MIGRATION SUMMARY FOR AUGUST 15th - 21st, 2008

 

Pelee Island Bird Observatory (PIBO)

 

 

Migration activity continued to increase at the Point this week, with ones-and-twos of fourteen warbler species recorded during the summary period along with seven Fall 'firsts'. The weather remained warm - dawn temperatures ranged from 16-21 ° C - winds were variable, and precipitation was recorded on one morning.

 

Although shorebird numbers were down, cormorants, gulls and terns were abundant this week, with 8000 cormorants recorded on the 15th along with almost 1000 Ring-billed Gulls (Aug. 18) and 600 Common Terns (Aug. 20 & 21).  

 

A mild cold front and northwest winds at the beginning of the week prompted some migrant songbird activity including the first Mourning and Cape May Warblers of the Fall on the 16th and 17th, respectively. Forty-six species were tallied on August 17th during the official count period, including ten warbler spp., and fourteen warblers of nine species were banded.

 

The wind returned to the south on the 18th and it was generally quiet for a couple of days, but birds were active again on the final two days of the summary period. A nice variety of flycatchers and warblers were observed on August 20th including nine banded Yellow-bellied Flycatchers and the first Wilson's Warblers and Bobolinks of the Fall. Forty-nine species were tallied on the morning of the 21st, including 'firsts' for Chestnut-sided and Black-throated Blue Warblers, along with small numbers of flycatchers and eight other warbler spp.

 

A total of 75 species was recorded at the Point this week during the official count period compared to 68 last week, which brings the Fall species total to 84. Eighty birds were banded along with six recaptures  during 357 net-hours, for an average catch-rate of .22 birds/net-hour.  

 

Tennessee Warbler photo - Chris Dunn

 

PIBO's next summary will be posted on August 30th.     

 

 

Birds Documented at Fish Point by PIBO staff from August 15th - 21st, 2008

 

Date

August

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Species

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Double-crested Cormorant

8K

735

249

851

1.2K

130

150

Great Blue Heron

1

 

 

 

 

 

1

Canada Goose

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

Wood Duck

 

 

6

3

 

 

2

 

Red-breasted Merganser

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Bald Eagle

 

1

 

1

 

 

1

1

Red-tailed Hawk

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

Killdeer

 

1

2

2

3

2

1

2

Spotted Sandpiper

5

 

3

2

 

2

3

Sanderling

 

 

7

2

1

 

 

 

Semipalmated Sandpiper

1

2

 

 

 

 

1

Least Sandpiper

3

4

 

 

2

2

2

American Woodcock

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

Bonaparte's Gull

19

30

31

13

45

21

18

Ring-billed Gull

230

300

75

800

130

40

50

Herring Gull

 

45

42

37

40

19

14

30

Great Black-backed Gull

 

 

16

37

40

5

40

Caspian Tern

 

 

 

1

1

1

 

Common Tern

472

150

500

300

200

600

600

Forster's Tern

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

Mourning Dove

3

2

4

 

 

 

5

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

1

3

2

1

1

2

2

Black-billed Cuckoo

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Chimney Swift

1

1

 

 

 

 

 

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

 

 

2

 

 

 

 

Belted Kingfisher

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

Red-bellied Woodpecker

1

1

 

 

 

 

 

Downy Woodpecker

3

5

5

1

3

2

1

Northern Flicker

2

2

2

2

1

2

1

Eastern Wood-Pewee

3

4

3

4

2

4

3

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

2

 

 

 

 

9

4

"Traill's" Flycatcher

 

 

 

 

 

2

 

Least Flycatcher

3

1

2

1

1

5

4

Eastern Phoebe

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Great Crested Flycatcher

2

 

 

1

1

 

1

Eastern Kingbird

3

2

1

1

 

3

4

Red-eyed Vireo

2

3

1

 

1

1

3

Blue Jay

 

3

1

1

2

 

 

3

American Crow

3

 

1

 

1

 

 

Purple Martin

1

 

 

 

1

 

7

N. Rough-winged Swallow

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Bank Swallow

 

 

 

 

17

 

 

Tree Swallow

 

 

 

 

 

3

 

Barn Swallow

9

5

3

8

 

11

8

Black-capped Chickadee

11

5

10

3

5

7

4

Carolina Wren

6

7

4

4

4

6

5

House Wren 

4

5

 

1

2

1

2

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

 

1

 

 

1

 

1

American Robin

4

6

5

3

1

2

2

Wood Thrush

 

1

1

2

 

 

 

Gray Catbird 

1

1

 

 

 

 

 

European Starling

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

Cedar Waxwing

2

9

12

7

7

8

9

Tennessee Warbler

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

Yellow Warbler

2

1

2

 

 

 

1

Chestnut-sided Warbler

 

 

 

 

 

 

4

Magnolia Warbler

 

1

2

 

 

8

4

Cape May Warbler

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

Black-throated Blue Warbler

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Blackburnian Warbler

1

 

2

 

 

 

1

Black-and-white Warbler

3

1

1

1

 

 

3

American Redstart

 

 

2

 

 

3

4

Ovenbird

 

 

2

1

 

 

1

1

Northern Waterthrush

5

3

2

1

4

 

2

Mourning Warbler

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

Wilson's Warbler

 

 

 

 

 

2

 

Canada Warbler

 

1

3

 

 

 

 

Northern Cardinal

4

4

6

3

4

7

6

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

Indigo Bunting

 

2

 

 

 

 

 

Bobolink

 

 

 

 

 

 

 1

1

Red-winged Blackbird

26

34

 

1

9

34

21

Common Grackle

4

8

6

16

2

7

4

Baltimore Oriole

6

6

6

4

2

6

10

American Goldfinch

3

9

3

4

2

4

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SPECIES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day

 

44

45

46

33

35

39

49

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fall 2008

 

77

78

79

79

80

81

84

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This period

75

 

Previous period

 

68

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August

 

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weather- 1 hr. after sunrise

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wind direction/strength1

N4

NW4

W4

WSW5

NNE4

E4

SE3

Visibility (km)

30

30

30

30

20

30

30

Cloud cover (0-10)

1

1

5

4

9

1

2

Temperature (o C)

17

16

20

21

21

19

20

Precipitation

 

 

 

 

 

RAIN

 

 

1 Beaufort scale