We got home the evening of the 30th. Now the plan I had in mind was to take the 31st to just kick back and get ready physically and psychologically for the 70 day grind of Fall migration monitoring. My wife, Marg, had different plans. Because….all she could see was that the house was in a mess, a mess that would require 3 full days of cleaning to rectify. I must admit that I was a bit mystified that a house that had been empty for one and a half months could get that messy but…there you have it. Over the many years I’ve found that my wife’s “cleaning” is the sort of activity that requires her utmost focus and attention to detail and should not be disturbed by….me. In fact, I know that during this ritual I am a hindrance and, evidently, annoying so it’s best for me to find an outdoor pursuit well away from the activity. Oh well…I guess that, instead of waiting for the 1st of September to start the Fall banding season, I’ll just have to start a day early on the 31st. And so I did, doing both Marg, and I, a favour.
But to be fair, Sarah really got the jump on the season by setting up nets in the middle of August so she could get a start on our Bobolink banding project. What a treat it was to arrive yesterday and find ALL the nets put up, the lanes and trails cleared, and 129 birds already banded!!
Upon arrival, the first thing I noticed was that the pond had very little water. The up side to this, for banders and visitors, is that there are virtually NO MOSQUITOES. Last Fall we were plagued by them late into the season. Although good for us, I wonder about the loss of insects that have a “water stage” and what this might mean for migrating birds that depend on them to fuel their journey.
The “Bobolink Project” is an interesting development. We noticed last Fall that Bobolinks inhabited the prairie meadow in large numbers taking advantage of the copious quantity of seeds to fatten and fuel their epic journey to the Pampas of Argentina. So we thought we should try to investigate this to find out if we could catch large numbers (last year we banded 88) and, if so, what this might mean for future study. Modus tags perhaps….? We applied to the banding office and got permission to use an audio lure to draw them down. This seems to be working well: in the course of 4 days Sarah caught and banded 65 Bobolinks. [Read about her Bobolink Day in the previous post.] And, as you will see, we’ve since added substantially to that total. Bobolinks are definitely on the move. On the 31st I made a conservative count of 70+. There’s little doubt but that the prairie grasses are a major attraction and draw them in.
We’ve had 2 absolutely beautiful days weatherwise. What a treat to kick back and take in the quiet. Other than Bobolinks there isn’t much sign of migration except for a few early Robins dropping down out of the sky when the sun starts to rise and a couple of warblers along the edge: a Wilson’s Warbler yesterday and a Magnolia Warbler today – just the beginning of the major warbler surge.
August 31st; Banded 26:
1 Northern House Wren
2 Song Sparrows
4 Swamp Sparrows
16 Bobolinks
2 Common Yellowthroats
1 Wilson’s Warbler
ET’s: 25 spp.
September 1st; Banded 29:
1 Traill’s Flycatcher
2 Black-capped Chickadees
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
3 Gray Catbirds
4 Song Sparrows
2 Swamp Sparrows
13 Bobolinks
2 Common Yellowthroats
1 Magnolia Warbler
ET’s: 30 spp.
I was noticing Monarch Butterflies flitting over the field today; not in huge numbers but regularly seen.
Along the edge we’ve encouraged the growth of milkweed and…found a large caterpillar, not too far away from the chrysalis stage:
Rick