A Tree Swallow found dead in the river flats. Close examination showed that it was severely emaciated – it’s downfall? Starvation. -DOL
The urge to get to the breeding ground is a powerful driver. Early birds have an advantage so it is worth their while but….there are inherent risks usually associated with the weather. We’ve had a long string of cold, windy, wet days and for insect-eating birds this can be a death sentence, as it was for the Tree Swallow pictured above. We found this bird in the river flats. It was severely emaciated. Given the long string of poor conditions, I can only imagine that this bird only represents the tip of a gigantic iceberg. On some days one could see several hundred swallows flying low over the river (downstream from York is a good area to spot them) looking for any insects emerging from the water. And if the conditions aren’t conducive to insect development, the birds will suffer. Early birds make a dangerous decision which, sometimes, just doesn’t pay off.
It’s been a slow week banding at the Farm with adverse winds limiting the number of viable nets and rain/sleet/snow shortening the day. Still, we did what we could do whenever we got a chance to the extent that the conditions allowed. And by paying close attention we noticed that the number of species encountered each day began to climb indicating that migration was going on – although birds in the banding area seemed to be the same and we were getting more recaptures than new birds in the nets. When this weather “dam” breaks there will be a big push as the birds that are being held up now will be on their way further North
April 8th; Banded 15:
2 White-breasted Nuthatches
3 European Starlings
1 American Tree Sparrow
1 Song Sparrow
1 Swamp Sparrow
1 Brown-headed Cowbird
6 Common Grackles
ET’s: 38 spp.
April 9th; Banded 13:
1 Eastern Phoebe
1 Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Bluebirds have been checking out our nesting boxes. -DOL
4 American Robins
1 American Goldfinch
1 American Tree Sparrow
3 Song Sparrows
1 Brown-headed Cowbird
1 Common Grackle
ET’s: 40 spp.
April 10th; Banded 18:
1 Golden-crowned Kinglet
1 American Goldfinch
1 American Tree Sparrow
3 Song Sparrow
5 Red-winged Blackbirds
2 Brown-headed Cowbirds
4 Common Grackles
Common Grackles have a malevolent look, eh? -DOL
1 Northern Cardinal
ET’s: 28 spp.
April 12th; Banded 7:
1 White-throated Sparrow
2 Song Sparrows
4 Red-winged Blackbirds
Emily with her first banded bird: Red-winged Blackbird -DOL
ET’s: 49 spp.
And other hijinx:
Liam taking a banana break sitting in the new porch throne. -DOL
Chris, a carpentry student at Conestoga, hard at work. -DOL
The finished product: a sturdy shelf for a large water jug – a much-needed commodity here. -DOL
Checking out a nest box. -DOL
Of course, if you adjust the picture a little, it takes on a completely different “feel”:
We were visited by a sanitation inspector this morning who was determined to get to the bottom of things… -DOL
Rick