It’s been a busy couple of days with migration monitoring during the day, owl banding at night and, this weekend, a major Ruthven event: Commemorating the Great War with speakers and displays. Today (24th) I was struck when I heard a marching band and peaked out of the banding lab to see the RHLI (Royal Hamilton Light Infantry) marching band in full uniform (and full volume). It was amazing actually: I was instantly transported 60 years back in time. Once a year in Hamilton, to commemorate the end of WW II, there would be a major parade of veterans through the downtown. My father, a member of the RHLI and a survivor of Dieppe, would march in it. I would anxiously wait for the parade to start passing by so I could search out my Dad and run out to march with him. Well I remember the thrill of that red-clad band leading the way. This morning it still sent chills down my spine.

Nancy was out both Thursday and Friday nights at Ruthven catching Saw-whets. She caught 8 on Thursday (one was a foreign retrap but we don’t know where from yet) and 3 Friday night. On Thursday night Marg and I spent a couple of hours at Taquanya CA where we caught another 3 – suggesting that these owls aren’t following the Grand River corridor but are moving south on a broad front. We will try for them again on Sunday night and any night in the coming week that looks good weatherwise. Phone the front office at Ruthven (905-772-0560) to check ahead of time if you’re interested in coming out.


It’s clear that the migration is drawing down. Banding numbers and species variety are dropping noticeably. While doing net rounds this morning I was struck by how few leaves there still were on the trees….bare branches everywhere. And most of the dogwood berries have been stripped (as well as any other fruit). So, get your woolies out, Winter is upon us. Friday’s arrival of American Tree Sparrows at both Ruthven and Fern Hill (on the same day!) confirms it.

We caught a leucistic American Robin – meaning that it had a number of white feathers. It also had the worst case of leg scaling that I’ve ever seen. When I “put it out there” to get some feedback about what causes it, I got 2 possible lines of explanation.

From Bill McIlveen:
Hi Rick
That is a virus. Some info (below) from the USGS website give some info about the disease …………
Cheers
Bill
Avian Pox
Avian pox is a slowly developing disease of birds caused by several different strains of avipoxvirus. A variety of birds worldwide, including upland gamebirds, songbirds, marine birds, and the parrot family can become infected. Raptors are occasionally affected, but the disease is rare in waterfowl.
Transmission occurs via direct contact with infected birds, ingestion of food and water contaminated by sick birds or carcasses, or contact with contaminated surfaces such as bird feeders and perches. The virus enters through abraded skin. Insects, especially mosquitoes, act as mechanical vectors.
Clinical/Field Signs
Avian pox can occur in two forms: cutaneous pox and diphtheritic or “wet” pox. In cutaneous pox (the most common form), wartlike growths occur around the eyes, beak or any unfeathered skin. This leads to difficulty seeing, breathing, feeding, or perching. In diphtheritic pox, the growths form in the mouth, throat, trachea and lungs resulting in difficulty breathing or swallowing. Birds with either form of pox may appear weak and emaciated.
Lesions
The cutaneous form of pox causes warty growths on unfeathered skin, sometimes in large clusters. The size and number of growths depend on the stage and severity of infection. Common sites include feet, legs, base of beak, and eye margins. Birds are often emaciated due to inability to feed. In the diphtheritic form, there are raised, yellow plaques on the mucus membranes of the mouth and throat

And from Scott Ramsay:
Hi Rick,
That looks like scaly leg mites. A serious infestation can go right through the tendons and the bones.

Birds like chickens with thicker legs can live with an infestation; it may make them a bit lame. Passerines just don’t have the substance to their legs to tolerate the mites. The tarsi get really brittle. What would be safe handling for a healthy passerine could easily lead to loss of a leg in an infested bird.
Scott

Don’t get me wrong….I’m not a superstitious person. But when we caught a Blue Jay on Friday morning (23rd) which was missing the lower part of its right leg, I just knew that the Blue Jays would have a tough time in Kansas City. And sure enough they just couldn’t get a leg up on them, stranding numerous runners in scoring position. Oh well…..next year (the common refrain of Maple Leaf fans….).

Friday, October 23rd:
Ruthven; Banded 54:
10 Northern Saw-whet Owls
2 Blue Jays
1 Black-capped Chickadee
1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
2 Hermit Thrushes
1 American Robin
8 American Tree Sparrows
1 Field Sparrow
1 Fox Sparrow
2 Song Sparrows
3 White-throated Sparrows
10 Dark-eyed Juncos
1 Rusty Blackbird
11 American Goldfinches

ET’s: 34 spp.

Fern Hill School:
The northerly winds brought some new migrants to Fern Hill today. Thirty birds were handled and there was noticeably more bird activity in the area compared to yesterday. We also caught and observed our first American Tree Sparrow of the season, the cold weather must be on its way…

Banded 24:
3 Black-capped Chickadees
1 Ruby-crowed Kinglet
1 Hermit Thrush
1 American Robin
1 Tennessee Warbler
2 Northern Cardinals
1 American Tree Sparrow
1 Song Sparrow
7 Slate-colored Juncos
2 House Finches
4 American Goldfinches

Et’s: 29 spp.
Janice

October 24th;

Ruthven; Banded 35:
3 Northern Saw-whet Owls
1 Black-capped Chickadee
1 Brown Creeper
2 Golden-crowned Kinglets
1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
4 Yellow-rumped Warblers
2 American Tree Sparrows
1 Song Sparrow
1 Swamp Sparrow
7 White-throated Sparrows
1 Eastern White-crowned Sparrow
6 Dark-eyed Juncos
5 American Goldfinches

ET’s: 31 spp.

River Flat/Bagger Banding; Banded 5:
2 American Tree Sparrows
1 Song Sparrow
2 White-throated Sparrows

Photos:

Rick