brants heading south as were 3 Common Loons. Morning census was carried out with only 17 species logged. But this did include a single Vesper Sparrow feeding along the roadside verge. By the afternoon the weather was improving so we made attempts to catch the sparrow and after an hour or saw after being out foxed by the bird we finally got it! Bringing the seasons total to 102 species and forms.


Vesper Sparrow

22nd Oct – 2 Warbler species

The day started with Dave heading off to Quebec for the weekend attending the Canadian Migration Network meeting at Tadoussac leaving me in charge!!!!!!!!!!!! The weather was calm and cloudy with a few birds flying around early on with 5 Buff-bellied Pipits and 400 Red-winged Blackbirds. The nets confirmed that there were very few birds in the woods with just 51 birds caught. (maybe an indication that the season is coming to an end?) Best bird banded was a fine male Pine Warbler that bizarrely got caught in a ground trap, the only other warbler seen were 4 Myrtles. 3 Northern Cardinals also appeared around the feeders.


Pine Warbler

October Week 3

21st Oct – retraps continue

Its now been two days since the last arrival and they are still here! The days catch was 137 birds with a further 71 retraps of mainly Golden-crowned Kinglets and White-crowned Sparrows. However we had a late female Black-throated Blue Warbler and two more Fox Sparrows along with 58 Golden-crowned Kinglets (31 retraps).

20th Oct – shrike surprise 2

Well would you believe it a second Shrike appeared today and once again it was in a net. This time a juvenile bird that equals the previous best fall record of a bird that isn’t caught every year. Kinglet numbers were still high with 90 new Golden and 15 Ruby-crowned. In the afternoon conditions weren’t easy looking out over the lake but I managed to find 5 Surf and the 6 Black Scoters bobbing up and down long with 200 White-winged Scoters, 30 Horned Grebes, 30 Long-tailed Ducks and a Black Duck.


Northern Shrike

19th Oct – cracked 100

The day started calm and frosty as the sun started to rise over the lake. Straight away birds were seen heading over the point with up to 400 Red-winged Blackbirds and small groups of Chickadees with a final count of 50. The nets produced the highest catch of the week with 174 birds banded and we also reached 100 species and forms with the addition of Red-winged Blackbird to the fall list. I must say that there is little variety in the birds present now as the bulk was 98 Golden-crowned Kinglets. However there was one surprise find when an adult Northern Shrike appeared in a net.


Northern Shrike

18th Oct – scoter trio

Another sunny day with a light Northeast wind meant raptors were on the move again as we caught an amazing 8 Sharp-shinned Hawks with a further 50 estimated flying over. Also heading over in the first 2 hours of daylight were a Bald Eagle, 6 Red-tailed Hawks, Goshawk, 100+ American Robins and a Buff-bellied Pipit. As the day progressed the wind died down to nothing making ideal conditions for grilling the lake. Straight away I started scanning the White-winged Scoter flock that numbered 400, it wasn’t long before I came across 14 Surfs and then 6 Blacks. Other ducks included the return of 8 Long-tails, 14 Bufflehead as well as the very distant Scaup flock now estimated at 3000 (could be any number really). Not so many Grebes with just 4 Horned and 1 Red-necked but down around the lighthouse was a flock of 6 Dunlin.


Sharp-shinned Hawk

Tonight the Owls finally got going with 69 Saw-whets caught as well as 5 controls, also we caught another grey Eastern Screech Owl and a Barred Owl. The Barred Owl also had a second friend as they both caused mischief around the nets.

17th Oct – geese head south

As we walked out of the building at first light we immediately saw a flock of 60 Atlantic Black Brant flying low over the lake heading south. Today was a much better day for raptor watching as the sun was shining. Throughout the day I personally managed to see a Red-shouldered Hawk, 2 Northern Harriers, 2 Goshawks, 6 Red-tailed and 8 Sharp-shinned Hawks. Also on the move were 210 Common Grackles and 20 Red-winged Blackbirds. Out of the nets came an Orange-crowned, Nashville and 2 Myrtle Warblers.


Ruby-crowned Kinglet

16th Oct – late warbler

Much the same as yesterday for both the weather and birds. Overhead a Red-tailed Hawk drifted over as did 11 American Crows. Out of the nets came 23 Golden and 18 Ruby-crowned Kinglets but by far the biggest surprise was as I pulled out a Yellow-breasted Chat from a bag! This being only the 2nd bird of the year and over 2 weeks later than any previous records for the Kingston area. The night owling was hampered by the presence of a Barred Owl but thankfully there was very little food around.


Yellow-breasted Chat

15th Oct – quiet start

A strong Northeast wind continued to blow as we managed to band 74 birds. 13 were Ruby-crowned and 10 were Golden-crowned Kinglets along with 3 Blue-headed Vireos. Sparrows were active around the ground traps with 8 White-crowned, 4 White-throated, 2 Song and a Chipping all being new. In the evening a pair of Northern Cardinals made a brief visit.

October Week 2

14th Oct – Barred causes trouble

A northeast wind meant that it was a cold day as we dropped to 94 birds of which 28 were Kinglets and 13 Hermit Thrushes as the only warbler was an Orange-crowned. The most alarming sight occurred mid morning as a net check of lane eight saw a Barred Owl holding onto a thrush in the net. As I approached the owl tried to fly away with the bird but soon gave up as it flew up into the trees. Amazingly the Hermit Thrush was still alive as it few off strongly into cover after being extracted despite loosing a few feathers in the experience. Later on the only worthy sighting was a Goshawk the circled over. At night we were owling once again and thankfully there was no sight of the Barred but 18 Saw-whets were caught by midnight along with our second Screech Owl of the season.


Northern Saw-whet Owl

13th Oct – Turkeys feel safe

Much the same as yesterday with another drop in bird numbers to 127 banded despite the wind still being in a favourable direction. Early morning logged 180 Common Grackles moving south. A walk to the lighthouse found a single Black Duck with the 37 Mallards in the harbour and whilst walking through the dry swamp I disturbed four roosting Wild Turkeys.

12th Oct – Thanksgiving

Barred Owl

As I ventured out of bed this morning I was given a band and was sent to the banding lab where a Barred Owl was waiting for me after being caught overnight along with 42 Saw-whet Owls. (best night so far) After playing with my banding tick and only getting bitten once we headed out and opened the nets on a cool morning as the first frost laid on the ground. Bird numbers were slightly down as the ground traps start to make a larger input with 30+ White-crowned Sparrows of which 10 were adults and therefore identified as Eastern White-crowns but there was also an intermediate bird as well. In the evening we enjoyed a big turkey dinner.


‘intermediate’ White-crowned Sparrow

11th Oct – Fox return

Banding again was busy once again with 245 birds caught of which 127 were Ruby-crowned Kinglets. New for the season was a Fox Sparrow as possibly the last Blackpoll Warbler was also banded and for the second day running a large female Cooper’s Hawk managed to bounce! As wind strength increased we were forced to close at the end of the period. A look at the lake mid-afternoon got a single Surf Scoter with 16 White-winged Scoters and 5 Horned Grebes bouncing up and down on the waves. Over at the lighthouse a flock of 6 Black-bellied Plovers dropped onto the rocks briefly followed by 3 Eastern Bluebirds around the obs at dusk.

10th Oct – RCKI’s

Another wave of birds arrived today as the wind was back from the Northwest. 315 birds were banded as variety starts to drop to 28 species. The majority of the total was made by 31 Hermit Thrushes, 56 Golden-crowned and 132 Ruby-crowned Kinglets. Warblers were represented by 8 species with 15 Myrtle, 4 Nashville, 2 Orange-crowned, Black-throated Blue, Magnolia, Western Palm, American Redstart and Ovenbird.


Myrtle Warbler

9th Oct – lake bursts into life

A very calm cloudy day made good for lake watching. The nets were still catching Kinglets mostly with 71 Ruby-crowned and 34 Golden Crowned. Numbers were boosted by a Black-throated Blue, Orange-crowned, American Redstart and 3 Myrtle Warblers to 142 birds for the day. Grabbing my telescope I headed out to the lakeshore just after lunch, the water surface was still flat calm making viewing easy and birds were everywhere. Winter must be on the way as I counted 44 Horned (Slavonian) and 2 Red-necked Grebes, 9 Lesser Scaup, 150 White-winged and 2 drake Surf Scoters but by far the most numerous was a large raft of c.2000 Greater Scaup out in the distance.


Swamp Sparrow

8th Oct – Sapsucker sets new heights

A Northwest wind meant we were back in business with birds flooding through. The skies were filled with 150 Turkey Vultures, 4 Red-tailed Hawks, Bald Eagle and a Cooper’s Hawk. Whilst the nets were filling up with 63 Hermit Thrushes, 48 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, 11 Myrtle Warblers and a second very late Black-billed Cuckoo after yesterdays. However most notable was the fact that another record was broken as we tallied up 7 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers for the day. In the evening the mud in the harbour finally produced a bird as a single Solitary Sandpiper had a good feed whilst a Belted Kingfisher watched from above.


Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

October Week 1

7th Oct – nil

The absolute opposite to yesterday as strong westerly winds prevented the nets from being opened. A walk to Traverse Wood could only find a few birds skulking around on the floor searching for food. 20+ Hermit Thrush, 14 Myrtle, 4 Black-throated Blue, 1 Ovenbird and a Western Palm Warbler were noted. Along the road was a dead Milk Snake, just another road casualty!


Black-throated Blue Warbler

6th Oct – Hermits turn

Over night a slight switch from west to northwest winds delivered another wave of birds. Right from the start it was obvious that it was the turn of the Hermit Thrush along with more Ruby’s. Banding total for the day was 303 with 96 Hermit Thrush and 57 Ruby-crowned Kinglets. Followed by 39 Golden-crowned Kinglets, 18 Myrtle Warblers, 8 White-breasted Nuthatch, 8 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and a very late Black-billed Cuckoo. (still waiting for a yellow!!!!!!) 3 Ravens flew over calling.


Hermit Thrush

5th Oct – another hundred

Much the same as yesterday with just over a hundred banded. Best being an Orange-crowned Warbler and Northern Parula. 47 Red-breasted Mergansers were off shore with a Great Black-backed Gull as the skies were owned by a Cooper’s Hawk, 2 Red-tailed Hawks and a Merlin.

4th Oct – 5000 reached

As the wind blew from the west were received the odd light shower. Banding was able to continue with 130 birds caught, there was nothing out of the ordinary but today was special as American Goldfinches crept passed 2000 with 32 banded. Another landmark was reached as we made it to 5030 birds banded for the season. Out on the lake a group of 6 White-winged Scoters flew by.


Blue-headed Vireo

3rd Oct – evening surprise

A calm sunny morning gave the chance for birds to leave over night as numbers dropped to 70 birds. At first light a Wild Turkey was strutting around the harbour calling loudly as 4 Ruffed Grouse were seen around the net rides. The grouse are now a daily occurrence with birds jumping into nets nearly ever other day. Two Spotted Sandpipers dropped into the lighthouse mid Afternoon as a male Scarlet Tanager flitted around the trees.

After dark and I was up for my four hour stint owling after opening at 19:15 hrs. The first net check had a cracking surprise as an Eastern Screech-owl was found with one Saw-whet. Later checks found a control Saw-whet as well as 2 bats.


Eastern Screech-owl

2nd Oct – return of an old friend

An overcast day as the wind blew from the south. Banding was still good with over 150 caught including a second late Wood Thrush, 42 Ruby-crowned and 12 Golden-crowned Kinglets. Warblers present were 3 Magnolia, 6 Nashville, 7 Black-throated Blue, 9 Myrtle, American Redstart and an Ovenbird. However the biggest turn up was a Broad-winged Hawk that lumbered into the swamp net, more surprising is that its one we banded nearly a month ago! Just where has it been hanging out all that time without being seen? And that wasn’t all, after we released it, yep you guessed it, it flew straight back into the exact same spot of the swamp net. Thankfully it was a very quiet bird and probably very happy after gaining 130 grams since early September.


Black-throated Green Warbler

1st Oct – new month starts with a bang!

Continuing on from the end of last week we were kept very busy out at the nets. A high percentage of the catch was 56 Blue-headed Vireos, 54 Ruby and 26 Golden-crowned Kinglets along with 34 Black-throated Blue Warblers and 8 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers. As the morning progressed we picked up 4 new species, which were Wood Thrush, Pine Warbler, Swamp Sparrow and Rusty Blackbird.


Orange-crowned Warbler

After finishing banding I took a walk around to the lighthouse where there were even more birds. Most numerous where 60 Myrtle Warblers and 40 White-throated Sparrows with a mix of 30 Black-throated Blues, 4 Black-throated Greens, 8 Blackpoll, Northern Parula, Tennessee and Orange-crowned Warbler, 10 White-breasted Nuthatch and 3 Scarlet Tanagers. Evening netting was rewarded with 6 Northern Saw-whets as a Great Horned Owl could be heard calling in the distance.

September Week 4

30th Sept – mass migration starts

What a difference a north westerly makes as temperatures finally plummet to 5 degrees Celsius kick starting the birds into migrating. It was obvious right from the start that it was to be a good day from the little blue dots on the radar to the calling kinglets and warblers that could be heard everywhere as the nets were opened. Back at the obs waiting for the first net round a brief look at the skies saw 12 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 2 Rusty Blackbirds and a flock of 25 Tree Swallows. As the birds started flowing into the banding lab there were 2 additions to the species and forms list, with 4 Orange-crowned Warblers and a Flicker ‘intergrade’. (hybrid bird between the eastern and western race showing feathers with pinkie/red shafts as well as the usual yellow)


Flicker ‘intergrade’

Where there are lots of birds generally means lots of predators and that was the case today with 6 Sharp-shinned Hawks being banded along with many more seen bouncing out of nets! High totals today came from 47 Blue-headed Vireos, 25 Black-throated Blue Warblers, 20 Golden-crowned and 17 Ruby-crowned Kinglets whilst Goldfinches only reached 14 as the days catch totalled 230 birds of 34 species. A stroll in the evening found much the same with the addition of a Pine Warbler and a male Northern Cardinal out in the Red Cedars.

29th Sept – return of the Goldfinch

Rain once again from first light resulting in extra bed time! By 10 o’clock the front had passed and as we stepped out flocks of Blue Jays and Goldfinches were passing over so we set the ground traps seeing an Orange-crowned Warbler in the process, heading out to the nets we were surprised to see warblers flitting ahead so we gave the nets a good shake and opened. Returning back to the obs the ground traps had filled up with 16 Blue Jays and many Goldfinches. Throughout the morning the wind swung from the south through to the Northwest, just what we’ve been waiting for! Anyway we already had lots of birds to deal with as a surprise return of Goldfinches tallied up to 176 bringing our total just 70 shy of 2000 for the fall.


White-breasted Nuthatch

The nets were also bringing in lots of birds with 34 Myrtle, 10 Black-throated Blue, Bay-breasted and a Tennessee Warbler to name a few. By 17:00hrs we had banded 277 birds and called it a day, well until dark when the owl nets were opened and we caught a single bird at 22:30.

28th Sept –rain ends play

Strong southerly winds greeted us this morning as rain approached from the west. In our short 2.5 hour session before the rain hit we manage to catch 20 birds and hundreds of leaves!!!!!! Very frustrating but thankfully as the rain came even more leaves dropped making the following days easier. Out of the birds caught the most notable was yet another Mourning Warbler that has now doubled the previous record to 8.

27th Sept – banding written off

The constant threat of showers all morning that never really materialised meant that no banding was carried out. Over the lake first thing flew 2 Common Loons and 5 White-winged Scoters as a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk hid in the wood. By the afternoon the weather finally started to clear out as I took a walk to Point Traverse, on route a walk along the beach found a dead Red-necked Grebe washed up. Once in the wood it took me a while of searching before I located a rather substantial warbler flock. The most obvious birds however were the noisy 12+ Black-capped Chickadees along with 8 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, a Philadelphia and 3 Blue-headed Vireos. The warblers were feeding low down in the bushes making viewing easy and hard! The flock comprised of a Tennessee, 3 Nashville, 3 Northern Parula, 5 Black-throated Blue, 8 Myrtle, 12 Black-throated Green, 5 Magnolia, 1 Blackburnian, 4 Blackpoll and a Wilson’s.


Blaclpoll Warbler

26th Sept – white crowns appear

Easterly winds cause a drop in bird numbers. From the nets came 2 Tennessee, Nashville, Black-throated Blue, 2 Myrtle, Black-throated Green and a Blackpoll Warbler. As two Eastern White-crowned Sparrows from the ground traps brought the days tally to 57 along with increasing the seasons list by one.

25th Sept – hawk added to the list

A northeast wind had Canada Geese moving at first light as 64 headed south. The nets yielded over one hundred again with 3 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Least Flycatcher, Eastern Pheobe, 2 Northern Parula and a Bay-breasted Warbler being the pick off the bunch. But it was the first net round that produced the most excitement as a large bird was flushed through the woods at net lane 4. Walking back passed lane 3 and 2 I arrived at the first set of hawk nets and there to my right laid a large hawk. As I approached all I could see was its big long tail and as I grabbed its legs a closer look revelled a very square head. It’s a Cooper’s Hawk, taking my big impressive banding tick back to the lab the only comment I got was “that’s a small one”. Well I was impressed by my hatch year male but now wonder how big would a Goshawk actually be?


Cooper’s Hawk

24th Sept – Merlin strikes again

Birds were on the move again as the wind had swung round to the north and the sun was back out. Straight away new birds for the fall were seen with several Slate-coloured Juncos along the trail followed with Golden-crowned Kinglets and Hermit Thrush. Banding was a lot more productive with a total of 204 caught. Most numerous were 23 Swainson’s and 13 Grey-cheeked Thrushes whilst ten species of warbler were topped by 10 Black-throated Blues. The prize of the bunch however goes to our second Merlin, a little male from the swamp net bringing the observatories total to four! After closing around at the lighthouse a Buff-bellied Pipit gave great views on the beach as two immature Bald Eagles drifted over out across the lake. Before midnight we caught ourselves a couple of Saw-whet Owls.


Buff-bellied Pipit

23rd Sept – a late Canadian

A dry cloudy day meant the nets could be opened as the wind remained from the south. From the 78 caught the most unusual goes to a late Canada Warbler that was accompanied by 3 Blackpoll, 3 Western Palm and an American Redstart but the bulk of the catch once again goes to the Goldfinches. A little stroll around the harbour in the afternoon produced a fly over Barn Swallow and 3 Black Ducks.


Ruby-crowned Kinglet

22nd Sept – a very quiet day

The morning was hampered with frequent showers so as a result we only managed to catch 16 Goldfinch out of the ground traps along with a Red-breasted Nuthatch. The light southerly wind meant little was on the move with the harbour sheltering just 3 Great Blue Heron and 47 Mallards.

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.