Although virtually absent for the past couple of days, we had an influx of 35+ Cedar Waxwings today. -E. Wainright
It’s been a topsy-turvy 3 days weatherwise: Heavy frost and below freezing temperatures on the morning of the 27th delayed opening of the nets by over 2 hours; the morning of the 28th was 16 C. with some wind and threatening showers; this morning it was in between – 8 C. although windy.
Birds have been scarce, except for American Goldfinches – we have banded 71 over these 3 days. But there’s no doubt that the migration has tailed off. Now it’s mostly winter residents that are moving in/around. This is reflected in both diminishing numbers of birds banded but also in the variety of species encountered. Variety has been steadily going down: 36 species, followed by 32 and then just 30 today. Time to start thinking about putting the snow tires on and getting ready for the Snow Buntings that are winging their way here.
It’s nice to see American Goldfinch numbers beginning to climb again after their precipitous crash last year. If you remember, in 2012 we banded an amazing 1,316; in 2013 we banded only 198! I put this down to the possible effects of an outbreak of conjunctivitis that we were beginning to see in the species as early as that Spring. We currently sit at 322 banded and this will almost certainly climb between now and our last day on November 7th. But I also wonder about the effects of “industrial farming”. For the past week we have been flushing flocks numbering up to 20 goldfinches out of the stands of goldenrod found in the Butterfly Meadow and along the edges. You don’t find goldenrod in industrially farmed fields – it has been decimated by round-up or other herbicides. Hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland in southern Ontario have been denuded of Fall wildflowers/weeds…..bird food.
October 27th; Banded 41:
1 Hairy Woodpecker
2 Black-capped Chickadees
1 Winter Wren
1 Golden-crowned Kinglet
1 Eastern White-crowned Sparrow
4 Dark-eyed Juncos
2 House Finches
29 American Goldfinches
ET’s: 36 spp.
October 28th; Banded 32:
1 Hairy Woodpecker
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
1 Northern Cardinal
1 Fox Sparrow
2 Song Sparrows
1 White-throated Sparrow
1 Eastern White-crowned Sparrow
2 Dark-eyed Juncos
21 American Goldfinches
ET’s: 32 spp.
October 29th; Banded 37:
2 Black-capped Chickadees
1 Golden-crowned Kinglet
1 American Robin
5 Cedar Waxwings
1 Northern Cardinal
1 American Tree Sparrow
3 Eastern White-crowned Sparrows
2 Dark-eyed Juncos
21 American Goldfinches.
ET’s: 30 spp.
Rick