Florida Trip - Day 3

As we drove south out of Montgomery this morning, we saw our first signs of waterbirds with a small group of a dozen or so Great Blue Herons flying over the freeway. The temperature this morning was 32 degrees and all the vegetation was frosty though none of the water was frozen. We also saw a sign of the deep south, Spanish Moss draped all over the trees. We made our way into the Florida Panhandle, and drove around in the vicinity of the Choctawhatchee River, which is where there have been possible reports of Ivory-billed Woodpeckers recently. We didn't get so lucky, but did stand at a boat ramp that gave views off into the swamp. Even if the Ivory-bills no longer exist, standing in an area near where they once existed is still something I feel worthwhile doing.



From here we drove northeast to Florida Caverns State Park. We had information that the Georgia Blind Salamander was found here, so we thought we'd give it a try. Once there, they told us that it was in their cave system but only rarely was seen in the cave as the water table is usually too low. We tried our luck on the surface, finding one tiny Southeastern Slimy Salamander on a rock wall under some leaf litter, and this Green Anole (they're sold as "chamaeleons as they can change color) under a log.



From here we went back southeast to the Apalachicola National Forest where we had brief looks at two Red-cockaded Woodpeckers as they came in to roost for the night. No photos but I did manage to get a brief recording of their vocalizations. The temperature rose to 60 degrees today, we're definitely in Florida! We drove quite a ways in the dark to Medart, Florida for the night.

Florida Trip - Day 1 & 2

After having canceled two vacations this year, mainly due to the poor economy, we finally decided we could afford to get away for a few days and decided to drive to Florida and back, with no set itinerary.

Day 1, December 5, 2008

We left this morning at 7 a.m., with the temperature at 19 degrees. Today was mainly a travel day, so we didn't see too many birds other than the common roadside species including Red-tailed Hawks, American Kestrels, American Crows, European Starlings, and of course Rock Pigeons. Once we crossed into Kentucky, we soon saw a couple of Black Vultures, and the first Loggerhead Shrike of the trip was near Sonora on the way to Louisville, where we stopped for gas. Thanks to driving a hybrid, we only used $14 worth of gas to drive from Detroit to Louisville. We also started seeing what I consider a sure sign of being in "the south", evergreen balls of mistletoe in the trees. We drove south from Louisville and got a room in Cave City, then went into Mammoth Cave National Park. We asked about tours for tomorrow, and also asked about salamanders. One helpful park person suggested we walk to the Three Springs area where there was flowing water out of a hillside, where hopefully there would be Spring Salamanders. No luck. The temperature never went above 32 today.

Day 2, December 6, 2008

We drove around in Mammoth Cave National Park for a while before our tour started at 10:15, with the best bird seen being the flock of about 15 Wild Turkeys. We decided to take a 2-hour tour that would optimize the time we had available with seeing the most formations. Photography was difficult in the dim light, but I did manage a few decent photos. One of these is below.

Nancy and I like caves because of the formations, but also because of the various creatures that can be seen inside, including some of our favorites, salamanders. This time, we were lucky enough to see a single spider, and Cave Crickets, which really looked more like brown, blind, katydids.

After lunch, we continued driving south, through Tennessee and into Alabama, where we stopped near Montgomery for the night. Temperatures are warming up, as we started at 28 and ended at about 45.

Three Rufous Hummingbirds

After the main Ruby-throated Hummingbird banding season, I typically spend a lot of time (and miles) chasing down and banding other species in Michigan, Ohio, and northern Indiana. Reports typically come in during October and November, but sometimes as early as August and as late as December. Last year (2007) I banded a record four in Michigan, but significantly fewer (two) in Ohio and none in northern Indiana. In 2006 there were again only two in Ohio, one in Indiana and none in Michigan. Prior to this recent dip in numbers, 5-6 in Ohio was expected and at least two in northern Indiana. So far this year, I've banded three Rufous Hummingbirds, one in Ohio and two in Michigan. One other Rufous was banded in southwestern Ohio by Tim Tolford and one Rufous was banded in southern Indiana by Cathie Hutcheson. Here, I provide photos and brief details of the three Rufous Hummingbirds I've banded so far.

Adult female Rufous Hummingbird in Bexley, Franklin Co., OH

First Observed: mid-October 2008 (?), Last Observed: 5 December 2008+

On November 14, I arrived at the home of JoAnn LaMuth, where several local birders, and a reporter and photographer from the Columbus Dispatch had assembled. Now, 95% of the Rufous Hummingbirds I've banded have taken 5-10 minutes to enter the trap. This one took a full 2 1/2 hours! This allowed us to discuss many, many aspects of hummingbird biology, and birding, with the newspaper folks. About a minute before I was ready to quit, the bird arrived (5 hours after the last sighting) and went into the trap. Note in the photo below that she is missing quite a few feathers on her lower throat. This is something I associate with a minor mite infestation, but I can't say for sure what the cause might be on this bird.

The shapes and widths of the tail feathers are important criteria for identifying these birds. The second tail feather from the center on this bird was broken off on one side, and very slightly "notched" on the other side, which is characteristic of Rufous. The width of the outer tail feather was 3.63mm, which also is characteristically wide enough for Rufous.

Adult female Rufous Hummingbird in Shields, Saginaw Co., MI

First Observed: mid-October 2008 (?), Last Observed: 5 December 2008+

This bird, at the home of Bernie Coleman, was very cooperative, going into the trap within 10 minutes of my setting up the trap. She had a total of 17 iridescent gorget feathers, which is about typical of an adult female (ranging from 7-21).

Females are consistently entirely green above, from forehead to tail tip, with no rufous visible on the base of the central tail feathers.

The second tail feather of this female was more noticeably notched than the Ohio bird, and the outer tail feather was measured at 3.48 mm (it looks narrower in the photo below due to the angle I'm holding it at), wide enough to confirm Rufous. This bird also showed a molt pattern on the primaries that I've come to consider normal in this region, as 95% of them have shown it. The outer 4 primaries were old and all the inners were new and recently replaced.

Adult male Rufous Hummingbird in Holland, Ottawa Co., MI

First Observed: 7 November 2008, Last Observed: 5 December 2008+

It has been a while since I banded an adult male Rufous in the region. This bird was coming to the feeders of Nancy Gillis, who photographed it quite nicely, and who generously allowed me to come and band the bird on December 1. This bird was very anxious to go into the trap, and flew up before I had the door propped open. Within two minutes, he was in-hand being measured and photographed. He had the full gorget of an adult male, though the lighting did not allow the iridescent color to be seen.

The entirely rufous-brown back made the identification easy. Note the snow in the background, almost certainly not the first this adult has seen in its lifetime.

The pointed tail feathers without any white tips is also characteristic of an adult male. And, the second tail feather is described as "notched" in this species, but as the photo shows it appears more like a couple of bites have been taken out of it. Weird.

Whenever possible, I try to allow the homeowners to "release" their hummingbird. In the photo below, Nancy got a few seconds of "hand time" with her adult male Rufous, which bolted into a large tree in the yard and was back at the feeder (trap removed) within minutes.

Metro Beach Banding - Brief Summary of Fall 2008 Results

Banding was conducted for the 4th consecutive fall season at Metro Beach Metropark, Macomb County, Michigan, as part of a continuing long term migration monitoring project to assess changes in migrant status, and to reaffirm the value of this isolated habitat as a resting and refueling stop, as well as other more specific research objectives. Results will be compared with banding efforts conducted here by Ellie Cox from 1989-2001. Hopefully, this continued monitoring will help park management make informed decisions about habitat management and prevent any future attempts to develop this area. This data is also contributed to the continent-wide Landbird Monitoring Network of the Americas (LaMNA); www.klamathbird.org/lamna

Banding was conducted on 22 days between August 9 and November 1, with 13 nets open a total of 158 hours and 1891 net hours in an area ~175 meters (~200 yards) square (~3 hectares or ~8.3 acres). A total of 1841 birds of 77 species (records for both) was banded. A detailed summary will be posted sometime before the end of the year on my website at: http://www.amazilia.net/MetroBeachBanding/

Thank you to the many volunteers who made this research possible: Barb Adams, John Bieganowski, Russ Brown, Terri Chapdelaine, Chris Goulart, A'Monica Hubbard, Thierry Lach, Dave Lancaster, Harry Lau, Rose Lau, Tessa Lau, Frank Lautner, Lori Leighton, Bonita Olesen, Steve Olesen, Renee Render, Greg Scheffler, Tom Schlack, Michelle Serreyn, Joan Tisdale, Johanna Wielfaert.

TOTAL BIRDS BANDED

Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1 (4th ever)
American Woodcock - 1 (first for fall)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 74
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1 (2nd ever, first for fall)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 1 (6th ever)
Downy Woodpecker - 12
Hairy Woodpecker - 1
Northern Flicker - 6 (record)
Eastern Wood-Pewee - 1
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher - 5
Alder Flycatcher - 1
Willow Flycatcher - 3
"Traill's" Flycatcher - 6
Least Flycatcher - 10
Eastern Phoebe - 4
Blue-headed Vireo - 2 (low)
Warbling Vireo - 1
Philadelphia Vireo - 1
Red-eyed Vireo - 1 (low)
Blue Jay - 3
Barn Swallow - 1
Black-capped Chickadee - 10
Tufted Titmouse - 4
Brown Creeper - 21 (record)
Carolina Wren - 2
House Wren - 23 (record)
Winter Wren - 22 (record)
Marsh Wren - 7
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 46
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 41
Veery - 1 (low)
Gray-cheeked Thrush - 2 (low)
Swainson's Thrush - 28 (low)
Hermit Thrush - 89
Wood Thrush - 3
American Robin - 25
Gray Catbird - 23
Brown Thrasher - 1
European Starling - 1
Cedar Waxwing - 6
Tennessee Warbler - 12 (low)
Orange-crowned Warbler - 5
Nashville Warbler - 27
Yellow Warbler - 45 (fall record)
Chestnut-sided Warbler - 8 (low)
Magnolia Warbler - 42
Black-throated Blue Warbler - 50 (record)
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 3 (low)
Blackburnian Warbler - 1
Palm Warbler - 3
Bay-breasted Warbler - 1 (low)
Blackpoll Warbler - 2 (low)
Black-and-white Warbler - 4 (low)
American Redstart - 30
Ovenbird - 13
Northern Waterthrush - 13
Connecticut Warbler - 2 (ties record)
Mourning Warbler - 8
Common Yellowthroat - 97 (record)
Wilson's Warbler - 30 (record)
Canada Warbler - 6
Northern Cardinal - 15
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - 1
Eastern Towhee - 1
American Tree Sparrow - 5 (first ever in fall)
Field Sparrow - 1 (third ever in fall)
Fox Sparrow - 7
Song Sparrow - 220 (record)
Lincoln's Sparrow - 11 (fall record)
Swamp Sparrow - 143 (record)
White-throated Sparrow - 285 (record)
Dark-eyed Junco - 4
Red-winged Blackbird - 13 (fall record)
Brown-headed Cowbird - 1
Purple Finch - 1 (second ever)
House Finch - 2
American Goldfinch - 233 (record)

Metro Beach Banding Results...so far

That this has been a very good fall for banding is certainly supported by the numbers. It is difficult to be brief, so I won't! The 133 birds banded on Saturday (Oct 11) brought the season's total to 1447, just short of the 1493 in fall 2006 and there are still three weeks to go! These two days were also the 4th and 5th banding days in a row with more than 100 birds banded! Also, the 6 new species for the season added on Saturday brought the fall total up to 72 species, the highest ever, spring or fall. Next highest species total is 67 for spring 1995 and fall 1990 & 1991. Many records have been broken for individual species as well. Record days of 7 Winter Wrens on Thursday (Oct 9) and 6 on Saturday brought the seasons total equal to the record of 14 in fall 2005, and we'll almost certainly band more before the end of the month. The 45 Yellow Warblers banded this fall (none recently) beats the previous fall record of 30 from 2007. The 49 Black-throated Blue Warblers so far this fall beats the previous records of 41 in fall 2006 and 23 in fall 1991. The 96 Common Yellowthroats this fall beats the previous records of 53 in spring 1997, 50 in fall 2007, and 42 in fall 1991.The 151 Song Sparrows so far this fall beats the previous records of 108 in fall 1991, 101 in fall 1990, and 100 in fall 2007. The 120 Swamp Sparrows so far this fall beats the previous records of 115 in spring 1997, 94 in spring 2007, 42 in fall 1994, and 36 in fall 2007. The 226 White-throated Sparrows so far this fall beats the previous records of 203 in fall 2006 and 160 in fall 1989. The 155 American Goldfinches banded so far this fall is much higher than the previous records of 67 in spring 2007, 46 in spring 1996, and 41 in fall 2007. Higher goldfinch numbers is all thanks to the thistle sock feeder placed inside the "U" of the Field Nets a couple weeks ago. It is quite clear that the Field Nets, added in 2006, have been very productive for all species using open wet habitats.

On Thursday (Oct 9) banding highlights included a Northern Flicker (the 6th for the season), a record of 7 Winter Wrens, and the second Orange-crowned Warbler of the fall. Interesting birds observed but not banded included a late Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, a Blue-headed Vireo, a Red-breasted Nuthatch, a Marsh Wren, single Magnolia and Blackpoll Warblers, and a Dark-eyed Junco.

On Saturday (Oct 11), in addition to a lot of birds (the nets had to be closed for a couple of hours in order to catch up), there were many banding highlights. The immature female Sharp-shinned Hawk was the first since 2005 and only the 4th one since 1989. The Philadelphia Vireo was the second since fall 2005 and only the third since spring 2004. By contrast, a total of 48 were banded between 1989 and 2000 (44 in fall). So, where are they these days? The Tufted Titmouse was only the 4th since 2004 and only the 11th since 1989. The Field Sparrow was the first in fall since 1991, the second since 2005, and only the 6th one since 1989. Also, the 3 Eastern Phoebes and 1 Blue-headed Vireo were the first of the fall, and the 3 White-crowned Sparrows were a good number. A single Common Yellowthroat was somewhat late. Interesting birds observed but not banded included several Mourning Doves in the banding area (but none captured), at least 4-6 Eastern Towhees in the banding area (none of those captured either!), and a Dark-eyed Junco.


Banding Data:

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2008

Sunrise (E.S.T.): 6:38
Time Open (E.S.T.): 5:45
Time Closed (E.S.T.): 13:30
Hours Open: 7.75
No. of Nets: 4.75-13.00
Net Hours: 93.250
Temperature (F): 51-70
Sky: 0% cloud cover
Wind: SW @ 3-5-15 mph
Barometer: 29.99 - 30.06
Precipitation: None
No. Banded: 113 (plus 14 recaptured and 1 released unbanded)
No. of Species: 19
Capture Rate: 137.3 birds per 100 net hours
Assistants: Dave Lancaster, Tom Schlack

[Downy Woodpecker - 1 recaptured]
Northern Flicker - 1
[Black-capped Chickadee - 3 recaptured]
Brown Creeper - 2
House Wren - 2 (plus 1 recaptured)
Winter Wren - 7
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 7
Swainson's Thrush - 1
Hermit Thrush - 25 (plus 1 recaptured)
Gray Catbird - 2
Orange-crowned Warbler - 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler - 1 (plus 1 released unbanded)
Song Sparrow - 4
Swamp Sparrow - 6 (plus 1 recaptured)
White-throated Sparrow - 42 (plus 3 recaptured)
White-crowned Sparrow - 1
Northern Cardinal - 1
American Goldfinch - 8 (plus 4 recaptured)

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2008

Sunrise (E.S.T.): 6:40
Time Open (E.S.T.): 6:00
Time Closed (E.S.T.): 14:30
Hours Open: 5.00 (nets closed between 9:30-13:00)
No. of Nets: 4.75-13.00
Net Hours: 56.375
Temperature (F): 52-73
Sky: 10% cloud cover
Wind: ENE @ 1-5 mph
Barometer: 30.44 - 30.43
Precipitation: None.
No. Banded: 133 (plus 19 recaptured)
No. of Species: 22
Capture Rate: 269.6 birds per 100 net hours
Assistants: Thierry Lach, Bonita Olesen, Steve Olesen

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK - 1
Downy Woodpecker - 1 (plus 1 recaptured)
Eastern Phoebe - 3
Blue-headed Vireo - 1
Philadelphia Vireo - 1
[Black-capped Chickadee - 1 recaptured]
Tufted Titmouse - 1
Brown Creeper - 3
Winter Wren - 6
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 4
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 8
Swainson's Thrush - 1
Hermit Thrush - 15
American Robin - 1
Common Yellowthroat - 1
FIELD SPARROW - 1
Song Sparrow - 10 (plus 1 recaptured)
Swamp Sparrow - 13 (plus 1 recaptured)
White-throated Sparrow - 50 (plus 10 recaptured)
White-crowned Sparrow - 3
Northern Cardinal - 1 (plus 1 recaptured)
American Goldfinch - 8 (plus 4 recaptured)

Summer Hummer Banding

Reality has a way of altering good intentions. It was my intention to post about my hummingbird banding throughout the summer. The reality was that I had gotten a paying gig as a field biologist for the Michigan Breeding Bird Atlas which meant I was traveling up to Macomb and St. Clair counties in the pre-dawn darkness up to four days a week, and getting home around dinner time, and spending the evening transferring my data to the data cards. On the other days, I was able to band hummingbirds, but blogging just never made the priority list. I have a t-shirt that says "Life is simple: Eat, Sleep, Bird". Well, this Atlasing gig made the first one of those three possible while at the same time making the second one much more necessary! The upside was that I was able to bird/survey some interesting areas.

Over the summer I did manage to visit at least 20 of the 40+ banding sites that I normally visit. Despite the reduced coverage, I was able to band a total of 263 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds during June and July. This compares favorably with 265 in summer of 2007, 240 in summer of 2006, and 335 in summer 2005 (which included 117 banded in the Upper Peninsula). In addition to documenting the breeding populations, returning birds, longevity (including 3 birds that are now at least 6 years old), and breeding timing, there were other interesting observations from this summer. One of these included an adult female with a crossed bill.

At another locale, another adult female was showing several white feathers on her forehead. This is something I regularly encounter at the few sites were I band a lot of birds (50+ per season per locale). This plumage condition is called albinism, though sometimes when only a few feathers are involved it is called (inaccurately) "partial" albinism.

Another odd plumage condition is called Leucism, which is a fading of the pigment in the feathers. I captured this molting adult female, which the homeowner called "Gray Girl", which was a very pale grayish-green on the upperparts. Given that the iridescense of hummingbird feathers is due to microscopic structures, I'm not sure how the fading happens as there is no green pigment in bird feathers.

As summer comes to a close, the adult females signal that they're done fledging young by entering the next phase of their lives, where they molt all their body feathers prior to migrating south. Some of them can look pretty bedragled during this awkward phase of their life, like the adult female in the photo below.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird molt is not well documented in our region, and it is one major aspect of my research. Also, as July comes to a close, I begin anticipating the capture of the first hatch-year (young) of the summer. Although I've banded nestlings that have left the nest earlier, I've so far never banded a young hummer at a feeder before July 25. This year the first one was on August 1. Hatch year birds are in very fresh, pristine plumage which is quite a contrast to the molting adults.

My next good intention is to post the results of my "fall" banding, which will cover all hummingbird banding activity during August and September.

Where are all my hummingbirds?

Every year around this time, I get asked the same question. Where are all my hummingbirds? If I'm feeling silly, I answer "I don't have them!" But this can be a difficult question to answer seriously. Over the past few years that I've been giving talks on hummingbirds at many Audubon meetings, Nature Centers, garden clubs, and others, I have queried the audiences about this. On average, about 15-25% will raise their hands when asked "How many people have fewer hummingbirds than normal?" Then I ask "How many people have more?" Again, the number seems to be about 15-25%. And to the question "How many people have about the same?" the response is from about 50-60%. People who have the same or more rarely ask me why!

I began the Great Lakes HummerNet project, in part, so that I might understand the population cycles of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in Michigan. Most bird species undergo population cycles, and I suspect that hummingbirds are no different. It also seems that centers of abundance may shift from year to year, so that for every location that has less, there is one that has more. This year, in my own yard, I had only seen a single adult male Ruby-throat at my feeders until the thunderstorms came through today when another male, and my first female of the year, was seen. This is extraordinarily late for my first female. And, some of the comments I've been receiving indicate that perhaps some of the declines are more serious than other years. There might be something going on. But, I don't have an answer on that yet.

I would appreciate it if you could share your story about hummingbird numbers this June by either posting your comment to this blog, or sending me an e-mail directly (amazilia1@comcast.net). Please provide your location as part of your story (Michigan locations only please). I'll compile the results in some manner and post something on it later. In the meantime, you might enjoy a photo taken last week by Bob Anderson, who feeds hummingbirds in Marenisco, Gogebic County, in the far western Upper Peninsula of Michigan. My best guess is that there are 65 hummingbirds in this photo, mostly males. If you're missing some hummingbirds this year, I don't have them, but maybe Bob does!