Male Chestnut-sided Warbler
We’ve had a lot of rain over the last few days. Many of the low-lying farm fields are flooded; the trails at Ruthven have large muddy areas and the lawns are like rice paddies. Last night we got another downpour and the temperature dropped. It got me to thinking about the latest major report on climate change out of the U.S. One of the main predictions was that the “wet” areas (i.e., the northeast) would get wetter and the “dry” areas (southwest) drier. We’re getting large amounts of rain and in California there’s drought, early Santa Ana winds, and major fires…already. Is this the sign of things to come?
Male Bay-breasted Warbler.
Female Bay-breasted Warbler.
Despite the weather conditions, birds are driven to get to where they have to go. That drive is hard-wired. So last night I assume they took off and headed north until they hit the rain and had to come to ground. For us it was a good thing as we saw 13 species of warblers and banded 11 of them (total of 40 warblers banded). It was kind of neat: I was doing a net round and, just below net 6 I saw a large mixed flock of feeding warblers. I took a single bird out of the net and hoped that those I had been seeing would drop down from the tree tops where they were feeding into the net area. Twenty minutes later, on the next net round, I caught 20 warblers in #6!
Male Magnolia Warbler.
Female Blackburnian Warbler.
Female Cape May Warbler.
The cool temperatures set the swallows to feeding over the river where it is relatively warmer and they have a chance of picking off emerging insects. Peter Thoem, who was doing the census, reported all 6 swallow species were present (including the first Cliff Swallows of the year).
Banded 71:
1 House Wren
2 Gray Catbirds
1 Cedar Waxwing
1 Philadelphia Warbler (1st of the year)
1 Yellow-throated Vireo
1 Blue-winged Warbler
2 Nashville Warblers
8 Yellow Warblers
1 Chestnut-sided Warbler
8 Magnolia Warblers
1 Cape May Warbler
2 Yellow-rumped Warblers
3 Blackburnian Warblers
8 Bay-breasted Warblers
2 American Redstarts
4 Common Yellowthroats
4 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks
2 Chipping Sparrows
2 Song Sparrows
1 Red-winged Blackbird
2 Brown-headed Cowbirds
2 Baltimore Orioles
1 House finch
11 American Goldfinches
ET’s: 72 spp.
Rick