The boreal forest welcomes it babies back but the boreal is cold!!!

So here is the thing, a neo-tropical migrant which means a bird from central or south America has no idea what is happening in the boreal forest when they feel the urge to migrate. The trigger to migrate  researchers agree is the length of daylight, also known as photo period.  When the photo period first pushes  the migrants to move there is snow or at least frost in the ground in the boreal. They forsake the bounty and warmth in the south for the promise of  bugs, black flies and mosquitoes in the north. Today instead of finding  easy pickings for insects they found  snow !!! When one considers the  risk of migrating the fact that we get birds returning  back to the marsh each year with numbered  bracelets proving their were banded here  is truly incredible. So welcome back boreal babies  and hopefully your timing is right and you see easier days ahead to glean all the protein you can get from black flies and mosquitoes, we have lots to share!! We insist!!

male blackburnian warbler  also known as the firethroat

Today we welcomed back some beautiful boreal breeders.  I imagine that every banding site has a few nets that banders just have to shake their heads about. For us it is three nets we call the back corner but I want to rename the boreal corner as the nets are situated in a corner not to far from our banding lab that we fondly refer to as the bird house. The boreal corner is incredibly inconsistent  and sometimes can go most of the day without catching anything then suddenly yields  a bird of huge interest and excitement. Often extractors do not even want to go back there as it is often seems  fruitless. I love going to those nets because  they often reward me with rarities. Today  was no exception and I returned to the birdhouse with a big grin . These nets only had birds on  2 checks but on the first check it had 2 cape may warblers and a blackburnian warbler all within a towel length of each other!! We never catch these 2 species in big numbers so anytime we can band these boreal beauties we are always excited. Love the nets in the  boreal corner!!!

male and female cape may warbler 

Despite high winds we managed to have a good morning and only opened nets that are sheltered from the wind . We did not have enough people power to run the river nets as well so  our numbers could have been  a little better. Tomorrow is  still supposed to be windy but Tuesday is looking good . We are still waiting for a lot of migrants to arrive so we can be patient but we know we have some big days ahead of us . Here are today's totals

male blackburnian warbler could not resist a second photo

american goldfinch                  11
pine siskin                                 1
red winged blackbird               18
common grackle                        2
white crowned sparrow             7
swamp sparrow                         1
chipping sparrow                      2
white throated sparrow             1
Nashville warbler                      3
cape may warbler                     2
blackburnian warbler               1
orange crowned warbler          1
palm warbler                            3
yellow rumped warbler         14
ruby crowned kinglet                 1



15 species
68 birds

Giselle  and Ron  with a male and female Cape may Warbler

Thanks to volunteers Ron Judd and welcome back Giselle Bradley !!

Past Terra student Taylor showing his friend  Stephanie how to hold her first bird 

In addition to the banding at the marsh Joanne  was able to band our first ruby throat of the year at our Dawson point site I think she has plans to band at kerns tomorrow ....lucky kids . Well done Joanne.

Bird is the word!!