We’ve had magnificent weather these last two days – cool nights, clear sunny skies during the day. Marvellous. Days like this in September get me daydreaming about two possibilities: paddling my kayak in the deep blue waters of Georgian Bay, checking out all the little nooks and crannies in the 30,000 Islands; or, feeling the sails of my (non-existent) sailboat draw with the rounded mountains of the Charlevoix, near Tadoussac on the north shore of the St. Lawrence, rolling by. The reality though has been a treadmill-like series of mostly empty net rounds – filled with hopeful expectations….only to be dashed. Thank gawd for daydreaming!

The 23rd was ok by these weather standards – a good first round which produced the first Winter Wren of the season. But today was little short of a disaster: we banded only 12 birds and had only 5 retraps. The rate of capture, 10 birds/100 net hours, was terrible. Fortunately, we banded the first Hermit Thrush of the season; Peter Thoem got the first Yellow-rumped Warblers on census; and a small flock of Bonaparte’s Gulls winged their way down the river.

So we decided to put our time to good use (and look forward) – we put up the main array of Saw-whet Owl nets. Nancy hopes to get going in early October.

September 23rd; Banded 35:
2 Mourning Doves
1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
1 House Wren
1 Winter Wren
1 Gray-cheeked Thrush
2 Swainson’s Thrushes
1 Wood Thrush
1 American Robin
4 Gray Catbirds
1 Tennessee Warbler
1 Nashville Warbler
1 Chestnut-sided Warbler
3 Magnolia Warblers
1 Black-throated Green Warbler
1 Scarlet Tanager
1 Northern Cardinal
1 Indigo Bunting
2 Song Sparrows
5 White-throated Sparrows
4 American Goldfinches

ET’s: 47 spp.

September 24th; Banded 12:
1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
1 Gray-cheeked Thrush
1 Hermit Thrush
2 Gray Catbirds
1 Blue-headed Vireo
2 Red-eyed Vireos
1 Scarlet Tanager
1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
1 Chipping Sparrow
1 White-throated Sparrow

ET’s: 51 spp.
Photo Gallery:

Rick