MIGRATION SUMMARY FOR OCTOBER 24th - 30th, 2008

 

Pelee Island Bird Observatory (PIBO)

 

It was a wet and very windy week at the Point and migration activity was generally light due to strong southwest winds at the start of the summary period followed by northerly gales and lots of rain from the 28th - 30th. Field coverage was reduced to the morning census and some intermittent banding.

 

Songbirds were few-and-far between apart from diurnal migrants flying over the count area, including 155 Rusty Blackbirds on October 30th, and there were small numbers of Golden-crowned Kinglets, Hermit Thrushes and a variety of sparrows in the netting area. Activity on the lake was light with the exception of 410 Red-breasted Mergansers (Oct. 25th) and 40 Buffleheads (30th). A few raptors were noted this week including a Red-shouldered Hawk recorded on census (Oct. 30th).       

 

The mild weather came to an end when a cold front moved through the area on October 27th, bring with it the first Eastern Bluebirds, American Tree Sparrows and Snow Buntings of the Fall. Cool temperatures on the 29th (2° C) made for an active night of owling, with 9 Northern Saw-whets and 1 Eastern Screech Owl captured during six hours of operation.         

 

A total of 60 species was recorded at the Point during the official count period compared to 64 last week and there were five ‘firsts’, which brings the Fall species total to 163. In all, 64 birds were banded along with seven recaptures in 172 net-hours, for an average catch-rate of .41 birds/net-hour.

 

Yellow-rumped Warbler photo - Claire Sanders

 

PIBO’s next summary will be posted on November 8th.            

 

Birds documented at Fish Point by PIBO staff from October 24th - 30th, 2008

 

Date

October

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Species

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common Loon

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

Horned Grebe

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Double-crested Cormorant

1

1

1

 

23

1

5

Great Blue Heron

 

1

 

2

 

1

 

Turkey Vulture

3

1

2

 

2

1

 

Canada Goose

17

 

 

 

9

 

 

Mallard

 

16

 

 

2

1

 

 

Scaup spp.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2

Bufflehead

 

 

 

 

6

15

24

40

Red-breasted Merganser

 

410

12

90

33

97

58

Sharp-shinned Hawk

 

 

 

 

1

1

3

Red-tailed Hawk

 

 

 

 

 

 

2

Red-shouldered Hawk

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Ring-necked Pheasant

 

 

 

 

3

 

2

Wild Turkey

 

 

11

 

 

 

2

3

Killdeer

 

 

 

 

 

1

1

2

Sanderling

 

 

2

 

 

 

 

1

American Woodcock

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Bonaparte's Gull

 

 

22

31

6

7

2

Ring-billed Gull

16

13

13

18

4

4

4

Herring Gull

 

9

138

9

4

1

1

4

Great Black-backed Gull

23

21

14

15

 

11

7

Great Horned Owl

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Northern Saw-whet Owl

 

 

 

1

 

9

 

Eastern Screech-Owl

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

Red-bellied Woodpecker

2

1

 

1

1

2

3

Downy Woodpecker

1

1

1

 

4

 

4

Northern Flicker

1

2

2

4

2

2

6

Eastern Phoebe

1

 

 

 

 

 

1

Blue Jay

 

 

3

 

 

1

2

3

American Crow

 

1

 

 

6

 

 

Black-capped Chickadee

1

6

3

7

7

9

12

Red-breasted Nuthatch

 

 

 

 

 

1

1

Brown Creeper

1

 

 

 

6

1

4

Carolina Wren

1

 

1

1

 

 

4

Winter Wren

 

4

3

2

1

 

 

1

Golden-crowned Kinglet

28

19

14

16

8

12

23

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

2

1

2

 

 

1

 

Eastern Bluebird

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

American Robin

3

4

1

2

 

4

5

Hermit Thrush

6

3

1

1

2

4

4

European Starling

93

9

1

22

61

70

320

American Pipit

 

 

 

 

5

4

 

Cedar Waxwing

 

 

 

 

 

 

6

Yellow-rumped Warbler

 

1

 

2

9

5

15

Northern Cardinal

 

1

 

 

1

1

2

American Tree Sparrow

 

 

 

 

3

 

1

White-throated Sparrow

 

1

 

3

 

6

6

Song Sparrow

 

2

 

 

2

3

1

Swamp Sparrow

1

3

1

1

2

4

1

Dark-eyed Junco

2

2

3

1

8

3

1

Snow Bunting

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

Brown-headed Cowbird

 

 

 

10

31

9

 

Red-winged Blackbird

20

10

1

30

131

130

460

Rusty Blackbird

 

 

 

 

 

65

155

Common Grackle

 

5

 

 

105

10

90

Purple Finch

 

 

 

 

 

3

 

2

House Finch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3

Pine Siskin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

30

American Goldfinch

 

4

1

 

26

4

9

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SPECIES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day

 

24

31

21

23

36

35

47

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fall 2008

 

158

158

158

158

161

161

163

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This period

60

 

Previous period

 

64

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October

 

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weather- 1 hr. after sunrise

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wind direction/strength1

SW5

W6

SW7

W7

NW7

NW7

W2

Visibility (km)

30

30

30

20

20

25

25

Cloud cover (0-10)

10

8

5

10

3

10

1

Temperature (° C)

10

11

10

5

5

5

8

Precipitation

 

 

 

 

RAIN

 

RAIN

 

1 Beaufort scale