August 31st

Things seemed to pick up this morning. There were a lot of birds around but they tended to be in the treetops and didn’t make it down to the nets. For ET’s (Estimated Totals) I tend to estimate on the conservative side so the overall number of birds counted may be (probably are) low. For example, I heard a Rose-breasted Grosbeak “chipping” away in a tree in front of the Mansion. When I went to investigate, 16(!) flew out of the tree. They were well hidden and if I hadn’t gone to investigate I would have recorded just one. And so it is with a number of species. I can count the number of Eastern Wood Pewees I hear but when you go to find them you will often see two or three fairly close together. So if you hear 6 separate Pewees calling, is that 6 birds or 12 or 18? ET’s are an art form.

Banded 22:
1 Downy Woodpecker
1 Eastern Wood Pewee
1 Traill’s flycatcher
1 Black-capped Chickadee
1 House Wren
1 Swainson’s Thrush
1 Gray Catbird
2 Red-eyed Vireos
1 Tennessee Warbler
1 Magnolia Warbler
2 Black-throated Green Warbler
1 American Redstart
1 Ovenbird
1 Common Yellowthroat
2 Canada Warblers
1 Northern Cardinal
2 Song Sparrows
1 American Goldfinch

Retrapped 6:
1 Black-capped Chickadee
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
1 House Wren
1 Gray Catbird
1 Ovenbird
1 Common Yellowthroat

ET’s: 50 spp.

Rick
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August 30th

We’re into a series of gorgeous weather – sunny and clear and…hot. There was a small influx of Blue Jays and I mentioned to catch 4 of them. Still little movement of things along the river – except for a flock of Canada Gees and a Lonely Mallard. There were only a few warblers about – Bay-breasted, American Redstart and Wilson’s. I banded the Wilson’s. Otherwise, pretty quiet.

Banded 16:
4 Blue Jays
1 House Wren
4 Gray Catbirds
3 Red-eyed Vireos
1 Wilson’s Warbler
1 Song Sparrow
1 Common Grackle
1 American Goldfinch

Retrapped 3:
1 Black-capped Chickadee
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
1 Northern Cardinal

ET’s: 39 spp.

Rick

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August 29th

So….where are all those mosquito-eating dragonflies anyway!? Certainly not hanging around Ruthven, that’s for sure. The hot humid early morning was ideal for the little blood-suckers and they were making the most of it. I don’t think I’ve ever opened the nets so quickly before.

It was another slow day – better than yesterday – but slow. However, what I did catch for the most part was interesting: 6 species of warblers including Chestnut-sided, Blackburnian, Bay-breasted, and American Redstart. So it was worth the bother of the mosquitoes.

There was very little bird activity along/over/around the river, which I don’t understand. Even the Cedar Waxwings that have been sallying forth hawking insects over the river (pretending to be swallows or flycatchers) were absent today.

Banded 14:
1 Blue Jay
2 Black-capped Chickadees
1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
2 Chestnut-sided Warblers
2 Magnolia Warblers
1 Blackburnian Warbler
1 Bay-breasted Warbler
2 American Redstarts
1 Ovenbird
1 Song Sparrow

Retrapped 9:
1 Downy Woodpecker
1 Blue Jay
1 Black-capped Chickadee
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
2 House Wrens
2 Magnolia Warblers
1 Song Sparrow

ET’s: 38 species

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A few pictures from our first week of banding:

After a spring and summer of upright censuses, Brian is advocating a seated daily census protocol for the fall season.

Christine Madliger was a Mac biodiversity student and did her undergrad thesis at Ruthven. She is now working for Ruthven on a contract involving species at risk.

The new flower garden around the banding lab.

A few pictures of Elaine Serena and her grandchildren handling birds on August 26th. Note the Lawrence’s Warbler which was banded that day–it’s not often we see one of those!

A Blackburnian Warbler, banded on August 29th. This is a hatch-year male.

A few shots of a Bay-breasted Warbler, banded on August 29th. This is a hatch year bird (sex unknown). The tawny undertail coverts visible in one of the photos help identify this bird as a Bay-breasted Warbler, not a Blackpoll or Pine Warbler.