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| Our intern Sarah bonnet doing what she love's best banding and releasing birds data comes second |
Guest blogger Sarah Bonnet is the marsh intern and has take on the job of making sure all of our dta is accurate and accessible which is a huge job which has earned her the nick name of the " data ferret" as she is tenacious about our data and is pretty awesome she will be bringing us updates hopefully every Monday so that folks with an interest will be able to follow our research and try and help us make sense out of what we are seeing on the ground. First in starts with the data the the conjecture begins . Thanks for taking this on Sarah and now she will reveal what we have been banding over the last month.
Numbers Numbers Numbers
Everyone keeps asking me “what’s the
highest we have ever banded for this bird?” closely followed by “are we close
to beating that?” And the answer to question number 2 is usually yes. We have a
bit of record fever here at the Hilliardton Marsh, and we’re smashing old
records. From what I’ve been told, Fall is a wild card and August is crazy, so
far it hasn’t let us down. Walking up to nets that have been empty all day and
are now filled with 30+ birds is a bit daunting at first, but then exciting to
radio back “I have another flock, send help.”
So with all these crazy days, it’s
time to let the people know the answers to the questions they have been asking,
“Just exactly, how crazy IS August?” and in a quick week by week way, I’ll be
keeping you up to date for the remainder of the season.
Now, hang in tight, this is time for
playing catch up on the last 4 weeks and I promise not to do it again!
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| we have been banding a lot of mourning warblers this fall is it a record sarah?? |
Week 1 Highlights
July 30 to August 6, six standard
days banding, two days rained out (one of which Chris was able to get out an
band a few birds in the afternoon). We averaged 78 birds banded a day between
the 6 standard days.
481 birds banded of 41 species,
including an Eastern Phoebe, which is a treat this far North! The birds didn’t
seem to be really moving around much yet, with a good amount of very recently
fledged young, obvious brood patches and the like. Hinting that our migration
season hadn’t quite started yet, but we were happy to get some of our assumed
locals. For standard days this week we were able to run all 40 nets with the
help of the summer Ranger Crew, HMREC staff, and volunteers! American Redstart
took the top spot this week with 48 banded, closely followed by 45 Swamp
Sparrows and 37 Alder Flycatcher and White-throated Sparrows. Close race!
Week 1 Totals (481 birds banded, 41
species)
2 Mourning Dove
2 Downy Woodpecker
3 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
1 Eastern Phoebe
3 Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
37 Alder Flycatcher
17 Least Flycatcher
6 Common Grackle
8 Purple Finch
10 American Goldfinch
37 White-throated Sparrow
21 Song Sparrow
45 Swamp Sparrow
5 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
9 Cedar Waxwing
17 Red-eyed Vireo
8 Philadelphia Vireo
6 Black-and-white Warbler
30 Nashville Warbler
10 Tennessee Warbler
2 Northern Parula
1 Cape May Warbler
30 Yellow Warbler
1 Black-throated Blue Warbler
1 Myrtle Warbler
6 Magnolia Warbler
18 Chestnut-sided Warbler
7 Ovenbird
2 Northern Waterthrush
6 Mourning Warbler
27 Common Yellowthroat
2 Wilson’s Warbler
48 American Redstart
5 Gray Catbird
1 Red-breasted Nuthatch
4 Black-capped Chickadee
3 Golden-crowned Kinglet
3 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
21 Veery
12 Swainson’s Thrush
4 American Robin
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| cedar waxwing |
Week 2 Highlights (August 7 to 13)
Again we were able to run all 40
nets, and many of the same returning faces from the previous week. We had many
recently fledged birds again this week, however, we were kept much busier! We
were able to band all days of the week, with the numbers picking up! We banded
a total of 718 birds of 50 species, averaging 102 birds per day! Highlights
included a Virginia Rail caught in the mistnets (making for one very happy Greg
Rand) as well as a Sharp-shinned Hawk (making for one very happy Joanne
Hamilton). Also we banded 5 Eastern Phoebe’s this week, which was the previous
marsh total for ALL TIME, 2017 is officially the record setter now!
American Redstarts retained the lead
this week with 111 banded, followed by 96 Alder Flycatchers (they’re making a
strong effort!), third place was the Nashville Warbler with 56 banded! Seems we
kicked those sparrows out of the top 3!
As of the end of the week, out fall
total was 1199 birds banded of 52 species!
Week 2 Totals (718 birds, 50
species)
1 Virginia Rail
1 Mourning Dove
1 Sharp-shinned Hawk
2 Hairy Woodpecker
3 Downy Woodpecker
1 Yellow-shafted Flicker
9 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
2 Eastern Kingbird
5 Eastern Phoebe
6 Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
95 Alder Flycatcher
33 Least Flycatcher
9 Purple Finch
5 American Goldfinch
20 White-throated Sparrow
1 Slate-coloured Junco
21 Song Sparrow
30 Swamp Sparrow
5 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
29 Cedar Waxwing
25 Red-eyed Vireo
14 Philadelphia Vireo
14 Black-and-white Warbler
56 Nashville Warbler
20 Tennessee Warbler
1 Northern Parula
8 Cape May Warbler
19 Yellow Warbler
2 Myrtle Warbler
8 Magnolia Warbler
35 Chestnut-sided Warbler
2 Bay-breasted Warbler
1 Blackpoll Warbler
10 Ovenbird
4 Northern Waterthrush
20 Mourning Warbler
14 Common Yellowthroat
9 Wilson’s Warbler
10 Canada Warbler
111 American Redstart
3 Gray Catbird
1 Winter Wren
1 Red-breasted Nuthatch
5 Black-capped Chickadee
6 Golden-crowned Kinglet
6 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
14 Veery
17 Swainson’s Thrush
1 Hermit Thrush
2 American Robin
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| Sarah with black and white warbler or a holstein warbler as some of the kids like to call this bird |
Week 3 Highlights (August 14 to 20)
We were able to band for 6 of 7 days
this week, only losing one day to rain, conveniently the day after we all
stayed up all night with the MNR Airboat Duck Banding Crew! Which any followers
of the blog know that we were crazy excited about the Marsh’s first banded American
Bittern during that event! Other highlights this week included 2 more Virginia
Rail’s caught in the mistnets, 2 Sora caught by the airboat crew, 2 more Eastern
Phoebe (seriously!), our first Savannah and Lincoln’s Sparrows of the fall, and
birds just keep on coming! Banded a total of 671 birds of 46 species, not
including the ducks banded by the airboat crew. The total for the fall jumping
to 1870 birds banded of 59 species!
No one can dethrone our reigning
champion! 94 American Redstarts banded in our 3rd week! Second place
was retained by 71 Alder Flycatcher, however, our 3rd place was beat
down by 54 Red-eyed Vireo! (If you read yesterday’s blog, this could be the
start of something….)
Week 3 Totals (671 birds, 46
species)
1 American Bittern
2 Virginia Rail
2 Sora
2 Sharp-shinned Hawk
1 Yellow-shafted Flicker
12 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
2 Eastern Phoebe
3 Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
71 Alder Flycatcher
32 Least Flycatcher
2 Common Grackle
5 Purple Finch
5 American Goldfinch
1 Savannah Sparrow
13 White-throated Sparrow
12 Song Sparrow
1 Lincoln’s Sparrow
24 Swamp Sparrow
3 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
3 Cedar Waxwing
54 Red-eyed Vireo
16 Philadelphia Vireo
2 Blue-headed Vireo
8 Black-and-white Warbler
48 Nashville Warbler
21 Tennessee Warbler
2 Northern Parula
6 Cape May Warble
13 Yellow Warbler
28 Magnolia Warbler
39 Chestnut-sided Warbler
1 Bay-breasted Warbler
5 Blackburnian Warbler
9 Ovenbird
2 Northern Waterthrush
27 Common Yellowthroat
9 Wilson’s Warbler
12 Canada Warbler
94 American Redstart
1 Brown Creeper
1 Black-capped Chickadee
2 Golden-crowned Kinglet
3 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
23 Veery
13 Swainson’s Thrush
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| syr ranger Jaden Briand with a sharp shinned hawk |
Week 4 Highlights (August 21 to 27)
We missed one day due to rain this
week, however, it was the busiest week yet! We lost our summer Ranger crew this
week, and as such we dropped down to running 35/40 nets, leaving the Rhubarb
Nets closed. The Rhubarb Nets are named appropriately for the vegetation
growing around them, however, they seem to be much more active in the spring,
and haven’t been catching a lot in the fall so far. So with less people
available for extracting, we kept them closed. We also experienced some great
swarming warblers hitting nets this week. It kept us very busy along with another
MNR Airboat Duck Banding night on the 27th, it was slow, however two
Pied-billed Grebes were caught making for a very happy Sarah Bonnett and Nicole
Blackburn! We also banded a Baltimore Oriole (making for one very happy Nicole
Blackburn) as you loyal readers saw in an earlier blog.
Our reigning champion has been
dethroned massively this week!! The lead went to a massive effort put forth by
142 Red-eyed Vireo! Followed not even closely by 74 Nashville Warbler, and our
former leader in third with 60 American Redstart! The drama in the race this
week just doesn’t stop!
Week 4 Totals (811 birds, 47
species)
2 Pied-billed Grebe
1 Downy Woodpecker
17 Ruyby-throated Hummingbird
1 Eastern Phoebe
1 Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
40 Alder Flycatcher
22 Least Flycatcher
1 Baltimore Oriole
4 Purple Finch
5 American Goldfinch
18 White-throated Sparrow
1 Chipping Sparrow
1 Clay-coloured Sparrow
11 Song Sparrow
1 Lincoln’s Sparrow
11 Swamp Sparrow
7 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
18 Cedar Waxwing
142 Red-eyed Vireo
30 Philadelphia Vireo
1 Blue-headed Vireo
12 Black-and-white Warbler
74 Nashville Warbler
41 Tennessee Warbler
2 Cape May Warbler
18 Yellow Warbler
7 Black-throated Blue Warbler
3 Myrtle Warbler
53 Magnolia Warbler
43 Chestnut-sided Warbler
1 Bay-breasted Warbler
1 Blackpoll Warbler
2 Blackburnian Warbler
1 Black-throated Green Warbler
8 Ovenbird
3 Northern Waterthrush
25 Mourning Warbler
51 Common Yellowthroat
30 Wilson’s Warbler
2 Canada Warbler
60 American Redstart
1 Gray Catbird
1 Red-breasted Nuthatch
3 Black-capped Chickadee
3 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
22 Veery
9 Swainson’s Thrush
With that, our first month of
banding is over, it’ll be interesting to see if the REVI retain that strong
push going through right now. Migration is on and we are eager for more!
Sarah Bonnett
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| Sarah with uour second ever field sparrow |
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