May 4th – Surging Ahead

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Blue-winged Warblers arrived during the night. -B. Fotheringham
Blue-winged Warblers arrived during the night. -B. Fotheringham
When you bird a particular area intensively, daily, you know what birds are new to the site. So today, when the first birds of the first net round were Gray Catbirds, Blue-winged Warblers and a Lincoln’s Sparrow, I knew that they had flown in during the night. Up until today they simply had not been around. It makes me wonder where they were before they started last night’s flight. Two hundred kilometers south of us is central Pennsylvania. I would love to have been able to follow their flight, find out the route.
First Gray Catbird of the year.
First Gray Catbird of the year.

First Lincoln's Sparrow of the year.
First Lincoln’s Sparrow of the year.

We encountered 60 species today; besides the 3 mentioned above we also saw our first Chimney Swifts. Along with the long-distance migrants we also had a mojor influx of American Goldfinches: we banded 25 and had 15 retraps. Many of the latter were birds banded in previous years that we haven’t encountered this Winter. Some of them might have flown as far as the Lincoln’s Sparrow or Gray Catbirds. One goldfinch that we banded a few years ago was recovered, in April, just outside New Orleans! Maybe today marked the return of a migrant population that had been wintering in the deep south.

The 3 Blue-winged Warblers were interesting in that they varied in the amount of white/yellow they showed in their wingbars. They can hybridize with Golden-winged Warblers. Where they have the Blue-wings have eliminated the Golden-wings. Blue-wings with yellow wingbars are showing some residual Golden-wing DNA influence.

First Blue-winged Warbler of the year...a male. Note how yellow its wing bars are.
First Blue-winged Warbler of the year…a male. Note how yellow its wing bars are.

The second Blue-winged Warbler we caught today. Note the anomalous black feathers on the head.
The second Blue-winged Warbler we caught today. Note the anomalous black feathers on the head.

The 3rd Blue-wing we caught today was a retrap: originally banded on Sept. 1/'15 as an adult. Note that the wing bars are almost completely white.
The 3rd Blue-wing we caught today was a retrap: originally banded on Sept. 1/’15 as an adult. Note that the wing bars are almost completely white.

Banded 48:
1 Least Flycatcher
2 Tree Swallows
1 House Wren
1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
2 Gray Catbirds
2 Blue-winged Warblers
1 Nashville Warbler
2 Yellow Warblers
2 Chipping Sparrows
1 Song Sparrow
1 Lincoln’s Sparrow
2 White-throated Sparrows
2 Red-winged Blackbirds
1 Common Grackle
2 Brown-headed Cowbirds
25 American Goldfinches

ET’s: 60 spp.
Rick

Photo Gallery:

A brilliant "white morph" White-throated Sparrow.
A brilliant “white morph” White-throated Sparrow.

First Nashville Warbler banded this year - an ASY male.
First Nashville Warbler banded this year – an ASY male.

Note all the webs coated in dew - a minefield for insects. -N. Furber
Note all the webs coated in dew – a minefield for insects. -N. Furber

First Yellow Warbler banded this year - an ASY male.
First Yellow Warbler banded this year – an ASY male.

Note the yellow edging of the primary coverts on this ASY male Yellow Warbler.
Note the yellow edging of the primary coverts on this ASY male Yellow Warbler.

This brilliant male Baltimore Oriole was banded at Ruthven as a juvenile on July 17, 2014.
This brilliant male Baltimore Oriole was banded at Ruthven as a juvenile on July 17, 2014.

Robin leaving its nest. There are lots of robin nests around the Mansion property. -B. Fotheringham
Robin leaving its nest. There are lots of robin nests around the Mansion property. -B. Fotheringham

Chipping Sparrows seem to be everywhere at the moment. When they have finished mating and the females are on eggs it will seem like there's only a few around. -B. Fotheringham
Chipping Sparrows seem to be everywhere at the moment. When they have finished mating and the females are on eggs it will seem like there’s only a few around. -B. Fotheringham

Male bluebird looking for its next meal. -B. Fotheringham
Male bluebird looking for its next meal. -B. Fotheringham

Young -SY- male Rose-breasted Grosbeak; note the brown rather than black primary feathers. -B Fotheringham
Young -SY- male Rose-breasted Grosbeak; note the brown rather than black primary feathers. -B Fotheringham

Tree Swallows. -B. Fotheringham
Tree Swallows. -B. Fotheringham

Female Yellow Warbler in one of the spruce trees out front of the Mansion. -B. Fotheringham
Female Yellow Warbler in one of the spruce trees out front of the Mansion. -B. Fotheringham

Rick

Fern Hill School – Burlington:

Young Ornithologists with the first Yellow Warbler of the year at Fern Hill Burlington. -J. Chard
Young Ornithologists with the first Yellow Warbler of the year at Fern Hill Burlington. -J. Chard

Today we caught our first Yellow Warbler and saw our first Common Loon of the Spring.

Banded 10:
1 Yellow Warbler
2 Eastern White-crowned Sparrows
3 Red-winged Blackbirds
4 American Goldfinches

ET’s: 40 spp.

Photo Gallery:

Pari with a Blue Jay. -J. Chard
Pari with a Blue Jay. -J. Chard

Young Ornithologists assessing the fat on a Blue Jay. -J. Chard
Young Ornithologists assessing the fat on a Blue Jay. -J. Chard

Brilliant male Yellow Warbler. -J. Chard
Brilliant male Yellow Warbler. -J. Chard

Eastern White-crowned Sparrow. -J. Chard
Eastern White-crowned Sparrow. -J. Chard

Katherine with a White-crowned Sparrow. -J. Chard
Katherine with a White-crowned Sparrow. -J. Chard

Janice

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