Results of a special bird list in 2009

Some of you may remember that in 2009 I was keeping a separate list of birds seen and identified using only my eyes and ears; in other words "naked birding". My rules were fairly strict. I had to be able to identify the species based on what was only visible to my naked eye, or based on vocalizations heard without any enhancement. For example, if a species was seen and identified in binoculars but the field marks could not be made out without binoculars, the species was not counted. Also, any bird held in-hand for banding could not be counted.

The list totalled 232 species, with most of my birding done in Michigan and Ohio, but a trip in November to the central Atlantic Coast contributed 10 species to this total. I won't include the entire list here, but have included highlights and frustrations from the past year's efforts, in taxonomic order. Purists may argue that this blog posting in particular should not have photos, but seriously, wouldn't this just be the most boring post without them?

BRANT
A very rare species in Michigan, it is always nice to go to the Atlantic coast in late fall or winter to see numbers of this goose. They were quite tame at Barnegat Lighthouse, New Jersey, allowing great close views and photo opportunities.

RING-NECKED DUCK
Belle Isle is a great place to get close to waterfowl, from the comfort of your car. The subadult male Ring-necked Duck in the photo below was found on the Christmas Bird Count on January 1, and was one of the first species on the list for the year.

LONG-TAILED DUCK
There were two great opportunities in southeastern Michigan in 2009 for great views of Long-tailed Ducks. First, an adult male was found by Tom Pavlik in a small unfrozen pond in White Lake Township, Oakland County, in early February.

Then, on Belleville Lake, Wayne County, a small group of females and immatures swam close to shore in early March.

COMMON LOON
Low flyovers, including birds calling in flight (!) in mid-April at Metro Beach Metropark, Macomb County provided the first chance to add this species to the list. Later in the year, the individual below was very cooperative for the camera at Kiptopecke State Park, Virginia.

NORTHERN GANNET
It is always nice to see this species flying over the road, along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, Virginia.

BROWN PELICAN
Luckily, a few were still far enough north to be seen in Virginia in November.

CATTLE EGRET
Two were a surprise on the lawn in front of the park office at Sterling State Park, Monroe County while birding there on my birthday.

WHITE-FACED IBIS
A disappointment. Despite record numbers of this species in the state in spring 2009, and my being able to see two of them, neither the individual at Lake Erie Metropark, Wayne County, nor the one in Washtenaw County (first county record) came close enough for field marks to be seen, so could not be added to this list. At least they could be tallied on my other lists!

BROAD-WINGED HAWK
This one flew right in front of the car and landed on a signpost along the I-275 freewsay in early April in Canton. Quite a surprise.

GOLDEN EAGLE
Another disappointment. I had too few chances to attend the hawkwatch at Lake Erie Metropark this fall, so had very few chances to even see this species, and none were low enough to identify without binoculars.

RUDDY TURNSTONE
Easily seen at Barnegat Lighthouse, New Jersey in November.

PURPLE SANDPIPER
Many were easily seen at close range along the jetty at Barnegat Lighthouse, New Jersey.

DUNLIN
This species was seen at close range in Michigan more than once, but the most spectacular sighting of the year came at the Mispillion Bay Wildlife Area in Delaware with thousands of birds wheeling around on the mudflats there. The DuPont Nature Center, where the photo below was taken, is a great place to see thousands of Red Knot in May.

AMERICAN WOODCOCK
It is always fun to sit in the pre-dawn darkness at Oakwoods Metropark, Wayne County, and listen to the courtship activities of this species. Always an audio highlight of the year. This year, many were calling on March 19. Here is one of many recordings made that morning.

ANCIENT MURRELET
It was a thrill just to see this species in Michigan at all, as this was only the 7th ever, but it was even more special as the bird came so close to shore that binoculars were not needed for identification. Vocalizations were even heard!

CHUCK-WILL'S-WIDOW
Another rare species in Michigan, this one has been coming to Berrien County for the past few years and allowed me to obtain recordings, which I posted links to in a previous blog posting, but for those who missed it, click here.

RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD
What can I say? My favorite bird, so seeing one is always a highlight. This year, one at Crane Creek State Park, Ohio on my birthday (April 27) was the earliest I've ever seen one and a welcome addition to this special list.

RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD
Yes, I banded five of these in 2009, two in Michigan, two in Ohio, and one in Indiana. But the one in Shreve, Ohio in late October was a nice adult male that was easily identified without optical aids as it visited the feeder, as was the adult male in Indianapolis later in the year.

OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER
It was disappointing and yet exciting to band one in mid-August at Metro Beach Metropark, Macomb County. It was the first I've ever banded, but rules are rules and it could not be counted for this special list.

FISH CROW
Michigan's first ever showed up in spring and lingered all summer into fall. In early June, I spent several hours with these birds, which numbered at least 5 individuals and more likely 6. I obtained recordings which I posted links to in a previous blog posting, but for those who missed it, click here. For other audio highlights from 2009, you may want to revisit my blog posting from July 4, 2009.

TREE SWALLOW
There were many opportunities during 2009 to add this species to the list, but the most wonderful experience came in August when large flocks, many of them brown-backed immatures as in the photo below, were swirling around just after sunrise in the marsh.

RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH
The winter of 2008/2009 will be remembered for many interesting species, two of which are described below. But cooperative Red-breasted Nuthatches are always a delight, and while chasing crossbills and siskins, the one in the photo below provided entertainment as it fed on the cones in a Wayne County cemetery.

BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH
Another delightful species, and it was nice to see these so close, and so numerous, at the northern end of their range at Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware.

BROWN CREEPER
Rarely seen in our yard in Inkster, Wayne County, the one that has decided to overwinter has proven quite special as it worked our Redbud Tree only a few feet in front of me as I stood in the living room window in mid-December, and has provided repeat performances since then, though not for the camera!

ROCK WREN
I am rarely among the finders of rare birds in Michigan, so this one was astounding to run across on June 7 at the Port Huron State Game Area, St. Clair County. A 9th state record, this cooperative bird was even singing occasionally, and approached to within 8-feet, allowing naked-eye identification.

AMERICAN PIPIT
The first to be added to this list were flyovers at Lake Erie Metropark on October 12, but the most memorable experience in 2009 was driving the dikes at the Muskegon Wastewater System on October 17, providing my best-ever opportunities for photographing this sometimes difficult species. Two of the many great shots obtained are below.

SMITH'S LONGSPUR
The flock of 40-60 birds in Berrien County in April 2009 was an astounding number, given that mainly individuals have been the norm until now, and was a new state bird for me so I just had to go. They were singing, and so I was quickly able to add this species to this special list based on my recognition of their song. But, later, one breeding-plumaged male burst into song only about 30 feet behind us, giving great views, but being too camera-shy to stay their long enough for a photo.

PURPLE FINCH
My favorite place to see Purple Finches in southeastern Michigan is at the Eddy Discovery Center at Waterloo State Game Area, Washtenaw County. The place didn't disappoint, and I got the photo below of a male in the trees above the feeders on January 2.

PINE SISKIN
This species didn't get as much attention as the next species, but amazing numbers were present in the south, and even lingered to breed. The one in the photo below was at the same Wayne County cemetery that provided photo opportunities for the Red-breasted Nuthatch above and the crossbills below. Another highlight was hearing the jubilant song as they prepared to breed, recorded here at the Waterloo State Game Area, Washtenaw County.

WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL
The lure of the Loxia has drawn many birders into Michigan's Upper Peninsula. But the winter of 2008/2009 saw an irruption of this species into southern Michigan, and beyond, that allowed for many opportunities to view these tame birds at close range. Flocks of 100+ were at several locations, including the Brighton State Recreation Area, Livingston County where the first photo was taken. Many birders saw their first at the Tyler Road Cemetery in Van Buren Township, Wayne County, and this flock provided many hours of entertainment to photographers as well. Such an irruption may not occur again for decades.

They could easily be located by their calls; click here for one of many recordings, but also by the crunching noises as they fed on the cones!

2009 Hummingbird Banding Report

I have finally uploaded my 2009 hummingbird banding report. Many highlights and lots of interesting information.

Go to: http://www.amazilia.net/MIHummerNet/2009_Hummingbird_Banding_Summary.pdf

Uncle Budd

On Friday, August 28, 2009 Bernard (Budd) Chartier passed away at the Veterans Home in King, Wisconsin. Not only was he my uncle, but my godfather, and probably the main reason I got interested in birds. There is so much to say about the last 50 years I've known him, so I'll try to be brief.

Uncle Budd was born on April 4, 1921 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where I was also born. He was the second oldest of four brothers, including my uncle Cliff (deceased), uncle Ed, and my dad George. Here he is (on the right) in a photo, probably taken in the late 1920s at the height of the depression, with his brother Clifford, behind the house that my grandfather, Joseph Chartier, built himself and where Uncle Budd lived until he was in his late 70s.

Uncle Budd was the birdwatcher in the family; everyone knew this but I am not certain at what age this interest began. My dad talks about Uncle Budd taking in injured birds like American Robins, Cedar Waxwings, American Goldfinches, and even an Eastern Screech-Owl, rehabilitating them and releasing them back into the wild. This was in the 1930s and early 1940s, long before there were licensed wildlife rehabilitators. Among his favorite birds were the Cedar Waxwing (they have "perfect plumage"), Purple Martin, and Tree Swallow ("their wings are so graceful, perfect"). Here is a drawing that Uncle Budd did, perhaps before I was born in 1957, of a Tree Swallow rendered with colored pencil.

Birds and music go together, and Uncle Budd taught himself to play the piano on an old upright that the family inherited probably in the late 1920s. He was able to play many other instruments as well, but for many years could not read music! He was able to play lengthy classical pieces on the piano from memory, even when he was into his early 80s before his memory began to let him down. He was able to imitate many birds, including the complex songs of American Goldfinches. Uncle Budd wrote a song for our wedding in 1979 and honored us by playing it for us at our reception. Unfortunately, we don't have a recording of "our" song from the reception (we were busy!), but my parents did get cassette recordings of Uncle Budd's piano playing in 1986 and 1991. I have recently converted these tapes to digital format and am still working through the files to determine the titles of each piece. Here is one sample from 1991, when he was 60 years old; a little past his prime but still way better than I could do!

Uncle Budd playing Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata

In the early 1970s, both of my grandparents passed away, and Uncle Budd wrote the following song to honor their memory, recorded here in 1986.

Uncle Budd playing dedication to Joseph and Elizabeth

Even when he was in his 80s, he would entertain the staff at the Veterans Home, which they greatly appreciated as nobody had ever played the piano before.

Uncle Budd served in the U.S. Army from 1942-1946 in World War II, with his basic training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma where he told of enjoying the graceful aerial flights of the Scissor-tailed Flycatchers there. When I was a teenager, I painted a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher for his birthday. He was then shipped overseas, into the Pacific theater where he served first in New Guinea, then on to Morotai in the Moluccas, and finally to the Philippines.

Uncle Budd's "war stories" probably more than anything else, is what got me interested in birds. He never talked about the horrible things that certainly happened during his service. Instead, he talked about the head hunters in New Guinea who were friendly and sociable during the day, but were apparently very covetous of his red hair! He vividly described the wonderful jungles of these paradises that war had inadvertently sent him to see, including many colorful species of parrots, which were among his favorites. A copy of Cooper and Forshaw's Parrots of the World was one of his prized possessions and I was mesmerized as he paged through the plates, pointing out the wonders he'd seen. Eventually, I got my own copy of that book and it is still on my shelf. It wasn't until field guides for these areas were available in the 1990s that I was able to give these to him as birthday presents, allowing him to recognize a few birds from so many years ago. He described the ponderous, soaring flight of the Palm Cockatoos in New Guinea, as well as the white cockatoo that was "rescued" from a nest that he purchased from one of the locals, which he trained to be his pet...one with a luxurous jungle to roam around in, coming back to Uncle Budd when he whistled. On Morotai, which he said was his favorite place and where he'd love to live, he raised a species of racket-tailed parrot that was similar to others in the region, but was different enough that it might at least have been an unknown subspecies. His description of another large, harrier-shaped parrot, can be found in no field guides today. Who knows what may have been in those relatively unexplored forests back in the 1940s? To this day, in some strange way, I view all the birds in the wild almost as my pets too, and I try to visit them as often as I can.

Uncle Budd's stories sparked my imagination and curiousity, especially about birds, though I still remember fondly the enthusiastic conversations about UFOs, Von Daniken's latest book, or the great beauty of Zha Zha Gabor! His great sense of humor, and hearty laugh, was infectious.

It is part of the job of a godfather to guide their godchild through life in some way. I was very lucky to have such an enthusiastic birdwatcher as my uncle and godfather, and he surely got me interested in birds, and influenced me greatly in my life, even though he probably didn't know he was doing it. At the age of 17, I saw my 300th life bird, a Yellow-headed Blackbird, in Uncle Budd's backyard. I now realize that it is very important for young people to have someone to spark their curiousity about the natural world, and I now try to do this myself whenver I can, whether it is doing programs on hummingbirds locally, or teaching the 4th graders in West Bloomfield about bird banding and the scientific method. I am grateful that Uncle Budd was a part of my life, and I'll miss him. I'm sure that now he's enjoying all of the birds in paradise. Here's one last musical piece from him. Goodbye Uncle Budd.

Uncle Budd playing One Last Goodbye

Metro Beach Metropark - Fall Banding Report

The full report of the banding activies conducted at the banding station at Metro Beach Metropark, Macomb County, Michigan has been posted to my website.

Go to: www.amazilia.net/MetroBeachBanding

Scroll down to the "Fall 2009 Report" hyperlink to download a PDF of the report.

I have also updated the 2004 - Present page with the Fall 2009 data.

Allen's Hummingbird - A First for Ohio!

The excellent photo above (and some of those below) was taken by Bruce Glick on December 11, 2009. Remember to click on any photo you want to see larger. When Bruce told me about this bird, which had been coming since late September to the feeder of Mae Miller in southeastern Walnut Creek Township, Holmes County, Ohio, I had presumed it was an immature male Rufous Hummingbird as there have been more than 40 of them in Ohio over the past 30 years or so. I have been banding these birds in Ohio since 2001, and so I made my way through Amish country, probably seeing more buggies on this trip than on most, to her home in an area of Ohio known as "little Switzerland," not for the scenery but for the prevalence of Swiss immigrants in the area.

When my wife, Nancy, and I arrived just before 9 a.m., Mae excitedly told us that the bird was there right then, and indeed he was perched on the hook holding her hummingbird feeder. Soon, Bruce Glick and Ed Schlabach arrived, and after having a few more looks at this bird with a lot of rufous on the rump and tail, I was ready to set up my trap.

The feeder was fairly high up on a hook, and I had to be happy with putting my trap a couple feet lower so that I could easily and quickly get the bird out once it was trapped. It took about 15 minutes for him to figure out how to get in to the trap, and once he was in-hand, and indoors, I gave him a quick drink of sugar water which he greedily accepted. It was soon apparent that the reason he looked so rufous was that he had some adult-type tail feathers despite lacking a complete orange-red gorget of an adult.

This is a condition that I've never encountered before with immature male Rufous Hummingbirds, and when I spread out his tail feathers to examine them, I got a real surprise.

His tail did not look at all like what I was expecting for a Rufous Hummingbird, but was instead comprised of 8 tail feathers, of which 7 were very pointy and 1 that was very narrow with a white tip. The incomplete gorget and this one tail feather indicated that he was a hatch-year (immature) bird, while the adult male-type tail feathers clearly indicated he was male.

At this point, I was sure he was an Allen's Hummingbird, a species that had never been recorded in Ohio before! But, I had to prove it; in order to be accepted into the ornithological record the details of this bird would have to be thoroughly documented and accepted after review by the Ohio Bird Records Committee (a more thorough report than is provided here will be sent for their consideration).

I set about taking the necessary measurements, most of which involved the tail feathers (the scientific lingo for these feathers is rectrices, or the singular rectrix). The reference that hummingbird banders use to identify Rufous and Allen's Hummingbirds was written by F. Gary Stiles in 1972. Mr. Stiles is probably best known for co-authoring A Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica with Alexander Skutch in 1989. Over the years since 1972, his hummingbird ID criteria have proven to be extremely useful and accurate, and nobody has been able to improve upon them.

Both outer rectrices (designated r5 in the three photos below - click on the photos for a larger view) were very narrow and pointy. The width of the white-tipped immature r5 was measured as 1.81 mm. Stiles gives the range of this feather for immature male Rufous Hummingbirds as 2.7-3.6 mm and for immature male Allen's Hummingbird as 1.7-2.6 mm. Score one diagnostic point for Allen's! The width of the adult-type r5 was measured as 1.17 mm. The width of the adult-type r5 was measured as 1.17 mm. Stiles does not provide measurements for this feather for adult males, but another reference (McKenzie and Robbins 1999) does, with a sample size of 28 adult male Allen’s and 123 adult male Rufous. Their range for adult male r5 width for Rufous Hummingbirds is 2.35-2.93 mm and for Allen's Hummingbird as 1.50-1.90 mm. Score another diagnostic point for Allen's!

To be thorough, two other tail feathers needed to be assessed. The width of the central tail feather (usually designated as r1) is diagnostic between these two species. But the problem was that our bird only had 8 tail feathers, and it was difficult with the bird in-hand to figure out which ones were missing. The measurement of the innermost tail feathers on this bird was 5.84 mm, which is apparently too narrow for them to be the central ones for either species according to the expert opinion of my friend, Nancy Newfield. And the asymmetrical pattern of black on these feathers may provide additonal support that these feathers are really the second (r2) feathers. Another expert and friend, Bob Sargent, also feels that these innermost feathers are r2 and not r1. Among adult male Rufous Hummingbirds, this second rectrix (r2) is the most diagnostic of any tail feathers as it is very pinched in at the tip, and almost always also has a "notch" that is almost like a bit has been taken out of it. This is shown well in my photo below of an adult male Rufous Hummingbird banded a few years ago, also in Ohio.

But the Holmes County bird's second rectrix definitely did not have any such notch (compare this with the photos above), and so is a third diagnostic point in favor of it being an Allen's! Although the widths of both r5 tail feathers were diagnostic by themselves for Allen's, I wanted to be 100% sure of the situation with r1 and r2 on this bird, which required that I drive 228 miles back home and check this out more thoroughly. The resulting posting to the Ohio Birds chat group announcing the presence of this bird, and that the identification of the bird was "probable" when I left that morning, caused consternation among some in the Ohio birding community, but I'd rather take my time and be 100% sure than be quick but wrong.

After taking the bird outside to take most of the photos above to confirm plumage and feather shapes, I placed the bird in Mae's hand to release him. After sitting there for a few seconds, he blasted off into the backyard at full speed, uttering a sweet "chip chip" call. He was back at his feeder within 15 minutes, and continued to visit the feeder the remainder of the day. And I was finally able to enjoy the marvelous coffee cake that Mae had baked, and generously offered, to those of us involved in this amazing event!

As of this morning (December 15), Mae has had more than 350 people sign her guest book, and nearly everyone has had excellent and repeated views of his special bird.

Amazingly, another Allen's Hummingbird, an adult female, was banded by my friend Scott Weidensaul in the Amish Country of Pennsylvania only 290 miles due east, the day after I banded this one. Read the story of his adventures, many remarkably similar to mine, on his blog at: http://ofafeather.blogspot.com/

I would like to thank Bruce Glick for bringing this bird to my attention, for getting me in touch with Mae, and for allowing me to use some of his photos here. I would also like to thank Mae Miller for allowing us to come to her home to band this very special bird, and for giving permission to post photos of her on my blog.

There are a number of misconceptions about the banding of these birds, and I'd like to address some of them here.

One point that is often raised is that there is no value in banding these birds just to identify them. I agree completely! And the Bird Banding Lab (BBL) agrees too. The BBL, run by the U.S. Geological Survey, does not give out permits to someone merely for the purpose of identifying birds. Applicants must have a valid research plan, as well as demonstrate an ability to safely band the birds, and have other scientists and banders vouch for their claims. When I work hard to distinguish Willow and Alder Flycatchers from each other in-hand, the identification is not my purpose, but instead is a necessary first step, which is the same with these hummingbirds. My research plan for hummingbirds includes studying the age and sex classes that occur in each region, as well as studying their molt patterns, which are not well known. None of this data may be of interest to the general public, but eventually finds its way into scientific papers that are published after sufficient data has been collected, and statistically sound conclusions can be made. The identification of these hummingbirds is the only piece of data that tends to interest the general birder, and of course provides valuable information to state records committees wishing to document the avifaunas of their states. But identification is one piece of data, it is never an end in itself.

Another point sometimes brought up is that there is little we can learn by banding "rare birds" that are "off course" or "lost". Other than the data provided by examining the bird in-hand, including its molt condition, weight, and fat deposits, it has become quite clear in recent years (at least to banders, if not to birders) that these western hummingbirds occur quite regularly in the east, especially Rufous Hummingbird. Nearly every eastern state has at least one Rufous Hummingbird every fall now; far too many birds for them to be simply lost. And for many years there has been a peripheral wintering population of Rufous (and other) Hummingbirds in the Gulf States, and banding studies are beginning to paint a picture that these "lost" birds in the east are actually on a regular migration route. One immature male Rufous Hummingbird banded in Zanesville, Ohio returned (and was recaptured) the following winter at the same home as an adult male, and the year after that an adult male (probably the same one) was seen briefly at the same home in October. Lost? I wish I could navigate that well!

Some say that these birds will never be refound again, so why bother? Well, out of 4500+ Ruby-throated Hummingbirds I have banded since 2000, two of them have been found away from their banding sites. But out of nearly 60 Rufous Hummingbirds I've handled, one was recaptured in Louisiana in January after departing Indiana the previous September, and four of them were already wearing bands! One Rufous captured in Ohio had been banded the winter before in Georgia, while another captured in Ohio had been banded previously in South Carolina! Another Rufous captured in Michigan had been banded the winter before in Louisiana and another Michigan bird had been banded the winter before in North Carolina. So much for never being found again!

There is much we still don't know about these amazing little birds. And I hope to continue doing my part to try to unravel their secrets.

References:

McKenzie, P.M. and M.B. Robbins. 1999. Identification of adult male Rufous and Allen’s hummingbirds, with specific comments on dorsal coloration. Western Birds 30: 86-93.

Stiles, F.G. 1972. Age and Sex Determination in Rufous and Allen Hummingbirds. The Condor 74: 25-32.

Metro Beach Fall 2009 banding summary

This week marks the transition from fall migration banding at Metro Beach to winter banding in my yard in Inkster, Wayne Co., Michigan where the photo of the Tufted Timouse above was taken. Here is a brief summary of the fall banding results. A full report with analysis and comparisons will be posted on-line at the Metro Beach Banding web page, hopefully before the end of the year!

A total of 1639 new birds of 71 species, plus 231 recaptures and 32 released unbanded, resulted in 1902 total captures for the fall, the second highest since 2004. The nets were open a total of 145 hours on 22 days (1765 net hours) between August 2 and October 31, 2009 with a capture rate of 107.7 birds per 100 net hours, again the second highest since 2004. A hatch-year female Black-throated Blue Warbler banded on September 25 was the 10,000th bird banded since 2004 (slightly more than 24,000 birds have been banded at Metro Beach from 1989 to the end of this fall season). Listed below are the species and totals banded for the season.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 64

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 1

Downy Woodpecker - 10

Northern (Yellow-shafted) Flicker - 3

Olive-sided Flycatcher - 1

Eastern Wood-Pewee - 5

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher - 10

Alder Flycatcher - 4

Willow Flycatcher - 8

"Traill's" Flycatcher - 11

Least Flycatcher - 22

Eastern Phoebe - 5

Blue-headed Vireo - 5

Warbling Vireo - 9

Philadelphia Vireo - 1

Red-eyed Vireo - 9

Blue Jay - 1

Black-capped Chickadee - 12

Red-breasted Nuthatch - 1

Brown Creeper - 13

House Wren - 27

Winter Wren - 21

Marsh Wren - 5

Golden-crowned Kinglet - 64

Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 64

Veery - 2

Gray-cheeked Thrush - 14

Swainson's Thrush - 53

Hermit Thrush - 109

Wood Thrush - 1

American Robin - 62

Gray Catbird - 29

Cedar Waxwing - 39

Tennessee Warbler - 7

Orange-crowned Warbler - 8

Nashville Warbler - 46

Northern Parula - 4

Yellow Warbler - 28

Chestnut-sided Warbler - 8

Magnolia Warbler - 32

Black-throated Blue Warbler - 40

Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler - 7

Black-throated Green Warbler - 3

Blackburnian Warbler - 1

(Western) Palm Warbler - 4

Bay-breasted Warbler - 2

Blackpoll Warbler - 6

Black-and-white Warbler - 4

American Redstart - 9

Ovenbird - 14

Northern Waterthrush - 10

Mourning Warbler - 10

Common Yellowthroat - 81

Wilson's Warbler - 26

Canada Warbler - 5

Northern Cardinal - 8

Rose-breasted Grosbeak - 2

Indigo Bunting - 2

Eastern Towhee - 1

American Tree Sparrow - 3

Fox Sparrow - 2

Song Sparrow - 141

Lincoln's Sparrow - 15

Swamp Sparrow - 114

White-throated Sparrow - 160

(Eastern) White-crowned Sparrow - 7

Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Junco - 9

Red-winged Blackbird - 17

Common Grackle - 3

Baltimore Oriole - 8

American Goldfinch - 107

Metro Beach banding report - October 28 & 31, 2009

This is the final week of banding at Metro Beach for 2009. This is hard work, and serious research, but it is also fun and rewarding, so part of me is sad that fall banding is at an end for one more year. But another part of me is glad to see the month of October over and done with! As I write this on November 1st, it is a beautiful day with partly cloudy skies, temperatures in the 50s, and a very light breeze. It is the kind of day that would be perfect for banding, but which was all too rare in October.

We did band on two days this week, however, managing to dodge the weather sufficiently to band a few birds. On Wednesday, October 28, the rain that had been going on all night was almost finished when we arrived on-site at 6 a.m. and we decided to go with a "normal" setup and proceeded accordingly. This was a good decision as the rain completely stopped before we had the first (of 3) group of nets set up. I started the owl luring tape at the Swamp Nets and we continued with the setup. Saturday, October 31 was a different matter. Rain was predicted for most of the morning but in looking at the weather radar it appeared that we would not have any, and indeed that was the case as we arrived with no rain. The wind was another matter, however. The wind advisory set for today had been canceled, at least, but it was still windy and we had to set up differently. The Swamp Nets, along with owl luring tape, was set up first followed by the Field, Field Edge, and Willow nets. But when we got to the Upland area, it was clear that the blustery and gusty winds were going to prevent nets from working in this area, so only one of the four were set up here. The wind was marginal all day, billowing nets and filling them with leaves, and we closed early to allow volunteers to get home for Halloween. The owl lure did not catch any owls, but it was worth trying again; one of these years we'll succeed. Perhaps I'll have to think of a way to band owls overnight in the park (which is closed)?

Banding highlights from the 103 birds banded on Wednesday, October 28 included two first for the season though neither was the one I was expecting and hoping for. Eastern Towhee is always a nice bird to catch, as we don't catch them every year and usually just one per season. This one was a nice male, told by its black upperparts, and a hatch-year bird told by its brown eye instead of red.

Hatch-year male Eastern Towhee

Another species, a classic sign of winter, is the American Tree Sparrow. Last year we caught 5 of them on November 1, which was the first time this species had been captured in the fall here. Today, two of them were banded making this the official record early date for banding them here.

Hatch-year American Tree Sparrow

The central breast spot, the key field mark for this species, is not visible in this photo. But many birders are surprised to hear that a fair number of American Tree Sparrows do not have this marking. VARIATION is something that birders often forget to take into account, and it is the main reason that EXPERIENCE is so much more valuable than reading even the best field guides, or trolling the internet for (often mis-labeled) photos. Of course you get experience by going out and seeing birds as often as you can, and with others who are more experienced. It also points out that identifying birds by a single field mark can fail when that mark is absent! So, what other field marks are there? Check out the photo below, taken in November 2003 at a banding station in Canada, showing two similar sparrows, American Tree and Field.

American Tree (left) and Field Sparrows (at HBMO in 2003)

Note that there are several differences, when they are seen side-by-side. But which are good field marks? Note the pink bill on the Field Sparrow and the black-and-yellow bill on the Tree Sparrow. This is actually less variable than the breast spot, and a great thing to look for. Note also the plain face and complete white eyering on the Field Sparrow, and the distinct rufous eyeline (mainly behind the eye) in the Tree Sparrow. These are also good field marks. Studying this photo more closely will undoubtedly reveal more subtle differences.

A Dark-eyed Junco kept with the wintry theme of the day (bird-wise, not weather-wise), but the Eastern Phoebe reminded us that it was still fall migration after all, though this may be the latest one ever banded here.

Hatch-year Eastern Phoebe

Interesting birds observed but not banded included a single flyover Tundra Swan, two Great Horned Owls calling (no begging calls this morning), flyover American Pipits, an Orange-crowned Warbler, and at least 3 Fox Sparrows one of which sang back to Dave's iPod!

Banding highlights from the 21 birds banded on Saturday, October 31 included the first (2) Fox Sparrows of the season. Finally! Normally we band a couple of these before the middle of October, and often more after that. Their absence (in the field and in the nets) until today is puzzling.

Hatch-year Fox Sparrow

Another Dark-eyed Junco brought the season's total to 9, which is a record, while two more Winter Wrens brought the season's total to 21, just one short of last fall's record.

Hatch-year Winter Wren

And another American Tree Sparrow was a welcome capture. Three American Robins brought the season's total to 62, another record which was certainly due to the unusual number banded during September and October, which is not typical for this site. And a single Yellow-rumped Warbler brought some welcome color to this bleak day, and was the latest ever banded here.

Interesting birds observed but not banded included both a Tufted Titmouse and White-breasted Nuthatch, both fairly common in the park but infrequent visitors to the Swamp Woods/Marsh edge habitat of the banding area.

Many thanks to the volunteers who made banding on these two days possible with their flexible schedules to work around the annoying weather patterns this week: John Bieganowski, Kathleen Dougherty, Dave Lancaster, Tom Schlack, and Joan Tisdale.

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Banding Data
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WEDNESDAY, October 28, 2009
Sunrise (E.S.T.): 7:00
Time Open (E.S.T.): 5:45
Time Closed (E.S.T.): 12:45
Hours Open: 7.00
No. of Nets: 4.50-13.25
Net Hours: 86.375
Temperature (F): 50-61
Cloud Cover: 100-50%
Wind: NNW @ 3-5-10 mph
Barometer: 29.87-30.01
Precipitation: Light rain before open
No. Banded: 103 (plus 7 recaptured and 1 released unbanded)
No. of Species: 14
Capture Rate: 128.5 birds per 100 net hours
Volunteers: John Bieganowski, Dave Lancaster, Tom Schlack

Eastern Phoebe - 1
Black-capped Chickadee - 2 (plus 1 recaptured)
Winter Wren - 2 (plus 1 released unbanded)
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 3
Hermit Thrush - 4
American Robin - 6
Eastern Towhee - 1
American Tree Sparrow - 2
Song Sparrow - 23 (plus 2 recaptured)
Swamp Sparrow - 11 (plus 1 recaptured)
White-throated Sparrow - 13
Dark-eyed Junco - 1
American Goldfinch - 31 (plus 3 recaptured)

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SATURDAY, October 31, 2009
Sunrise (E.S.T.): 7:04
Time Open (E.S.T.): 6:15
Time Closed (E.S.T.): 12:15
Hours Open: 6.00
No. of Nets: 4.50-10.25
Net Hours: 57.875
Temperature (F): 54-54
Cloud Cover: 100-50%
Wind: SW @ 10-12 (gusts to 20) mph
Barometer: 29.59-29.79
Precipitation: Trace
No. Banded: 21 (plus 2 recaptured)
No. of Species: 9
Capture Rate: 39.7 birds per 100 net hours
Volunteers: Kathleen Dougherty, Joan Tisdale

Winter Wren - 2
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 10
American Robin - 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 1
American Tree Sparrow - 1
Fox Sparrow - 2
[Song Sparrow - 1 recaptured]
Dark-eyed Junco - 1
American Goldfinch - 1 (plus 1 recaptured)