A morning at the marsh guest blogger Joanne Hamilton

Introducing Joanne marsh volunteer bander scribe and nature writer 

Today's blog was written by marsh volunteer Joanne Hamilton who hails from Newmarket. Joanne is a welcome addition to our banding team. Joanne learned her trade from our good friends Glenn Reed and Theresa Mackenzie who came up and banded with us in the spring. Joanne  is an amazing scribe  and I have just discovered is a wonderful writer. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did I am already looking forward to her next blog.

A Morning at the Marsh

The morning is cool with dew speckling the long grasses and dripping off delicate leaves. In the distance Sandhill Cranes call, the sound cracking through the wind. Mallards flap restlessly, taking flight as dawn flits over the water. A streak against the sky and the Kingfisher lands delicately on its perch, calling to its mate.

Above us the clouds roll, a vast expanse of choppy greys carried by the wind. They are dashed against the clear skies just south of us, where the sunrise fragments them into hundreds of colourful pieces. Like the clouds I am cold and restless, waiting for birds.

The paths are flooded still, cold water rushing over the boardwalks with every step. It’s a clear sharp black glass, mirroring the ever-changing ocean above us. Frogs hide in the mud and long grasses, hopping away as we open the nets. They unfurl gracefully, billowing slightly in the breeze. We shake the nets dry, leaving them invisible to the birds.

It had rained last night and we’re hoping that it forced the birds to continue moving south. The last few days have seemed slower, less than ideal. We’re all waiting with anticipation for the first net check, hoping that with the flowing wind and rain the birds will rush into the marsh, into the nets.

As the day progresses it becomes clear that birds have been moving, but not the numbers we hoped. But the flow of birds is still there, bringing with it a great diversity of species.  A Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Bay-breasted Warblers, Northern Parulas, a Western Palm Warbler, Common Yellowthroats, Chickadees, and three different Vireos! These brilliant birds with bright yellow, blue-greens, and whites contrasting so sharply against the imposing grey-green of the marsh. They remind me of tiny stars, filled with energy and radiating life. 

Triple crown of vireo's  blue headed  Philadelphia and red eyed  this may be the first time we have ever caught all three in a single net check

By eleven the water returns in the form a light mist. The world becomes foggy, reflective and muddled all the same. Looking up were see the edges of the cloud, and ocean being swallowed by the clear sky. Dazzling sunlight and brilliant blue are just out of reach. So we wait, checking the nets more frequently, hoping for the mist to end. The wind seems moving the whole of the world above us and for a moment I feel that we are the centre of the world, waiting for the weather to change.

As it does change. For our last net check the sun shines down on us. The world welcomes it with open arms, the air warms, and birds move. The marsh is ruled by water and wind. We listen to both, measuring them, determining if it will help or hinder us, trying to predict what it will do to the birds. But whenever you open the nets there’s always a sense of mystery, what will we catch, where will we catch it? It seems that anything can end up in the nets and no amount of studying the water or wind will change that.

That’s why I love birding. Why I love banding. No matter the day, you can always find brilliant living stars.

 

yellow bellied flycatcher

Daily totals:

Banded: 99                         Number of Species: 29

Ruby Throated Hummingbird                     2

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher                              1

Alder Flycatcher                                               4

Least Flycatcher                                                                2

Purple Finch                                                       1

White-throated Sparrow                              9

Song Sparrow                                                    2

Cedar Waxwing                                                                1

Red-eyed Vireo                                                                16

Philadelphia Vireo                                           4

Blue-headed Vireo                                          1

Nashville Warbler                                            3

Northern Parula                                               4

Yellow Warbler                                                 4

Magnolia Warbler                                            6

Chestnut-sided Warbler                                               4

Bay-breasted Warbler                                   2

Western Palm Warbler                                  1

Mourning Warbler                                           4

Wilson’s Warbler                                              6

American Redstart                                          4

Northern Waterthrush                                  2

Common Yellowthroat                                  4

Black-capped Chickadee                                               3

Veery                                                                    2

Swainson’s Thrush                                          1

just love red eyed vireo's a rare photo of an adult this fall

chestnut sided with a bill deformity looking vibrant and energetic

the smallest star of the day a next to hummingbirds winter wrens are so very tiny