This morning we woke up to something incredible: the sound of silence! For the first time in recent memory, there was no wind! – or as near as made no difference. Cautiously, we peered through the windows at the tips of the young aspens outside, searching for signs of movement; we poked our heads out of doors and marvelled. At the banding station, the leaves were being stirred by a modest north wind, but by mid-morning the air was as still and as calm as could be wished for. By the time we closed a few mist-nets were beginning to billow, but by then we had accrued a whole 71.5 net-hours, just half an hour shy of the maximum number possible. The last time we were able to have the nets open for as long was September 6th: in between then and now, we have been unceasingly plagued by a combination of below-zero temperatures and gusting winds. With this being the second to last day of migration monitoring, now was our time to make hay while the sun shone! (Metaphorically speaking – the day was quite overcast.)
Two of the crowned heads of TLBO: Ruby-crowned Kinglet (left) & Orange-crowned Warbler (right)
Much to our delight, the birds obliged! Right from the get-go, Yellow-rumped Warblers and Ruby-crowned Kinglets were leaping into the nets left and right. With every round we made, we found more of them waiting patiently for us, watching with bright eyes as we extracted their compatriots. The numbers ebbed and flowed throughout the morning, with busy net runs often followed by slower ones, so that we were never overwhelmed and instead could enjoy a steady banding pace. Most of the birds banded were the usual late-fall suspects (Yellow-rumped Warblers, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and White-crowned Sparrows), but there were also more than a few surprises salted in among them. We banded our fourth Varied Thrush of the season and the 255th (!) Swainson’s Thrush, plus a single Hermit Thrush. The warbler diversity was wonderful, and included a couple of species that we thought we had seen the last of. A Townsend’s Warbler was observed and three Orange-crowned Warblers were banded (including one belonging to the brightly-coloured Lutescens subspecies), along with a Wilson’s Warbler and a late-season MacGillivray’s Warbler, 11 days after the last one we had observed. And, after I was pleasantly surprised to spot one on census, we captured and banded a Warbling Vireo! 2023’s banding total for this species is greatly below the average, so it was nice to be able to add one more before the season’s end. Many of the birds we banded had good amounts of fat on them, a heartening sign that they were in prime condition to make the long migratory flights required of them.
Two late-season surprises: MacGillivray’s Warbler (left) & Warbling Vireo (right)
On census, the Warbling Vireo that I spotted amid the shrubbery on the outskirts of the south field was accompanied by good numbers of Yellow-rumped Warblers of the Myrtle subspecies, and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, who converged on the branches above me and took turns darting closer while they discussed the situation among themselves. As today would be my last census of the year, I was happy to be able to make my farewells to Donald the Trumpeter Swan, still presiding over the lagoon, which was crowded with a flock of over thirty American Wigeon. Along the road, Golden-crowned Sparrows outnumbered the White-crowned variety for the first time this fall.
With so much going on at the banding station there was little time available for trips to the oxbow or exploratory forays among the Firs. We greatly appreciated it when a group of twenty Mountain Bluebirds very thoughtfully perched on the fence just in front of the banding station so that we could count them properly! They soon fled ahead of the sharp-edged shape of a hunting Merlin, who shot past and then returned a minute later more slowly, carrying some unfortunate soul whose destiny it was to end up as lunch.
Two Yellow-rumped Warbler subspecies, showing off: Audubon’s (left) & Myrtle (right)
We ended the morning with a total of 49 birds banded of 12 species. The last time we banded over thirty birds was on August 20th, when we banded 45. Our banding activity has been so reduced of late that we were convinced that 2023 would end up beating last year as the slowest season on record, but now our fate seems less certain – especially as the forecast for tomorrow, our last day of migration monitoring, seems to promise another calm day…
To see our eBird list for today, please visit: https://ebird.org/checklist/S150892946, and tune in tomorrow for Sachi’s summary of the 2023 migration monitoring season. This will be my last blog post of 2023, so I would like to thank you all for reading along, and for your wonderful comments and questions! I would also like to say a fond farewell… to my faithful hiking shoes which, after one trip around the net-loop too many, finally exploded. They will be missed!
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Species | Band | Recap |
Yellow-rumped Warbler | 16 | |
Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 15 | |
Song Sparrow | 4 | |
White-crowned Sparrow | 4 | |
Orange-crowned Warbler | 3 | |
Warbling Vireo | 1 | |
Golden-crowned Kinglet | 1 | |
Hermit Thrush | 1 | |
Swainson’s Thrush | 1 | |
Varied Thrush | 1 | |
MacGillivray’s Warbler | 1 | |
Wilson’s Warbler | 1 | |
Black-capped Chickadee | 2 |
Daily | Season | ||
Birds Banded | 49 | Total Banded | 897 |
Species Banded | 12 | Standard Banded | 880 |
Birds Recapped | 2 | Species Banded | 53 |
Species Recapped | 1 | Total Recapped | 166 |
Species on Census | 24 | Species Recapped | 17 |
Species Recorded | 43 | Species Recorded | 143 |
Thank you for keeping us so well informed. The photos were great and I enjoyed reading the ups and downs of the migratory station. I hope bird numbers for many species will return to previous levels in the future, and that you will be there to record them.
Thank you so much Kathleen! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed our posts, it’s always a pleasure to share our work with others!
I have a pair of shoes just like those! Thanks for the poetry and avian compassion! Rock on!!
Thank you for reading & for your comments! Have a great winter!