September 11th – 13th – Bringing You Up To Date

The daily grind of banding was taking its toll; I haven’t been feeling much like writing this thing going into the evening, especially when I can watch the Blue Jays, who are playing exciting baseball (at last), and have a beverage. But it’s time…..so here we go!

September 11th; Ruthven:
Beautiful weather but slow, slow birding/banding. Nancy go NO birds on the last two rounds. She would have been better to sun bathe in the chaise longue…..

Banded 10:
1 House Wren
5 Swainson’s Thrushes
1 Gray Catbird
1 Bay-breasted Warbler
2 Common Yellowthroats

Male Common Yellowthroat – yellowthroats are….common…..right now around the meadow.

ET’s: 34 spp.

Here’s an irony: Ms. Nelli, the outstanding music teacher at Fern Hill Oakville, releasing a Song Sparrow.

September 11th, Fern Hill Oakville:
Same as Ruthven – beautiful, warm clear weather and few birds. Our effort is hampered somewhat in that the feeders have just recently gone up and the chickadees have yet to find them. Migrants like to be in the company of chickadees so when they find the feeder we’ll do better catching.

Upon arrival just before 7 I noticed two young Barn Swallows sitting by their nest. They had obviously spent the night roosting in the shelter provided by the overhanging roof. They flew off – adeptly – when I approached.

Banded 4:
1 Western Palm Warbler
3 Song Sparrows

ET’s: 22 spp.

September 12th, Ruthven:
More lovely late-Summer weather but better banding/birding.

Banded 32:
1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
2 Black-capped Chickadees
7 Swainson’s Thrushes
3 American Robins
1 Philadelphia Vireo
4 Red-eyed Vireos

Chestnut-sided Warbler (with a wet head – from “skulling”). -MMG

1 Chestnut-sided Warbler
3 Magnolia Warblers
2 Bay-breasted Warblers

Blackpoll Warbler – a long way from South America! -MMG

3 Blackpoll Warblers
1 Common Yellowthroat
2 Northern Cardinals
1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
1 Song Sparrow

ET’s: 41 spp.

Carol’s hot-right-out-of-the-oven, lard-infused-crust peach pie. What a treat!! -MMG

September 13th, Ruthven:
An otherwise mediocre banding day was made much better with a great peach pie that Carol had just pulled out of the oven before bringing it. Yay!!

“Why, yes, of course I’d like a piece of peach pie….or two”. -JDF

There were a couple of Patches of migrants but none near the nets. So it was slow going.

Banded 29:
2 Black-capped Chickadees
2 Swainson’s Thrushes
3 Gray Catbirds
1 Philadelphia Vireo
6 Red-eyed Vireos
1 Chestnut-sides Warbler

3 Magnolia Warblers
1 Black-throated Green Warbler
2 Blackpoll Warblers
2 American Redstarts
4 Common Yellowthroats
1 Indigo Bunting
1 Song Sparrow

ET’s: 39 spp.
Photos:

Hannah showing off a chickadee to her grandparents. -MMG

One of my favourite flowers in Carol’s hummingbird garden: Salvia. -MMG

The return of the native – Joanne with a Magnolia Warbler. She hasn’t lost her stuff.

One of Carol’s prize-winning Dahlias (we let her take them from the gardens for competitions….since she grew them anyway). -MMG

Rick

September 13th, Fern Hill Burlington:

Katherine with some of Burlington’s YO’s. -JJC

Today was the first official day of Fern Hill Burlington’s Fall Migration Monitoring, although we banded yesterday (caught and banded 2 birds), today was the first day we had our Young Ornithologists out in strength. We had a lively crew of our regulars returning as well as some new students coming out for the first time to check out the action in the Field Station throughout the morning-before school, first, and second recess. The birds didn’t disappoint either, and although it is a slower start to the season (not a lot of action sighted or heard along the net lanes despite our flourishing crop of dogwoods, wild grapes, and sumac) we had enough birds to keep everyone engaged and involved. Janice and I had a nice flow of birds that wasn’t overwhelming in numbers but did allowed the students to see a nice diversity of species, dust off their handling and releasing skills learned last year, and allowed myself and Janice time to demonstrate and discuss identifying, aging, sexing, and processing the birds. On census our highlights were Bay-breasted warblers spotted on census! Today with my students we spent the afternoon in our school’s rain garden where the fall wildflowers are at their peak. The garden is a haven for pollinators of all kinds right now including bees, birds, moths, butterflies and more.

Today we banded 8 birds of 7 species including: