Half a morning of banding
House Wren (baby)
This Saturday morning we had a superb start at the CLDC MAPS banding station but then . . . . (to be continued)!!! We banded only 6 species, recaptured 9 individuals and placed new bands on 8 birdies (17 total captures). Species banded included Blue-winged Warbler, Gray Catbird, Song Sparrow, Field Sparrow, House Wren and a first for the year bird for me (also to be continued ).
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Family Day at SWAT
SWAT Group Photo
Today was Family Day at the SWAT MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) banding station with families from Michigan to local families who spent the first weekday of summer together! Of course the best part is that everyone here is a regular visitor to this website!!! {{{HIGH FIVE}}} It wasn’t until I was driving Young Naturalist J home that I realized that the whole “Mon@rch Nature Blog team” was together for the first time and I didn’t take a “team” picture together (big upset for the day)! But the whole team was in the group photo that I managed to get of all the families that visited in . . . . well minus one family who left early and a father who was the photographer.
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Trying for . . .
Habitat photo where we placed the mist net
This afternoon Young Naturalist J and I attempted to band a rare bird that has been reported in the area. About 3-4 years ago we had a singing male Worm-eating Warbler on territory and the bird hasn’t been relocated since that time. Last Sunday while banding at CLDC, I got a voice mail from Peter Y. that the Worm-eating Warbler had been located again in the same area. Habitat is “perfect” for the bird (Southern steep sloped hillside) with thick undergrowth for nesting birds like the Worm-eating Warbler, Hooded Warbler and Black-throated Blue Warbler! Only problem is that we are just over the northern range for this species and is almost like finding a needle in a haystack.
Killfawns
The most adorable Killfawn ever photographed!!
Yesterday I had to do a double take with some Killdeer that were on the side of the road. . . . I said “Look a bunch of Killfawns”!!! This pair of Killdeer had 4 baby killdeer running beside them! This photo series is pretty much what happened within the following minute!
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Fighting for the Fish
A moment after the Bald Eagle grabbed the trout N. Pike
Today a friend and I were over at Quaker Lake when we found this Bald Eagle being attacked by an Osprey. I quickly ran for my camera (kept in the trunk) . . . darn, I just missed their talons clinging together!!! Of course I was fumbling with the camera and trying to get my lens cap off. Once I finally started taking pictures (click, click, click) . . . . I heard “splash” . . . The eagle had just pulled this huge trout N. Pike from the water. One would have thought this Eagle would have had a hard time carrying this large fish but instead it flew away with grace. Moments later we found the Osprey in a dive towards the Eagle with intentions to try and steal the fish from the Eagle. The Eagle just ignored the Osprey and flew up into the tree to eat his fresh lunch.
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My First Babies
Blue-winged Warbler
Today we banded our first babies at the CLDC MAPS banding station . . . . yep 3 baby chickadees decided to stop over for a visit. The morning started with some thick fog that got us more wet than helped us in capturing any morning birdies. Once the warm sun started evaporated the fog . . . . we finally began to capture our first birdies of the morning. Highlights included the Field Sparrow, Blue-winged Warbler, Veery, baby Chickadees and 2 Hairy Woodpeckers (although the woodpeckers were not the most cooperative visitors)!!
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SWAT and the Thunderstorm
Blackburnian Warbler
Yesterday (Tuesday) was our second banding session for the SWAT MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) banding station. Yesterday was one of the most beautiful mornings with perfect temperatures, little wind and a sunny sky. About 2 hours into banding and I started to hear some grumbling in the background . . . nope not my stomach. That was thunder rumbling in the distance.
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Outdoor Program
Me with the kids from last years program
For the past two days (Thursday and Friday) I have been busy helping the Allegany State Park recreation department with the Great Outdoors program for almost 350 kids from 5 different school districts.
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First Day at CLDC
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Last Sunday we started banding over at the CLDC MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) banding station and placed bands on 15 species (43 individuals). The highlight was the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (first for the station and a year bird for me CHECK), Veery and Eastern Towhees. The Yellow-bellied Flycatcher was a late migrant passing through the area and just encourages me start doing spring/fall banding. Warblers banded included the Blue-winged Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Yellow Warbler, and Common Yellowthroat. Other commonly captured birds included the Gray Catbird, House Wren, Red-eyed Vireo, and Indigo Bunting.
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Prairie Warbler
Prairie Warbler
While driving through Allegany State Park today, I encountered my first of the year Prairie Warbler (CHECK) singing in one of the abandoned fields near the Red House entrance. I slowly worked my way closer to the bird and hit the jackpot in finding a non-camera shy bird! I did see the female once but she wasn’t as cooperative as the male was! But I do feel that the female was close because I had suspected the male was following her around and singing his trilled song (reason he was ignoring me)! Other first for the year birds that I had today included the Alder Flycatcher (CHECK) and Willow Flycatcher (CHECK)!
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Chestnut-sided Warbler
Female Chestnut-sided Warbler
Last Saturday Jeremy and I followed a male Chestnut-sided Warbler over to this female gathering some nesting material. It was interesting watching her “carefully” selecting . . . . then reaching into the Tent Caterpillar nest without getting herself entangled. I am “assuming” that this material was being gathered for a nest that she is building!!
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Northern Mockingbird in Allegany
Northern Mockingbird
Last Friday (16 May 2008), I found this Northern Mockingbird in Allegany State Park while traveling through the Quaker area. You might wonder “what’s the big deal in finding a mockingbird” ?? The truth is that these guys are not commonly found within Cattaraugus County and I would assume it is because of our hilly terrain. I will watch to see if this bird sticks around the area for a while but I assume the bird was just passing through the area!!
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Moms Doves
Mourning Dove
I received a phone call from my mother the other day about this brown bird who was nesting in her old bird feeder!! She explained how these Blue Jays were bothering the mother but she appeared to be holding her own. I never expected from her description that the bird would turn out to be a Mourning Dove!!!
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Wrap up to an amazing trip
Red-headed Woodpecker
We had such a wonderful time visiting the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area (aka Crane Creek) with seeing so many great birds and having the opportunity of meeting such great birders. I noticed that the Black Snake Bird Observatory’s Banders Blog reported (Friday 9 May) “We also had the pleasure of a few banders from New York and surrounding states. It is always a pleasure to have visiting researchers see our operation and share ideas and talk shop.” and then said . . . “For the day we had a total of 190 new birds including 30 species and 38 recaptures.” Can you believe they had 20 species of warblers that day??? I knew we should have stayed till they closed up nets! Anyways . . . . I would like to thank Kim Kaufman and the many staff members of the Black Swamp Bird Observatory who helped in making our visit so spectacular.
THANKS!
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More Warblers from Ohio
American Redstart
And you thought I posted all my good warbler pictures!!! All I can say is that these pictures can tell the rest of the warbler story!
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Our Banding Adventure
Common Yellowthroat
Young Naturalist J and I take these trips to the different banding stations for helping us explore how these organizations conduct their studies. Each project is different and they always have a way of showing us something that we had never seen before. The Navarre Marsh Banding Station in Ohio and the Presque Isle Banding Station in Erie PA were no exception and both stations were different in many ways. The truth is that we take these trips to enjoy the many wonderful birds that are not normally caught at our banding station (and for us to capture a few photos)!!
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Banding in the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area
Bay-breasted Warbler (CHECK)
Friday morning Young Naturalist J and I were invited to join the Black Swamp Bird Observatory’s “Navarre Marsh Migration Monitoring Banding Station” in Oak Harbor, Ohio. Last Sunday when we made the first plans to visit . . . . we never realized that this station was located on a National Wildlife Refuge and the hoops that we needed to go through to visit the banding station. I guess driving behind a Nuclear Power Plant to band birds requires some security issues to contend with. Without a doubt this adventure was well worth the hoopla because I ended up with 10 year birds (1 being a lifer) and Young Naturalist J ended up with 3 lifers on this trip!
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Finding Purple Martins
While heading to Crane Creek from Presque Isle State Park . . . . Young Naturalist J and I decided to take an alternative route to the thruway. I felt at one point that we were lost but I am glad we continued the adventure because we found this wonderful series of Purple Martin houses (my brakes screeched and I yelled “Purple Martin” (CHECK). Since the business that had these Martin houses were closed . . . we decided to take a few pictures of their birds!!
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Banding at Presque Isle State Park
Northern Cardinal carefully being banded
Young Naturalist J and I joined Toni from A Spattering and Linda from Eries Argonaut over at the Presque Isle State Park banding station this morning to see some migrants up close. We had such a wonderful time together and saw many great birds being banded by Sarah S. from PA Audubon (Thanks for letting us join you Sarah)! Below are just a few pictures that we captured at the banding station:
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New-tropical Migrants [Poem]
Chestnut-sided Warbler
New-tropical Migrants
We have always seen warblers
as brilliancies of the North Woods:
lemon yellow of Black-throated Green
flame wings and tail of American Redstart
But the Redstart is Cuba’s “Little Candelita,”
the Black-throated Green flies his colors from Ecuador
Our boreal yellows, reds, blues are tropical,
burnt orange of Blackburnian,
orange-red of Bay-breasted
What do we send back?
Blackburnian with only the yellow,
Bay-breasted, Blackpoll, Pine we can not tell apart – –
“Confusing Fall Warblers.”
Color them up, we say.
Paint back the cheeks and flanks of Chestnut-sided,
brighten back the pigments of Black-throated Blue
Send these warblers back.
On the Big Day in May
in Sugar Maple and Tamarack
we will check off glories of the rain forest
Birding around the Lean-to
Dark-eyed Junco
We could only found 17 species of birds around the lean-to during our three days of backpacking on the North County Trail. But, do note that they were great birds to watch as our entertainment while at camp. Dark-eyed Juncos and American Robins were the most visual of all the birds we saw. The Juncos appeared to have nest building near the water spring and was protecting a territory!
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Common Flicker
What is this looking out of my box?
While out backpacking . . . . I wanted to continue my post with this woodpecker who I found inspecting my Screech Owl box on Friday!! Of course every year the only thing that uses the box is European Starling (which I always need to evict)!! Maybe this will be the year for the Flicker??
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Visit with friends!
Bonapart’s Gull
Friday evening Marg spend the night at my house and we had some laughs catching up since our last visit. I left extra early on Saturday morning to pick up Young Naturalist J for the 85th annual Eastern Bird Banding Association meeting at Presque Isle State Park. Young Naturalist J was excited to hear that Marg and Richard would be joining us at this conference. He didn’t expect to see many other banding friends of ours and make a few new friends.
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Staghorn Sumac and Birds
American Robin about to feed on Staghorn Sumac
Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina) is a small tree with hairy twigs, hairy leave stalks and hairy fruit. The tree gets its name for the resemblance the branches have with deer’s antlers when the antlers are “in velvet”. The Peterson Field Guide to Medicinal Plants says “American Indians used berries in cough syrups. Berry tea used for lung ailments. Gargled for sore throats and worms. Leaf tea used for sore throats, tonsillitis. Root or bark tea astringent; used for bleeding”. But do note they remind us; “Do not confuse Staghorn Sumac with Poison Sumac”!!!
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Mon@rch's Nature Blog 