A Colorful Day, May 12 – Lowville | Haldimand Bird Observatory

May 12, 2022 – Lowville

Today felt like a day filled with color.. not only are the plants all suddenly bursting with flowers and new leaf growth, but we also had many colorful birds today. For starters, the site seemed like it was overflowing with Baltimore Orioles. They were everywhere; calling, singing, and of course fighting with each other. I think perhaps a lot of orioles must be migrating through our area right now, and we ended up catching 10 orioles for the day which makes them the second most numerous bird we caught, the first being American Goldfinches. I also had an amazing surprise on my first net check… this was the first morning of the season that I finally heard the songs and calls of Scarlet Tanagers. I thought, ‘that’s awesome that they’re back’, but didn’t really expect to catch them since they typically hang out in the forest canopy. Was I ever thrilled to see two glowing red dots as I approached the first net: two male tanagers in the net! I think they probably got caught because they swooped low while chasing each other. In addition to tanagers and orioles, the Indigo Buntings have also arrived back!

BANDED:

1 Blue Jay
1 American Robin
1 Black-capped Chickadee
2 Gray Catbird
10 American Goldfinch
1 Least Flycatcher
1 Common Yellowthroat
1 Black-throated Blue Warbler
1 Black-and-white Warbler
2 White-throated Sparrow
7 Baltimore Oriole
3 Rose-breasted Grosbeak

RECAPS:
1 Downy Woodpecker
1 American Robin
2 Gray Catbird
2 American Goldfinch
1 Common Yellowthroat
3 Baltimore Oriole
1 Indigo Bunting
1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak

TOTAL: 46 (33 banded, 13 recaps)