The Merlin blew across the sky. It had started its stoop just above the Mansion and was making a descending bee-line for Net 4. At the last moment it dove into the dogwood on either side of the net. From our vantage point at the picnic table we couldn’t see the initial panic, but we did see a burst of Cedar Waxwings as they exploded in all directions up and out of the greenery, the Merlin in hot pursuit, trying to single out a victim. Like wolves on the tundra following migrating herds of caribou or lions on the African savannah shadowing the massive groups of wildebeest, avian predators, like this Merlin, move south with the flocks of migrating passerines, grazing, as it were, on the bounteous feathered smorgasbord.

Friday had been a very slow day during which we had banded only 7 birds! And then yesterday we didn’t even try to open a net as it rained heavily throughout until late afternoon. But the shift in the weather system, that chased the rain to the East, brought a whole new influx of migrants and we were off to the races once again. We had a nice mix of birds including 7 species of Warbler. But the really noticeable influx was of Cedar Waxwings. They were all around the site in both small and large flocks. Very conservatively I estimated their number at 350 – but I think there were many more than this. The birds have discovered that we have a very good crop of wild grapes and gray dogwood berries and stayed around to take advantage of this.

Early on we didn’t catch any. The flocks seemed to be hanging out in the tops of the trees – checking things out I think. But around mid-morning we had a big “hit” ( 41) of them in Net 10. This net is surrounded by grapes. Many of the birds had grapes in their mouths when we extracted them. And anyone who did extract waxwings soon had purple hands from their defecations – grapes evidently move quickly through their digestive systems. And nothing says “bird bander” like grape shit on a birding T-shirt. This net (and only this net) continued to catch waxwings, albeit in smaller hits until we closed. Interestingly, ALL of the 77 waxwings we banded were juveniles – not a single adult to be seen. Where are the adults? Do they remain alone or in small groups on the breeding ground until they have gone through a complete moult and will rejoin the offspring later?

The 77 waxwings banded swelled our banding total for the day, pushing it to 111 – our largest total for the year….so far.

Banded 111:
Eastern Wood Pewee – 1
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher – 1
Traill’s Flycatcher – 1
Swainson’s Thrush – 3
American Robin – 1
Cedar Waxwing – 77
Philadelphia Vireo – 1
Tennessee Warbler – 1
Nashville Warbler – 7
Magnolia Warbler – 4
Black-throated Blue Warbler – 1
Western Palm Warbler – 1
Blackpoll Warbler – 5
Common Yellowthroat – 2
Rose-breasted Grosbeak – 1
Song Sparrow – 1
Lincoln’s Sparrow – 1
White-throated Sparrow – 1
American Goldfinch – 1

ET’s: 51 spp.

Rick

Comparison of undertail covert colour of a Blackpoll Warbler (left) and Bay-breasted Warbler (right)

Early White-throated Sparrow (a female according to its wing length) -S. Oldfield

Ben (left) and Bailey with a Magnolia Warbler and Nashville Warbler (respectively)

Owen with his first banded bird, a Blackpoll Warbler

A fine example of a “partial moult” in a passerine (Rose-breasted Grosbeak). Note the new (black) alula and secondary coverts but the juvenile primary coverts (which will be retained through next Spring).

Male Black-throated Blue Warbler, Ben’s favourite warbler, on its way to the Caribbean

Mikala with her first banded bird, a female Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Tree Frog (residing in one of our exit chutes) -D. DeLange

Adult Bald Eagle. -D. DeLange