Metro Beach banding report - August 29 & September 3, 2011

The first month of fall banding at Metro Beach is now past us, and the first month just begun. Aside from the opening day, when we worked very hard and had little time to open the nets, the numbers banded on each day during August have been pretty good, with a total for the month of 398 banded. This compares favorably to the 279 in August 2010, 395 in August 2009, 428 in August 2008, 261 in August 2007 (included 76 on July 29), 186 in August 2006, and 163 in August 2005.

The warbler and thrush migrations have begun but are still just a trickle, and the flycatcher migration seemed to be in a pause this week, while sparrow migration is still a couple weeks from beginning (the number of juvenile Swamp Sparrows this August was down again for the second year in a row). Hummingbird migration should reach its peak this coming week.

Highlights of the 59 birds banded on Monday, August 29 included this hatch-year male Downy Woodpecker that was still young enough to be showing red on the top of the crown, which females also show at this age but are distinguishable by lacking red on the nape.


Hatch-year male Downy Woodpecker















Many birds leave the nest in a juvenile plumage that is molted before migration or winter; note the Common Yellowthroats with buffy throats and cinnamon wingbars mentioned in previous posts, and the spotty juvenile American Robins that pretty much everyone has seen by now. Downy Woodpeckers, in addition to molting the feathers on the head also molt their wing feathers. This individual still had its worn juvenile outer three primaries (p8-p10), while the 7th primary was in the process of being replaced.


Hatch-year male Downy Woodpecker















New warbler arrivals today included two Nashville Warblers.


Hatch-year female Nashville Warbler















Two male Black-throated Blue Warblers were also nice to see, in the Swamp Nets where we seem to catch a majority of them.


Hatch-year male Black-throated Blue Warbler















And the first Blackpoll Warbler of the season was right on time. The crown feathers are messed up on this individual because I was blowing them aside to check the skull ossification to determine its age. Sometimes I forget to "preen" the bird before taking a photo.

Hatch-year Blackpoll Warbler

Among resident species, there have been fairly good numbers of young Common Yellowthroats banded in the past month. Most of the hatch-year birds cannot be sexed, but the one below was clearly a male based on its mottled black cheeks.


Hatch-year male Common Yellowthroat















Interesting birds observed but not banded included two juvenile Cooper's Hawks circling together over the marsh, a flyover Caspian Tern, a single calling Great Horned Owl before dawn, a singing Carolina Wren, and Black-and-white and Wilson's Warblers. An insect also makes the list of highlights for today. Mottled Darners were only confirmed in Macomb County last fall, based on individuals caught in the mist nets. They were back again this year, with three of them caught (two released successfully). This species seems to be somewhat crepuscular as they're only around in the early morning, and in the more shady areas of the woods.


Mottled Darner (Aeshna clepsydra)















Highlights of the 70 birds banded on Saturday, September 3 included 12 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, including the 50th of the season. This is well ahead of the pace of the two best years for the species when 50 was reached on 10-Sep-06 and 9-Sep-07. In more recent years, the 50th hummingbird was banded on 8-Sep-08, 6-Sep-09, and 8-Sep-10. Perhaps 100 will be banded this fall for the first time at this locale?


Hatch-year male Ruby-throated Hummingbird















A Northern Flicker was only the second one for the fall, which is about average. Unfortunately, he wasn't terribly cooperative for photos. A resident species banded today that isn't banded very often, though perhaps with increasing frequency, is White-breasted Nuthatch.


After hatch-year female White-breasted Nuthatch















One of my favorite warblers to quiz (taunt?) banding volunteers and passing birders was captured today. See if you can tell what it is from the photo below before continuing.

This bird is a very good lesson in not relying on a single field mark to identify a species. There is quite a range of variation among individuals, some based on age and sex but not always. In this case, the primary field mark that birders would use for identification is almost entirely missing! Now what? Well, how many warblers have a dusky gray cheek with a narrow white line over the eye and a small white eye-arc below? Well, Yellow-rumped Warbler does, but that species has wing bars and tail spots, while this bird is very plain above and below. That leaves only female Black-throated Blue Warbler. The white spot at the base of the primaries can be much reduded (as here) or even missing entirely in some hatch-year females.

Four more Wilson's Warbler were captured today, including this hatch-year male. The amount of black in the crown varies, with some adult females showing as much as this young male. So it is important to age the bird first.

Hatch-year male Wilson's Warbler

It was nice to catch another Canada Warbler since we may be past the peak of their migration in this area. This individual was aged hatch-year based on incomplete skull ossification, and sexed as male based on the small black spots on the breast. Hatch-year females often have no spots on the breast, or dusky ones, not black.


Hatch-year male Canada Warbler
















Hatch-year male Canada Warbler















Interesting birds observed but not banded included the first calling Eastern Screech-Owl of the season (at around 9 a.m.!), along with a single Great Horned calling. Both Eastern Wood-Pewee and Warbling Vireo were singing near the Upland Nets today but perhaps won't be much longer. A Tufted Titmouse was calling in the area too; a species that is very irregular in the banding area, and one of the presumed summer resident Blue-gray Gnatcatchers was also heard calling today.

Banding could not have been conducted this week without the help of great volunteers, and I especially appreciate the last-minute volunteers who turned up on Saturday morning. It made taking down the nets in 90-degree temperatures much easier than it might have been. Thank you everyone!

============================
Banding Data
-------------------------------------
MONDAY, August 29, 2011
Sunrise (E.S.T.): 5:54
Time Open (E.S.T.): 5:45
Time Closed (E.S.T.): 12:30
Hours Open: 6.75
No. of Nets: 4.50-13.50
Net Hours: 86.375
Temperature (F): 58-73
Cloud Cover: 50-25-60%
Wind: NW @ 1-3 mph
Barometer: 30.02-30.09
Precipitation: None
No. Banded: 59 (plus 15 recaptured and 1 released unbanded)
No. of Species: 18
Capture Rate: 86.8 birds per 100 net hours
Volunteers (worked 9.5 hours, 5:00-14:30): Dave Lancaster, Jeremy Miller, Joan Tisdale.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 10 (plus 1 released unbanded)
Downy Woodpecker - 1
[Willow Flycatcher - 2 recaptured]
"Traill's" Flycatcher - 1
Warbling Vireo - 2
Swainson's Thrush - 1
American Robin - 2
Gray Catbird - 3
Nashville Warbler - 2
Chestnut-sided Warbler - 1
Magnolia Warbler - 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler - 2
Blackpoll Warbler - 1
American Redstart - 3
Common Yellowthroat - 3 (plus 4 recaptured)
Song Sparrow - 3 (plus 1 recaptured)
Red-winged Blackbird - 8 (plus 2 recaptured)
[Baltimore Oriole - 1 recaptured]
American Goldfinch - 15 (plus 5 recaptured)

-------------------------------------
SATURDAY, September 3, 2011
Sunrise (E.S.T.): 5:59
Time Open (E.S.T.): 5:45
Time Closed (E.S.T.): 13:00
Hours Open: 7.25
No. of Nets: 4.50-13.50
Net Hours: 91.875
Temperature (F): 73-90
Cloud Cover: 90-20-50%
Wind: Calm-SE @ 0-3-7 mph
Barometer: 29.97-29.87
Precipitation: None
No. Banded: 70 (plus 16 recaptured and 2 released unbanded)
No. of Species: 21
Capture Rate: 95.8 birds per 100 net hours
Volunteers (worked 9.0 hours, 5:00-14:00): Mary Buchowski (6.5 hours), Terri Chapdelaine, Chris Charlebois, Jacob Charlebois, Steve Longstreth, Tom Schlack, Judi Wade (1 hour).

Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 12
Downy Woodpecker - 1
Northern Flicker - 1
Black-capped Chickadee - 1 (plus 1 recaptured)
White-breasted Nuthatch - 1
Veery - 1
Swainson's Thrush - 3
American Robin - 5
Tennessee Warbler - 1
Magnolia Warbler - 2
Black-throated Blue Warbler - 1
American Redstart - 1
[Northern Waterthrush - 1 recaptured]
Common Yellowthroat - 3 (plus 5 recaptured)
Wilson's Warbler - 4
Canada Warbler - 1
Song Sparrow - 7 (plus 2 recaptured)
[Northern Cardinal - 1 recaptured]
Red-winged Blackbird - 2 (plus 1 recaptured)
House Finch - 2
American Goldfinch - 21 (plus 5 recaptured and 2 released unbanded)

Metro Beach banding report - August 21 & 26, 2011

As expected, songbird migration began in earnest this week, though there were fewer birds on the 21st than on the 26th. The 21st had some rain mid-morning, requiring the nets to be closed for an hour with thunderstorms moving in while we took the nets down. Weather on the 26th was ideal.

Highlights of birds banded on Sunday, August 21 included four Ruby-throated Hummingbirds plus one recaptured that was originally banded on August 10.

Hatch-year male Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Some flycatchers were present and captured, including two Willow Flycatchers that appeared to have recently fledged. But the surprise was the Least Flycatcher which was an adult female with the remnants of a brood patch, suggesting that the species nested in the park though none were detected over the summer except in early June one was found along the nature trail.


After hatch-year female Least Flycatcher















Two Willow Flycatchers that appeared to be recently fledged, with short tails and giving raspy begging calls in the hand, were banded today.

Hatch-year Willow Flycatcher

An unusually early migrant, as they do not nest in the park, was a Rose-breasted Grosbeak caught out in the Field Nets (a second grosbeak right next to this one escaped before it could be extracted from the nets). This species is not captured often at this station, so they're always a treat to see up close.


Second-year male Rose-breasted Grosbeak















As can be seen in the photo above, this bird was still heavily molting. Male Rose-breasted Grosbeaks molt into a duller, female-like winter plumage, which is why its head and back looks like a female. But it was clearly a male because it had a fair amount of red on its breast (and pink on the under-wing coverts).


Second-year male Rose-breasted Grosbeak















Determining this bird's age required a closer look at the flight feathers to assess its molt. The presence of a very worn, dull brown inner secondary that was a remaining juvenile feather was a good indication he was in his second-year.


Second-year male Rose-breasted Grosbeak















Interesting birds observed but not banded included a flyover Cooper's Hawk, a Great Crested Flycatcher out near the field nets (seen when we were closing them to wait out the rain), and a couple Tennessee Warblers.

Highlights of birds banded on Friday, August 26 included 14 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, the best day so far this fall. As is typical, most were hatch-year birds. Metro Beach probably hosts a couple breeding female hummingbirds, but in spring less than 10 are typically banded and they are not often seen during summer. In fall, between 50-90 have been banded in previous years, with the unusual age composition of approximately 90% hatch-years. As can be seen in the inset in the photo below, hatch-year birds show "corrugations" on the bill which look like small grooves; the bill smooths out by winter and no corrugations (or very few) are present on adults.


Hatch-year male Ruby-throated Hummingbird showing corrugations on bill (inset)















It was a great day for banding flycatchers. A nice surprise out in the Field Nets was only the second Olive-sided Flycatcher to be banded since 2004, and only the 4th ever, since 1989.


After hatch-year Olive-sided Flycatcher














That this is a long-distance Neotropical migrant, wintering in southern portions of the Amazon basin, can be seen by its long, pointed wings which are somewhat different from most of our flycatchers.


After hatch-year Olive-sided Flycatcher















It was also a good day for Empidonax flycatchers, among my favorite birds to band. Among the 7 individuals captured today was one Least, 3 Willows (including 2 recaptures of recently fledged young banded recently), and 3 Alders. Often, even after taking extensive measurements, some of these Willow/Alder Flycatchers ("Traill's"), they cannot be keyed out to species. Today, all of them keyed out, and the one in the photo below is an Alder Flycatcher based on those measurements. On-site, I had guessed that it was an Alder based on its brighter coloration and more complete, though narrow, eye ring among other characters. This probably only proves that I'm a good guesser, not that I can tell them apart without measuring them! Alders probably did not nest in the park this year, so this one was almost certainly a migrant.


Hatch-year Alder Flycatcher















Another large flycatcher, banded only occasionally here, dropped into the nets; a Great Crested Flycatcher.


After hatch-year Great Crested Flycatcher















Over the past two years, removal of invasive Autumn Olive from the banding area has been one habitat maintenance priority. In 2009, these trees provided berries for many Cedar Waxwings caught that year out in the Field Nets. This year, the dogwoods have regrown and are loaded with berries. Some waxwings have been caught this month, but I really believe that the record number of Warbling Vireos, and today's three Red-eyed Vireos, is because they may prefer dogwood to Autumn Olive. Time will tell, as the number of Red-eyed Vireos has been low for many years.


After hatch-year Red-eyed Vireo















The first migrant thrushes of the fall season were banded today, a little later than normal. Veery nests west and even south of Metro Beach, but there isn't enough appropriate habitat here, so today's bird was clearly a migrant.


Hatch-year Veery















This was followed by the season's first Swainson's Thrush. Adults have been banded here as early as the first week in August.


After hatch-year Swainson's Thrush















Eight species of warbler dropped into the nets today, plus one species recaptured from last week. These included the first Magnolia Warblers. There should be many more of these as their migration typically extends into the first week of October.

Hatch-year Magnolia Warbler

Cape May Warbler is one of the less frequent warbler species banded at Metro Beach, and in fact since 2004 only two have been banded here although it was nearly annual in small numbers from 1989-1999. Both were in the Field Nets (eating dogwood berries?) on the same net run, one a rather dull hatch-year female and the other a much brighter hatch-year male. This is one of the easier warblers to sex in the fall.


Hatch-year female Cape May Warbler
















Hatch-year male Cape May Warbler

The first American Redstarts were banded today; like Magnolia Warblers, the migration of redstarts can extend into early October. Many birders would pass this individual off as a "female", but the orange on the flank patches indicates it is a hatch-year male.

Hatch-year male American Redstart

Mourning Warbler tends to be an early migrant, so capturing one today was expected. This individual is showing fairly prominent "eye arcs" that might lead some to think it is a rare vagrant, MacGillivray's Warbler, but the arcs are narrow and this bird is typical of many hatch-year Mourning Warblers. Not visible in this photo is the partly hidden blackish spots on the breast, indicating it is a male.


Hatch-year male Mourning Warbler















Another early migrant is the Canada Warbler, represented today by this adult female.


After hatch-year female Canada Warbler















And the first Wilson's Warblers are expected to arrive by late August.


Hatch-year male Wilson's Warbler















Following on a very good spring for Baltimore Orioles, it has been very good this fall as well with three banded today bringing the season's total to a record of 10.


After hatch-year male Baltimore Oriole

















After hatch-year female Baltimore Oriole















Interesting birds observed but not banded included a Virginia Rail that almost got caught in the Field Nets, two Great Horned Owls calling to each other before sunrise, and a Blackburnian Warbler near the road.

Banding could not have been done on these two days without some very helpful, and cheerful (in the face of hordes of mosquitos) volunteer banding assistants, including Stevie Kurda, Dave Lancaster, Tom Schlack, and Bruce Watson. Also thanks to Jeff Silence for stopping by for an hour at a very helpful time in the morning on the 26th.

============================
Banding Data
-------------------------------------
SUNDAY, August 21, 2011
Sunrise (E.S.T.): 5:45
Time Open (E.S.T.): 6:00
Time Closed (E.S.T.): 14:00
Hours Open: 7.00 (closed due to rain from 8:30-9:30)
No. of Nets: 2.50-13.50
Net Hours: 82.00
Temperature (F): 66-75
Cloud Cover: 40-100-50%
Wind: SW-W @ 1-3-7 mph
Barometer: 29.95-29.92
Precipitation: Brief light rain in a.m., showers after close
No. Banded: 21 (plus 11 recaptured and 2 released unbanded)
No. of Species: 14
Capture Rate: 41.5 birds per 100 net hours
Volunteers (worked 10.0 hours, 6:00-16:00): Stevie Kuroda, Bruce Watson.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 4 (plus 1 recaptured)
Willow Flycatcher - 2
Least Flycatcher - 1
American Robin - 2
Gray Catbird - 1
Yellow Warbler - 1 (plus 1 recaptured)
Northern Waterthrush - 1
Common Yellowthroat - 2 (plus 1 recaptured)
Song Sparrow - 3 (plus 5 recaptured and 1 released unbanded)
Swamp Sparrow - 1
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - 1 (plus 1 released unbanded)
[Red-winged Blackbird - 1 recaptured]
House Finch - 1
American Goldfinch - 1 (plus 2 recaptured)

-------------------------------------
FRIDAY, August 26, 2011
Sunrise (E.S.T.): 5:50
Time Open (E.S.T.): 5:45
Time Closed (E.S.T.): 13:15
Hours Open: 7.50
No. of Nets: 4.50-13.50
Net Hours: 91.75
Temperature (F): 61-77
Cloud Cover: 20-0%
Wind: NW-S @ 1-3-10 mph
Barometer: 30.09-30.10
Precipitation: None
No. Banded: 80 (plus 20 recaptures)
No. of Species: 29
Capture Rate: 109.0 birds per 100 net hours
Volunteers (worked 10.0 hours, 6:00-16:00): Dave Lancaster, Tom Schlack (plus Jeff Silence for 1 hour).

Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 14
Downy Woodpecker - 1
OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER - 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee - 1
Alder Flycatcher - 3
Willow Flycatcher - 1 (plus 2 recaptured)
Least Flycatcher - 1
Great Crested Flycatcher - 1
Red-eyed Vireo - 3
Black-capped Chickadee - 1
House Wren - 1
Veery - 1
Swainson's Thrush - 1
American Robin - 1
Tennessee Warbler - 1
Magnolia Warbler - 4
Cape May Warbler - 2
American Redstart - 2
[Northern Waterthrush - 1 recaptured]
Mourning Warbler - 1
Common Yellowthroat - 4 (plus 1 recaptured)
Wilson's Warbler - 1
Canada Warbler - 1
[Song Sparrow - 5 recaptured]
Swamp Sparrow - 2
[Northern Cardinal - 1 recaptured]
Red-winged Blackbird - 4 (plus 2 recaptured)
Baltimore Oriole - 3
House Finch - 1
American Goldfinch - 23 (plus 8 recaptured)

Metro Beach banding report - August 15 & 18, 2011

The number of birds being banded this early in the season continues to be quite good, and this week the first migrant warblers arrived as expected, while juvenile birds of locally nesting species continue to be captured. A total of 81 birds was banded on the 18th while 70 were banded on the 15th. There were interesting birds on both days, so in that category we'll have to call it a draw.

Highlights of birds banded on Monday, August 15 included an excellent total, for so early in the season, of 9 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. As is typical for this locale in fall, the majority were hatch-year birds but two adults were banded including one female and the nice adult male below. The adult males won't be around much longer as they depart earlier than the females and immatures.


After hatch-year male Ruby-throated Hummingbird















An interesting recapture was a female Hairy Woodpecker. I could tell that the band wasn't very new, but was surprised when I got home and looked it up. She was banded by me at Metro Beach on May 23, 2004 as an after third year, making her an after TENTH year now! The top photo below is from this year. Luckily, I had photographed her in 2004 as well, and that photo is the bottom photo below.


Female Hairy Woodpecker, After TENTH Year in 2011




Female Hairy Woodpecker, After Third Year in 2004















It is shaping up to be a good year for Eastern Wood-Pewees. Two were banded today, and an adult (probably female based on the very extensive brood patch) was a returnee from 2010...the first ever returnee of her species at this banding station.


After hatch-year (female?) Eastern Wood-Pewee















Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are infrequently captured at Metro Beach, so this adult female (with brood patch) was nice to see. There have been a couple pairs in the park all summer.


After hatch-year female Blue-gray Gnatcatcher















Continuing with last week's series of "baby pictures", we finally caught some American Robins today including mostly spotty juveniles like this one.

Hatch-year (juvenile) American Robin

The first migrant warbler of the fall season was banded today. Although they nest at a similar latitude on other nearby parts of Michigan, there is no breeding habitat for Northern Waterthrushes at Metro Beach so it is certain that this was a migrant. I have banded them as early as August 7 in other years so it isn't really unexpected by mid-August.


Hatch-year Northern Waterthrush















Interesting birds observed but not banded today included an adult Bald Eagle circling low over Point Rosa Marsh (over the Field Nets!), which headed off southeast into Lake St. Clair. And an Indigo Bunting was heard calling out in the field briefly in the morning.

Highlights of birds banded on Thursday, August 18 included two Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and a Northern Flicker. It was too busy (and too many mosquitos) to allow photos of these species today. But the Warbling Vireos, of which 3 were banded today, have earned another photospot because of the number banded to date this fall. The past several years has been rather poor for all vireo species compared with the 1989-1999 data. My suspicion has been a change in the plant species composition of the undergrowth. This year, after removing a bunch of Glossy Buckthorn from the area of the Field Nets, the Alternate-leaved Dogwood has come back strong with lots of berries, probably also thanks to a wet spring and summer. The result is that these 3 Warbling Vireos today bring the season total to 17. The previous record was 13 in fall 1992 and the most recent high was 9 in fall 2009. They're clearly feeding on these dogwood berries, as evidenced by the purple poop they leave behind on my hands!


Hatch-year Warbling Vireo















Cedar Waxwings also deserve additional mention as it is shaping up to be a good fall for them too, although it is still far short of a record season. In 2009 we captured quite a few in the Field Nets as they fed on the Glossy Buckthorn berries. This year, with the buckthorn gone and the dogwood flourishing, we caught 5 waxwings today. They're also deserving of a photospot just because they're such neat birds.


After hatch-year male Cedar Waxwing















A second species of migrant warbler was banded today, in the form of a half-dozen Tennessee Warblers, all caught in the Field Nets, and all of them hatch-year birds.


Hatch-year Tennessee Warbler















And a third migrant warbler species was a single Chestnut-sided Warbler, followed by the second Northern Waterthrush of the fall.


Hatch-year Chestnut-sided Warbler















House Finches are infrequently banded at Metro Beach, as they don't often spend time in the swamp woods and marsh edge habitat of the banding area. The two banded today, added to the two on the 15th, brings the season total to four, which is the most since 2004, but several fall seasons between 1989 and 1999 had more banded.


Hatch-year House Finch















Interesting birds observed but not banded included an adult female Northern Harrier circling over the swamp woods, and good numbers of swallows including Bank Swallow.

I'd like to thank the volunteers who came out and helped on these two days. It was great to have more than the minimum of two for each day, easing the workload for everyone. Thanks to Jean Gramlich, Dave Lancaster, Gisela Lendle-King, Tom Schlack, Joan Tisdale, and Judi Wade.

============================
Banding Data
-------------------------------------
MONDAY, August 15, 2011
Sunrise (E.S.T.): 5:39
Time Open (E.S.T.): 5:45
Time Closed (E.S.T.): 12:45
Hours Open: 7.00
No. of Nets: 4.50-13.50
Net Hours: 87.50
Temperature (F): 64-75
Cloud Cover: 5-50-80%
Wind: NW @ 5-7-15 mph
Barometer: 29.93-29.96
Precipitation: None
No. Banded: 70 (plus 12 recaptured and 3 released unbanded)
No. of Species: 17
Capture Rate: 97.1 birds per 100 net hours
Volunteers (worked 9.5 hours, 6:00-15:30): Dave Lancaster, Tom Schlack, Judi Wade.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 9
[Hairy Woodpecker - 1 recaptured]
Eastern Wood-Pewee - 2 (plus 1 recaptured)
Willow Flycatcher - 1
Warbling Vireo - 6
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 1
American Robin - 6
Cedar Waxwing - 4
Yellow Warbler - 6
Northern Waterthrush - 1
Common Yellowthroat - 4 (plus 3 recaptured)
Song Sparrow - 14 (plus 2 recaptured and 2 released unbanded)
Swamp Sparrow - 1 (plus 2 recaptured)
[Brown-headed Cowbird - 1 recaptured]
[Baltimore Oriole - 1 recaptured]
House Finch - 2
American Goldfinch - 13 (plus 1 recaptured and 1 released unbanded)

-------------------------------------
THURSDAY, August 18, 2011
Sunrise (E.S.T.): 5:42
Time Open (E.S.T.): 6:00
Time Closed (E.S.T.): 13:00
Hours Open: 7.00
No. of Nets: 4.50-13.50
Net Hours: 87.50
Temperature (F): 68-77
Cloud Cover: 20-100-20-80%
Wind: SW-SE @ 1-3-12 mph
Barometer: 30.04-29.98
Precipitation: Trace
No. Banded: 81 (plus 17 recaptures and 2 released unbanded)
No. of Species: 18
Capture Rate: 114.3 birds per 100 net hours
Volunteers (worked 10.0 hours, 6:00-16:00): Jean Gramlich, Gisela Lendle-King, Joan Tisdale.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 2
Northern Flicker - 1
"Traill's" Flycatcher - 2
Warbling Vireo - 3
American Robin - 3 (plus 1 recaptured)
Gray Catbird - 2
Cedar Waxwing - 5
Tennessee Warbler - 6
Yellow Warbler - 5
Chestnut-sided Warbler - 1
Northern Waterthrush - 1
Common Yellowthroat - 3
Song Sparrow - 12 (plus 9 recaptured)
Northern Cardinal - 1
Red-winged Blackbird - 8 (plus 3 recaptured)
House Finch - 2
American Goldfinch - 24 (plus 4 recaptured)

Metro Beach - Fall Banding Season Begins!

It has been a productive summer for banding hummingbirds, though with only one species there isn't much to blog about and photos would tend to get repetitive! Back in June, I promised that the spring banding report would be finished "soon". Well, that day has arrived, and the full report can be dowloaded as a PDF file at my Metro Beach Banding web page. Just scroll down to the Spring 2011 Banding Report link.

The Fall 2011 banding season began on Sunday, August 7, with three volunteers turning out to clear net lanes and see what we might band once everything was set up. This first day is always unpredictable, as there can be quite a lot of vegetion grown into the net lanes over the summer. As I'd been conducting surveys once a week all summer, I knew we were in for a lot of work. I really hate gas-powered garden implements...or gas-powered anything for that matter. But it was a real time saver that the park maintenance department loaned us a weed whacker. It saved time until it jammed before getting to the longest stretch out into the field, and although they were very helpful in getting it unjammed for me, and refilling the tank with gas, I hooked the gas cap on the inside of the back of my car and dumped all the gas out into the car. A week later it is still smelling like gas. So, we had to take turns using the manual weed whacker all the way out into the field. It was a long, hot morning, but we got the job done. Around noon we decided to put up six of the nets for a couple hours to see what we could catch. It was the heat of the day, so bird activity was low, and we only caught 3 birds. The first bird caught and banded for the Fall 2011 season was a species not banded in spring, in a family also not banded in spring, a Warbling Vireo.


Hatch-year Warbling Vireo
















From the photo above, some might see a suggestion of dark lores, and some yellow on the underparts, and wonder if it might be an early migrant Philadelphia Vireo. Luckily, the diagnostic character of this bird was visible,and I've highlighted it in an inset (click on the photo to enlarge). In vireos, the 10th (outermost) primary is vestigial so is much shorter than the others. In Philadelphia Vireo, it does not extend past the primary coverts on the folded wing, while in Warbling Vireo it does extend past them. The other two birds banded today were a juvenile Common Yellowthroat and an adult female Swamp Sparrow with a fully developed brood patch.

One of the reasons for starting the fall banding season so early is to assess the nesting productivity in the banding area, so we look forward to catching lots of young birds of locally nesting species. Surveys through the summer saw parent birds with beaks crammed full of Mayflies (Ephemeroptera, often erroneously called "fish flies"), which this summer provided a better than average bounty for nesting birds.


Ephemeroptera (Mayflies) on Nature Center. 7 July 2011.















Elsewhere in the park, birds are also still attending young, but a large part of the park's area is taken up with a huge parking lot (see map here). In 30+ years of visiting this park, I have never seen so many beach-goers that this lot was close to even half full. For much of the year, this vast expanse of asphalt is as welcoming to life as the surface of the Moon. But from late summer into fall, gulls find portions attractive for loafing much of the day. And often there are interesting things mixed in, like a few Killdeer, and Caspian Terns with begging juveniles. The adult Caspian Terns try to ignore them at this age, mostly just running away from them as they squeal and beg.

The first full day of fall banding, Wednesday, August 10, was possibly the best opening day since I began here in 2004, with a total of 84 new birds banded and 10 recaptures. Last year's first full banding day netted only 21 birds, while other recent years have started with 40-50 birds on the first full day. Highlights included the first 6 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds of the season, all of them hatch-year birds. It is unclear if they all hatched locally or if they're the first migrants of the fall.


Hatch-year male Ruby-throated Hummingbird















It was a good day for flycatchers. The number of Eastern Wood-Pewees banded each year at Metro Beach varies greatly from zero to a few. This adult was a welcome first.


After hatch-year Eastern Wood-Pewee
















Willow Flycatchers nested in the banding area this summer, so it wasn't surprising that a youngster was caught out in the Field Nets.

Hatch-year Willow Flycatcher

A Least Flycatcher was a bit of a surprise as they don't often nest in the park, and had been undetected here since early June. But the most interesting flycatcher was the Eastern Kingbird, which was only the second banded here since 2004 (the first was in spring 2009) and only the third ever.


Hatch-year Eastern Kingbird















Swallows are very difficult to catch in the banding area, as they usually forage above net height, and have excellent vision to avoid getting caught. And most swallows to date have been banded in spring, so the two Northern Rough-winged Swallows in the Field Nets were a real treat. Both were juveniles, as evidenced by the broad cinnamon edgings on their wing coverts.


Hatch-year female Northern Rough-winged Swallow















Of course the fleshy corners of the mouth were another giveaway that they were juveniles. They were both sexed as females based on the lack of "serrations" on the front of the outermost primary.


Hatch-year female Northern Rough-winged Swallow















An adult female Cedar Waxwing was a nice catch, as they aren't banded here every year. She had very limited black on the chin, and a fully developed brood patch.


After hatch-year female Cedar Waxwing















She was soon followed by a hatch-year Cedar Waxwing, easily identified by its streaky breast and short crest, but they cannot be sexed at this stage.


Hatch-year Cedar Waxwing















Yellow Warblers nest commonly in the banding area, but are very early migrants, so it is always interesting to see how many we can catch before they all depart. Typically, the peak of migration is the last week of July or the first week of August. There were a lot of them still around on opening day, but we couldn't get the nets up early enough to catch them. Today, we managed to catch three hatch-years, identified by their generally yellow coloration with a suggestion of an eye ring (somewhat like a Nashville Warbler) and yellow tail spots. Only those with chestnut streaks can be sexed as male; the remainder must be recorded as unknown.


Hatch-year Yellow Warbler
















Another warbler that nests in the banding area, but doesn't depart as early, is the Common Yellowthroat. In early August, many are just out of the nest and wearing a briefly-held juvenile plumage that will confound even some experienced birders. The lack of yellow on the throat, along with cinnamon wing bars, are the most confusing characters, and are molted out into more expected patterns by late August. They cannot be sexed when in this juvenile plumage. The individual in the photo below had the shortest tail of all those banded today, but when it flew off it was very strong, just like it had a full-length tail.


Hatch-year (juv.) Common Yellowthroat















A pair of sparrow species also nest in the banding area, with the Song Sparrow being the most common. Both species leave the nest with a fairly nondescript streaked juvenile plumage that can be confused with the other nesting sparrow, the Swamp Sparrow. The hatch-year below has no rufous in its wing coverts and is developing the clear bold malar marks that identifies him as a Song Sparrow.


Hatch-year Song Sparrow















Some years I have resorted to checking the wing formula on some sparrows captured in early August, but that was not necessary on this juvenile Swamp Sparrow as it had a distinctive pattern on the crown and rufous in the wing coverts. It is, however, very similar to a Lincoln's Sparrow which does not nest in this area.

Hatch-year Swamp Sparrow

In keeping with the theme of young birds, this young male Northern Cardinal seems surprised that he blundered into our nets. The bill color is mostly yellow when in the nest and at fledging, but quickly becomes mostly dark gray, which then gradually turns orange through the fall.


Hatch-year male Northern Cardinal















Red-winged Blackbirds nest very commonly in the banding area, but are rarely caught in fall as they seem to only raise one brood and then depart the marshes during mid-July. They seem to prefer foraging in open areas, including agricultural fields, until they migrate south in October and November. It seems like they could raise a second brood in this time, but for some reason they do not. They're a remarkably successful species even so. The hatch-year below is a male, only identifiable by his size. Wing measurements are the most reliable means of sexing young Red-wings though birds that are not full grown can present banders with a puzzle, which I've solved in the past by using the bander's leg gage as a last resort, as males take a larger band size than females. How many birders would pass this individual off as a female?


Hatch-year male Red-winged Blackbird
















After a very good spring, Baltimore Orioles were caught in surprising (near record in fact) numbers today. Some were hatch-year as expected, but some were adult females in heavy body molt as they prepare for their early southward migration. Most will be gone by Labor Day, and most years none are banded in fall at Metro Beach.


After hatch-year female Baltimore Oriole















And while some species like the orioles and Yellow Warblers are done nesting and well on their way south, some species like American Goldfinches are still feeding young in the nest (a male Common Yellowthroat was also seen today carrying a fat green caterpillar). Several short-tailed juveniles, like the one in the photo below, were captured and a few adult females with fully developed brood patches were also banded.


Hatch-year female American Goldfinch















Interesting birds observed today included Green Heron, Blue-winged Teal, an early Eastern Phoebe by the Field Nets, and two Blue-gray Gnatcatchers (present all summer).

I would like to thank Stevie, Joan, and Bruce for working so hard to clear net lanes on the 7th, and thanks to Tom, Joan, and Mike for helping process a lot of birds on the first full day on the 10th.

============================
Banding Data
-------------------------------------
SUNDAY, August 7, 2011
Sunrise (E.S.T.): 5:30
Time Open (E.S.T.): 11:15
Time Closed (E.S.T.): 13:45
Hours Open: 2.50
No. of Nets: 3.25-5.25
Net Hours: 12.125
Temperature (F): 72-82
Cloud Cover: 30-90%
Wind: WSW @ 1-3-7 mph
Barometer: 29.77-29.75
Precipitation: None
No. Banded: 3 (plus 1 released unbanded)
No. of Species: 4
Capture Rate: 33.0 birds per 100 net hours
Volunteers (worked 8.0 hours, 8:00-16:00): Stevie Kuroda, Joan Tisdale, Bruce Watson.

Warbling Vireo - 1
[American Robin - 1 released unbanded]
Common Yellowthroat - 1
Swamp Sparrow - 1

-------------------------------------
WEDNESDAY, August 10, 2011
Sunrise (E.S.T.): 5:33
Time Open (E.S.T.): 6:00
Time Closed (E.S.T.): 13:45
Hours Open: 7.75
No. of Nets: 4.50-13.50
Net Hours: 96.375
Temperature (F): 66-73
Cloud Cover: 5-70-40%
Wind: WSW-WNW @ 5-7-15 mph
Barometer: 29.70-29.79
Precipitation: None
No. Banded: 84 (plus 10 recaptures and 2 released unbanded)
No. of Species: 18
Capture Rate: 99.6 birds per 100 net hours
Volunteers (worked 10.5 hours, 6:00-16:30): Mike Charlebois, Tom Schlack, Joan Tisdale.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 6
Eastern Wood-Pewee - 1
Willow Flycatcher - 1
"Traill's" Flycatcher - 1
Least Flycatcher - 1
EASTERN KINGBIRD - 1
Warbling Vireo - 7
Northern Rough-winged Swallow - 2
House Wren - 1
[American Robin - 1 released unbanded]
Cedar Waxwing - 2
Yellow Warbler - 3
Common Yellowthroat - 4 (plus 2 recaptured)
Song Sparrow - 22 (plus 1 recaptured and 1 released unbanded)
Swamp Sparrow - 1 (plus 2 recaptured)
Northern Cardinal - 2
Red-winged Blackbird - 2
Brown-headed Cowbird - 1
Baltimore Oriole - 7 (plus 1 recaptured)
American Goldfinch - 19 (plus 4 recaptured)