MIGRATION SUMMARY – OCTOBER 17th – 23rd, 2007

 

Pelee Island Bird Observatory (PIBO)

 

Migrants continued to filter through the area this week yet it remained uncharacteristically quiet at the Point during the summary period, with just moderate numbers of late-Fall species recorded from the 17th-23rd. Strong southwest winds and very warm temperatures seemed once again to play a part. As a result, both species diversity and abundance were down significantly during the week compared to activity in previous years.            

 

 

October 17th     

 

It was rainy and mild this-morning with winds from the southwest. A few migrants noted on the day included small numbers of Brown Creepers, kinglets, Hermit Thrushes, and a banded Fox Sparrow. Three Peregrine Falcons were observed on the census.   

 

October 18th   

 

Lots more rain and 19° C at dawn. Not much activity on census or in the netting area apart from 2000 Double-crested Cormorants, a lone Sanderling, and ones-and-twos of kinglets, Yellow-rumped Warblers and White-throated Sparrows.

 

October 19th       

 

Very similar to the preceding day – rain, southwest winds and 20° C at dawn – with just five birds banded and twenty-nine species recorded in the count area.   

 

October 20th       

 

Not much bird news to report with the exception of a single Northern Saw-whet Owl captured and banded in the early evening. 

 

October 21st       

 

There were a few more migrants in the area this-morning including small numbers of four raptor species, 55 Blue Jays, 40 Golden-crowned Kinglets, and a few Yellow-rumped Warblers and sparrows. A late Barn Swallow and Gray-cheeked Thrush were noted today as well. 

 

October 22nd    

 

Another warm, windy day with just a few birds filtering through the Point including small numbers of Brown Creepers, kinglets, American Robins, and White-throated Sparrows. A Cackling Goose was observed at the tip. 

 

October 23rd      

 

Steady rain all day and just the 90-minute census completed. Nothing of note in the morning, but the rain let off in the late afternoon and a night of owling produced three  Northern Saw-whets.

 

Fifty-nine species were recorded at the Point this week compared to seventy-eight last week and two Fall ‘firsts’ were tallied, which brings the season species count to 161. In all, 59 birds were banded and three recaptured during 272 net-hours for a catch-rate of .22 birds/net-hour.

 

Northern Saw-whet Owl photo – Kerry McGuire

 

Next week’s summary will be posted on November 1st.   

 

Birds Documented at Fish Point  October 17th – 23rd, 2007 

    

Date

October

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Species

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Double-crested Cormorant

432

2K

140

300

3.8K

3K

200

Turkey Vulture

 

 

22

3

 

 

 

Cackling Goose

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

Canada Goose

19

31

 

25

22

54

20

Mallard

 

 

4

 

 

7

 

 

Bald Eagle

1

2

1

 

3

2

 

Northern Harrier

1

1

1

1

4

 

 

Sharp-shinned Hawk

1

 

5

1

4

5

 

American Kestrel

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

Merlin

 

 

1

 

 

1

2

 

Peregrine Falcon

3

1

1

 

 

 

 

Ring-necked Pheasant

 

8

1

 

1

 

 

Wild Turkey

 

 

16

 

 

12

 

Killdeer

 

 

 

 

1

4

 

 

Sanderling

 

1

 

1

 

 

 

Bonaparte's Gull

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ring-billed Gull

45

7

40

14

18

400

30

Herring Gull

47

29

24

45

13

13

17

Great Black-backed Gull

40

28

35

18

40

18

8

Northern Saw-whet Owl

 

 

 

1

 

 

3

Red-bellied Woodpecker

1

 

1

1

1

2

 

Downy Woodpecker

1

 

1

 

 

1

 

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

Yellow-shafted Flicker

4

1

2

1

1

2

1

Eastern Phoebe

2

 

 

1

 

 

 

Blue-headed Vireo

1

 

 

 

 

 

1

Blue Jay

 

8

5

60

3

55

23

 

American Crow

4

5

 

3

7

15

 

Barn Swallow

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Black-capped Chickadee

5

2

1

11

7

11

 

Red-breasted Nuthatch

2

 

1

 

 

1

 

White-breasted Nuthatch

1

 

 

 

 

1

 

Brown Creeper

9

4

4

4

2

5

2

Carolina Wren

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Winter Wren

7

1

3

 

2

1

 

Golden-crowned Kinglet

30

18

15

8

40

34

7

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

10

 

3

4

3

10

 

Eastern Bluebird

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

American Robin

3

 

4

1

8

18

 

Swainson's Thrush

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Gray-cheeked Thrush

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

Hermit Thrush

5

1

5

4

6

2

1

European Starling

20

65

 

11

390

91

 

American Pipit

3

 

 

 

1

 

 

Black-throated Blue Warbler

1

 

 

 

 

2

 

Yellow-rumped Warbler

3

6

 

1

9

3

3

Northern Cardinal

2

1

1

3

1

 

 

Field Sparrow

2

 

 

 

 

 

 

White-throated Sparrow

3

4

4

2

5

6

 

White-crowned Sparrow

1

1

 

 

 

 

1

Fox Sparrow

1

 

 

 

1

 

 

Song Sparrow

1

 

 

 

 

1

 

Swamp Sparrow

 

 

 

 

 

2

1

Dark-eyed Junco

3

5

1

 

5

1

8

Red-winged Blackbird

15

14

19

 

84

200

30

Rusty Blackbird

 

 

 

 

 

3

 

Common Grackle

65

 

5

13

101

136

 

Purple Finch

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

American Goldfinch

2

3

14

3

 

7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SPECIES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day

 

41

28

29

27

35

39

16

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fall 2007

 

160

160

160

160

160

161

161

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This period

59

 

Previous period

78

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October

 

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weather - 1 hr after sunrise

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wind direction/strength1

WSW3

S3

SW4

SW6

WSW6

SW4

NNW2

Visibility (km)

5

15

25

30

30

25

15

Cloud cover (0-10)

10

10

7

0

0

2

10

Temperature o C)

17

19

20

14

17

16

15

Precipitation

 

RAIN

RAIN

 

 

 

RAIN

1 Beaufort scale