Migration Monitoring – November 3rd & 4th, 2007

This is just a reminder that Dr. Grant Gilchrist will be speaking at Ruthven on Wednesday, November 7th at 7:00 PM. The focus of his talk will be the effect of global warming on seabirds in the Arctic. His talk will be punctuated with his wonderful photographs of the Arctic, its wildlife and its people. The talk will be followed with refreshments and a time to mix and mingle.

The cost of admission is $10 per person; $15 per couple; and $20 per family. Tickets can be reserved by calling Linda or Marilynn at the Ruthven Gatehouse (905-772-0560), or by emailing ruthven.park(at)sympatico.ca

Grant Gilchrist (BSc, Trent, PhD, UBC) is a Research Scientist with the Canadian Wildlife Service and Adjunct Professor at Carleton University. He joined CWS in 1995 but has been working in the Arctic since 1989. He conducts research on seaducks and pelagic seabirds in arctic Canada and Greenland. He has also undertaken collaborative studies with universities on seabird ecology and population demography; work that has helped to ensure sustainable levels of harvest, as well as incorporating Aboriginal needs into conservation and management strategies in the North.

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November 4th

The Goldfinch Factory continues to produce! There were goldfinches all over the place today – it was difficult to get an accurate count. One wave would hit the feeders, we’d catch and band a bunch of them and half an hour later we’d catch another batch – unbanded. In all we handled 98 of them (75 banded/23 retraps). Some of the retraps were interesting: 4 were banded in March/April of ’07 and not encountered again until today; 3 were banded in the Spring of ’06 and not encountered again until today; and one bird was banded in March 2003 and not re-encountered until today. Where were these birds in the interim? Especially the 2003 bird?

If it hadn’t been for the goldfinches, it would have been a pretty slow day. and if the wind hadn’t picked up, the number of goldfinches banded would have been considerably more – a funny day. There was an Evening Grosbeak hanging around but not in the nets.

Banded 97:
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
1 Downy Woodpecker
2 Black-capped Chickadees
1 Brown Creeper
2 Golden-crowned Kinglet
4 American Tree Sparrows
2 Eastern White-crowned Sparrows
4 Dark-eyed Juncos
3 House Finches
2 Pine Siskins
75 American Goldfinches

Retrapped 39:
2 Downy Woodpeckers
6 Black-capped Chickadees
4 White-breasted Nuthatches
1 Brown Creeper
1 American Tree Sparrow
2 Dark-eyed Juncos
23 American Goldfinches

ET’s: 36 spp.

Rick

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November 3rd

There was a heavy frost coating the nets and poles with ice so I took it easy until the sun came up, did a census and then opened nets 2, 4 and 10. There was a lot of activity at the feeders by nets 1 & 2 – mostly American Goldfinches. Otherwise, there was very little bird activity.

Banded 49:
1 Blue Jay
2 Black-capped Chickadees
1 Northern Shrike (1st for the year)
2 Northern Cardinals
1 Swamp Sparrow
1 White-throated Sparrow
6 Dark-eyed Juncos
1 House Finch
1 Pine Siskin
33 American Goldfinches

Retrapped 30:
2 Downy Woodpeckers
2 Black-capped Chickadees
4 White-breasted Nuthatches
1 Song Sparrow
1 White-throated Sparrow
3 Dark-eyed Juncos
1 Purple Finch
16 American Goldfinches

Some interesting retraps:
Downy Woodpecker: banded as HY – September 2005
White-breasted Nuthatch: banded as AHY – May 2004
Dark-eyed Junco: banded as SY – March 2004

ET’s: 33 spp.

Rick

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