“Floodgate :a last restraint holding back an outpouring of something powerful or substantial.”
Migration monitoring for April felt like a slow trickle, with the weather being so cold and wet for most of the month. With the change in weather and the start of May, the floodgates for migration were opened today! It felt powerful and it was an exciting day with new migrants observed throughout the morning. Eleven new species for the season were noted either by site or call and a few of them were banded, as well. New for the season included: Bay-breasted Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Baltimore Oriole, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Blue-headed Vireo, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Least Flycatcher, Great Crested Flycatcher, Swainson’s Thrush, and Bobolink. Also, we observed seven Common Loons on migration, winging their way north in the early morning.
Banded 29:
1 Least Flycatcher
1 House Wren
2 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
1 Swainson’s Thrush
1 American Robin
2 Brown Thrasher
2 Yellow Warbler
1 Bay-breasted Warbler
1 Northern Cardinal
1 Chipping Sparrow
2 Field Sparrow
5 White-throated Sparrow
3 Red-winged Blackbird
6 American Goldfinch
ET’s: 58 species
Nancy
At Fern Hill – Oakville:
We also witnessed a movement of migrants, although not as dramatic as at Ruthven or at Lowville (see following report). It was busy in another sort of way: a small but visible movement of Blue Jays; a grouping of Northern Rough-winged Swallows (which at Ruthven we see in pairs over the river); the first Eastern White-crowned Sparrows of the year and our first Green Heron, Brown Thrasher and Western Palm Warbler. However, our banding total was quite respectable…
Banded 36:
2 Golden-crowned Kinglets
8 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
2 American Robins
1 Brown Thrasher
1 Western Palm Warbler
1 Field Sparrow
2 Song Sparrows
7 Red-winged Blackbirds
5 Common Grackles
2 Brown-headed Cowbirds
5 American Goldfinches
ET’s: 41 spp.
Rick
At Lowville Banding Station:
[Ben Oldfield received his banding subpermit in March. Since that time he has been running a small banding operation near Lowville, usually for a couple of hours before school or work. It’s good habitat for birds dropping down after crossing Lake Ontario.]
Today started off silent, but as the sun rose new migrants were evident. Warblers were actively dropping out of the sky after a night of migration. By the end of the morning it was evident new arrivals landed. FOY (First of Year)birds include Rose Breasted Grosbeak, Wood Thrush, Swainsons Thrush Eastern Towhee, Common yellowthroat, Nashville warbler, Black and White Warbler, Yellow warbler, Black Throated Green Warbler and Blue Headed Vireo.
Banded 16:
3 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
1 Winter Wren
1 Blue-headed Vireo
1 Hermit Thrush
1 Swainson’s Thrush
1 Nashville Warbler
1 Black & White Warbler
1 White-throated Sparrow
3 Song Sparrows
3 American Goldfinches
Ben