For the past two days I have been on the road so to speak. Last night I gave a talk in Almonte (just outside Ottawa) to the Mississippi Valley Field Naturalist’s Club. It was a great night: wonderful, engaging people and a delicious meal. My talk was slated to start at 8:00 PM; at exactly 7:55 a passing severe thunderstorm knocked out the power. Yikes! Tough to give a power point presentation without power. But not to worry. These are enterprising folks. By 8:15 I was talking away powered by a generator. Today, Marg and I made the long drive back home.

In the meantime, Mike (Ruthven) and Katherine (Fern Hill Burlington) were banding busily. Here are their results:

Ruthven; May 18th:

Much slower day, but steady enough for just Carol, Kathy and I, so still unable to do census without extra help.

Banded 34:
Eastern Wood-Pewee 1
Least Flycatcher 1
Swainson’s Thrush 1
Gray Catbird 6
Red-eyed Vireo 1
Blue-winged Warbler 1

Tennessee Warbler 1
Yellow Warbler 7
Myrtle Warbler 1
Canada Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 4

Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1
Indigo Bunting 1
Song Sparrow 1
Baltimore Oriole 2
Orchard Oriole 2
American Goldfinch 2

ETs: 51 spp.
Mike

Ruthven; May 19th

A Chat with Flycatchers

Catching and banding a Yellow-breasted Chat is an exciting event few birders are lucky to experience and it could very well be the bird of the season, if not the year for Ruthven! This is Ruthven’s third chat, the last one being back in 2009 and the first in 2000.

Laura Oldfield discovered the bird in net#5 and later took some great pictures. Caleb Scholtens was the proud “extracter” and bander of this spectacular species; and it was a new species for him to band! This rare bird certainly doesn’t look like a warbler. I’m impressed how big they are in the hand and they seem to give the impression of a different type of tanager or even a large vireo!

As if that were not enough, it was a day of banding 62 birds of 22 species; a good day, indeed. The flycatchers banded included 1 Eastern Kingbird and 2 Great Crested Flycatchers; these two species are not frequently caught and banded so are always a treat. Four Trail’s Flycatchers (probably Willows) added to the flycatcher “feast.”

I saw 3 Bald Eagles, 2 of which were clasping talons and rotating – supposedly a courting ritual. The sound of a Common Raven and a quick sighting of it to the south of the banding station was a northern contrast to the southern sounds of several Yellow-throated Vireos singing around the banding lab.

Banded 62:
1 Black-billed Cuckoo
4 Traill’s Flycatchers
2 Great Crested Flycatchers

1 Eastern Kingbird
1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
14 Gray Catbirds
2 Cedar Waxwings

2 Warbling Vireos
1 Red-eyed Vireo
1 Blue-winged Warbler
6 Yellow Warblers
1 Ovenbird
4 Common Yellowthroats
1 Wilson’s Warbler
1 Yellow-breasted Chat
6 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks
1 Indigo Bunting
2 Field Sparrows
1 Song Sparrow
5 Baltimore Orioles
4 Orchard Orioles
1 American Goldfinch

ET’s: 55 spp.
Ruthven Photo Gallery:

Mike

Fern Hill – Burlington; May 18th
Today was Grandparent and Special Friends day at the school, which meant that it was busy with curious visitors throughout the morning. The birds did not disapoint and we had a really nice variety of banded, retrapped, and observed birds throughout the day.

Fern Hill Firsts of Spring
1 Male Orchard Oriole (observed singing)
2 Spotted Sandpipers (flying over parking lot)
1 Northern Parula (female observed feeding)
1 Northern Mockingbird
1 Cliff Swallow (observed flying with Barn Swallows around school)
1 Magnolia Warbler (banded)
1 Wilson’s Warbler (banded)

In total we banded 14 birds:
1 Trail’s Flycatcher
5 Eastern Bluebirds
2 Gray Catbirds
2 Yellow Warblers
1 Magnolia Warbler
1 Wilson’s Warbler
2 American Goldfinches

In the afternoon we banded the Eastern Bluebird nestlings, an opportunity I know will stay with the students forever! All in all a huge success with lots of wonder and excitment from both students and grandparents alike!
Katherine