MIGRATION SUMMARY FOR OCTOBER 10th - 16th, 2008

 

Pelee Island Bird Observatory (PIBO)

 

After a busy morning at the start of the week, southerly winds and warm temperatures from the 11th-15th produced a lull in bird numbers, but migration activity picked up again towards the end of the summary period.

 

Light northwest winds and a dawn temperature of 10°  C on October 10th made for an active morning - 48 species were recorded on the day and 82 birds were banded of fourteen species. Yellow-rumped Warblers and Hermit Thrushes were numerous along with a nice variety of other migrants including Blue-headed Vireo, five thrush species, Nashville, Black-throated Blue and Palm Warblers, and the first Fox Sparrow of the Fall.        

 

Warm conditions returned to the Point on the 11th and south winds persisted for three days. Despite the weather, both kinglet species were noted in moderate numbers each day and sparrows remained active along with diurnal migrants such as Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles, American Pipits and American Robins. The warm weather didn't discourage migrating Saw-whets Owls either - sixteen birds were captured on the evening of October 14th, including one foreign encounter.  

Songbird activity picked up again on the 15th when 45 species were observed and 67 individuals of fifteen species were banded. Other migrants recorded on the day included 4 Northern Harriers, ones-and-twos of five warbler species (Magnolia, Black-throated Blue, Yellow-rumped, Palm and Blackpoll), seven sparrow species, and the first Eastern Meadowlarks of the Fall. Kinglets and White-throated Sparrows remained active on the final day of the summary period and Winter Wrens were tallied in good numbers, with 26 birds counted on census and in the netting area.           

 

A total of 74 species was recorded at the Point this week during the official count period compared to 83 last week and there were four Fall 'firsts', which brings the Fall species total to 154. In all, 278 birds were banded along with two recaptures in 322 net-hours, for an average catch-rate of .87 birds/net-hour. Nineteen Northern Saw-whet Owls were captured this week including two foreign recoveries.    

 

Hermit Thrush photo - Claire Sanders

 

PIBO's next summary will be posted on October 25th.          

 

Birds documented at Fish Point by PIBO staff from October 10th - 16th, 2008

 

Date

October

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Species

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Double-crested Cormorant

9

1

8

4

2

 

13

Great Blue Heron

2

 

 

 

 

 

4

Turkey Vulture

2

 

 

 

8

8

15

Canada Goose

9

 

2

25

30

25

 

Wood Duck

 

 

 

 

 

 

6

 

Mallard

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

Green-winged Teal

 

 

 

2

 

 

 

Red-breasted Merganser

 

 

2

 

 

 

 

Northern Harrier

 

 

 

 

 

4

 

Sharp-shinned Hawk

1

1

2

8

4

 

5

American Kestrel

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

Merlin

 

 

 

1

1

 

 

 

Peregrine Falcon

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Wild Turkey

 

5

 

8

 

3

12

2

Killdeer

 

 

1

4

1

 

2

 

Greater Yellowlegs

2

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonaparte's Gull

 

 

 

 

 

 

28

Ring-billed Gull

20

10

8

4

6

3

4

Herring Gull

 

6

6

8

2

1

1

1

Great Black-backed Gull

15

3

30

30

 

12

 

Caspian Tern

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

Mourning Dove

 

1

1

2

 

7

 

Black-billed Cuckoo

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

Great Horned Owl

1

1

2

 

 

 

 

Chimney Swift

 

2

 

 

 

 

 

Red-bellied Woodpecker

1

1

2

1

1

4

3

Downy Woodpecker

5

3

3

2

 

1

2

Northern Flicker

10

1

3

2

1

5

4

Eastern Phoebe

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blue-headed Vireo

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blue Jay

 

84

20

45

108

16

59

6

American Crow

11

4

8

1

5

2

31

Tree Swallow

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

Black-capped Chickadee

5

4

8

14

10

7

9

Red-breasted Nuthatch

3

 

 

 

 

1

2

Brown Creeper

3

3

5

2

 

4

3

Carolina Wren

2

1

3

3

3

4

3

House Wren

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

1

Winter Wren

 

9

4

5

12

7

8

26

Golden-crowned Kinglet

25

25

22

37

16

50

40

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

18

18

10

6

4

23

17

American Robin

6

 

10

6

3

9

5

Wood Thrush

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

Veery

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swainson's Thrush

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hermit Thrush

27

5

6

3

 

11

1

Gray Catbird

 

1

1

 

 

 

 

 

European Starling

134

270

116

586

4

582

7

American Pipit

3

 

 

1

 

2

2

Cedar Waxwing

38

1

6

 

 

 

 

Nashville Warbler

1

 

 

 

 

 

1

Magnolia Warbler

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

Black-throated Blue Warbler

1

2

 

 

2

1

1

Yellow-rumped Warbler

100

12

13

5

6

45

11

Black-thr. Green Warbler

1

1

 

 

 

 

1

Palm Warbler

4

 

 

 

 

2

 

Blackpoll Warbler

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

Common Yellowthroat

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Northern Cardinal

6

 

3

3

 

 

1

Eastern Towhee

 

 

1

 

 

2

2

Field Sparrow

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Savannah Sparrow

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

White-throated Sparrow

11

22

10

3

8

54

45

Fox Sparrow

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

Song Sparrow

 

 

 

 

 

8

9

Lincoln's Sparrow

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

Swamp Sparrow

1

2

 

1

 

3

4

Dark-eyed Junco

10

7

1

3

 

18

19

Eastern Meadowlark

 

 

 

 

 

3

 

Brown-headed Cowbird

 

 

 

 

 

6

 

Red-winged Blackbird

123

87

36

8

4

81

15

Rusty Blackbird

10

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common Grackle

3

 

 

 

 

103

8

American Goldfinch

42

2

17

1

3

19

7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SPECIES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day

 

48

33

37

32

24

45

40

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fall 2008

 

151

151

151

151

151

153

154

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This period

74

 

Previous period

 

83

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October

 

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weather- 1 hr. after sunrise

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wind direction/strength1

NW1

E3

SE1

SW1

WSW4

SW3

NW4

Visibility (km)

30

30

20

30

5

20

20

Cloud cover (0-10)

0

1

2

10

4

9

6

Temperature (° C)

10

15

14

14

19

17

13

Precipitation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 Beaufort scale