September

1- 28 September

September is always a fun month to band and weather cooperated most of the time. While we had oodles of birds, our species count was down and we missed many species we normally get- Northern Waterthrush, Northern Parula, Mourning Warbler, Myrtle Warbler, and no thrushes what so ever!

We banded another 11 Yellow-breasted Chats, all hatch years, making this year's total 16 so far, our highest count for this species.

 

Chats are easily aged, HY birds do an incomplete molt, molting some of the outer primary feathers and inner secondaries, although I don't always see it in the secondaries. From the picture below this chat has replaced primaries 4-9 and retained primaries 1-3 (click on the picture for a better view). There is a noticable difference between the dark shaft and feather of the fourth primary compared to the browner 3rd primary.

He replaced the sixth secondary feather shown below, again darker in both shaft and feather than the adjacent s5.

 

The majority of our Prairie Warblers have moved on but we did capture 4 more this month including this young male.

 

HY male Prairies show a molt limit, usually at A1 (the alula covert-see red arrow), which is darker than the other two alula feathers and primary coverts.

 

 Males have distinct dark streaks on their sides as seen in the first photo and dark chestnut feathers on their back.

We captured our first for the season American Redstart on the 2nd

as well as our first of five Red-breasted Nuthatches. They have been vocalizing up a storm!

 

Female RB nuts (that's what we call them) have gray crowns contrasting slightly with gray back,

 

while the crown of the male contrasts sharply with the back. 

Goldfinch numbers have jumped substantially in September since young have fledged and they flock together in groups.

 

On the fourth we captured a Red-eyed Vireo with a band that did not belong to our station! Any of you banders out there recognize this bird? 2181-59468. I've inquired to nearby banding stations, sent info to the Bird Banding Lab and sent out a query on the Birdband listserv but no takers yet. Since it was a HY bird, I'm sure the bander has not sent in the information yet in the middle of the fall season. I'll be sure to post where it came from when I find out!

 

6 September brought the first of three Acadian Flycatchers, the most we've had in a year. They are part of the Empidonax Flycatcher family and can be challenging on occasion to sort out. Acadians are known to be the 'least cute' due to their big head.

 

Besides all the measurements we do to separate these species, we also take a look at their leg color, gray for Acadian, 

 

and the shape of their 6th primary feather (p6). On Acadians it is not emarginated (emarginated means the outer web of the feather narrows towards the tip as in p7 & 8) seen in the photo below. 

 

Also on the 6th brought our first of many Blackpoll Warblers, a HY bird of unknown sex.

While most of our birds are in their first year, we've also had a few adults. Males look dramatically different in their alternate plumage from spring breeding plumage,  but are still distinguished by their white bellies and black streaks about the head, throat area, and distinct black streaks on their sides. They also have large dark centers to their back feathers.

 

While on the subject of Blackpolls, they are known for their yellow feet as shown below

 

but some of them have such striking color they almost approach orange! 

 

 

Sadly we've had no Mourning Warblers this year,however I won't rule it out yet, but we were excited to get 3 Connecticut Warblers, the most we've ever had. The first one showed up on the 6th and then two on the 25th.

 

Other nice warblers this month included Pine Warbler, a nice bird to show off for our banding demo on the 8th (although this was our adult male banded on the 25th),

Black-throated Green, a HY male, on the 11th,

 

a HY Magnolia Warbler on the 14th,

 

 Canada Warbler

 

Nashville Warbler 

 

and a Black-throated Blue Warbler, all on the 16th.  

 

HY Black-throated Blues males are easy to age and sex due to their distinct plumage, notice the blue-edged replaced alula covert  (A1) sitting atop the green edged retained juvenal A2. 

 

We had a Black-and-white Warbler, HY male, on the 18th, with dark black streaking to the sides

 along with our first Blue-winged Warbler of the year, another HY male.

Our first of many Palm Warblers (mostly Western subspecies)  also came in on the 18th 

 

and a Wilson's Warbler was captured on the 20th.

 

He had an extensive cap with some mottled greenish edging indicating HY. 

 

Besides the many Red-eyed Vireos we banded this month, we also banded two Philadelphia Vireos, the first arrrived on the 14th.

 

The outermost primary (p10) is quite reduced in this species.

On the 18th, Warbling Vireos came in

 

Their p10 is longer, usually as long or longer than the primary coverts. 

 

We banded three Blue-headed Vireos with the first arriving in our nets on the 24th.

 

Besides our many Song Sparrows, we had a rather early White-throated Sparrow on the 14th,

a Lincoln's Sparrow

 

and Swamp Sparrow on the 25th,

 

 

and two Savannah Sparrows on the 27th. The first Savannah below had no yellow in the lores 

 

compared to the bright yellow lores of the second one we banded.  

Some other interesting birds this month were a HY female Eastern Towhee with some leucism on her back and head

 

and more surprising, a very young Mourning Dove still in juvenal plumage captured on the 18th.  

 

 

Thanks to all who helped out this month- Gretchen Putonen, Carolyn Kennedy, Judy Keller, Jessica Rempel and Judith Bruce. The following is a list of birds seen, heard, or banded during this time period.

 

Total birds: 1120                           Total species: 89

Total banded birds: 48                   Birds/100 net-hours: 57

 

Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Canada Goose
American Black Duck
Mallard
Osprey	Last seen 9/14
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Black-bellied Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Greater Yellowlegs
Spotted Sandpiper
Whimbrel
American Woodcock
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Common Tern
Mourning Dove	1 new
Eastern Screech-Owl
Ruby-throated Hummingbird	4 new
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker	2 new; 2 recaps
Hairy Woodpecker	2 new
Yellow-shafted Flicker	1 new; 2 unbanded
Acadian Flycatcher	3 new
Alder Flycatcher	1 (probable) new
Traill's Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe	32 new; 9 recaps; 1 unbanded
Great Crested Flycatcher	2 new
Eastern Kingbird
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Blue Jay	2 new; 1 recap
American Crow
Fish Crow
Black-capped Chickadee	15 new; 61 recaps; 4 unbanded
Tufted Titmouse	4 new; 2 recaps
Red-breasted Nuthatch	5 new
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren	6 new; 10 recaps
House Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin	1 new
Gray Catbird	276 new; 306 recaps; 15 unbanded
Northern Mockingbird	2 new
Brown Thrasher
Cedar Waxwing
European Starling	2 new
Blue-headed Vireo	3 new
Warbling Vireo	2 new
Philadelphia Vireo	2 new; 4 recap
Red-eyed Vireo	38 new; 9 recaps
Blue-winged Warbler	2 new
Nashville Warbler	4 new
Yellow Warbler	8 new; 2 recaps
Magnolia Warbler	3 new
Black-throated Blue Warbler	2 new
Black-throated Green Warbler	1 new
Pine Warbler	4 new
Prairie Warbler	4 new; 1 recap
Western Palm Warbler	9 new
Yellow Palm Warbler	2 new
Blackpoll Warbler	22 new; 1 recap; 1 unbanded
Black-and-white Warbler	1 new
American Redstart	4 new
Ovenbird	2 new
Connecticut Warbler	3 new
Common Yellowthroat	30 new; 5 recaps; 2 unbanded
Wilson's Warbler	1 new
Canada Warbler	1 new
Yellow-breasted Chat	11 new; 4 recaps
Northern Cardinal	11 new; 1 recap; 1 unbanded
Eastern Towhee	13 new; 5 recaps; 1 unbanded
Savannah Sparrow	2 new
Song Sparrow	40 new; 29 recaps; 2 unbanded
Lincoln's Sparrow	1 new
Swamp Sparrow	2 new; 1 recap
White-throated Sparrow	1 new
Baltimore Oriole	Last seen 9/2
House Finch	2 new
American Goldfinch	40 new; 3 recaps; 1 unbanded
House Sparrow

End of August

17- 29 August
Our crew will be holding another banding demonstration this Saturday (9-15) for anyone close by who may be interested in seeing birds up close! Meet at 8:15 at the front door of the museum and walk out to the solar calendar on Wing Island. Rain cancels.

The last two weeks of August were very busy, lots of birds in nets and good diversity of dispersing birds who breed in the vicinity. Eastern Kingbirds were all over flycatching and vocalizing. On 17 Aug we captured four of them and I was able to take pictures of the outer primary (p) feather of an adult male, adult female and a hatch year bird for comparison. The tip of p10 of an adult male is notched and very pointed as pictured below. This feather is quite worn so is not as pointed as it would be if fresh.

In the female p10 is not as deeply notched and the tip is less sharp.

P10 in a hatch year is not notched.

 

Woodpecker molt is more complex than most species we capture so it is important to have a good understanding of what sequence they follow in order to age them appropriately. During this time period we captured numerous woodpeckers going through various stages of molt. On 24 Aug we recaptured a Hairy Woodpecker who had just finished her yearly molt.

She was originally banded last year as a HY (hatch year) bird. During that time she replaced her greater coverts and primary feathers, but no primary coverts (pcovs) or secondaries. During this molt she replaced her primaries again, the greater coverts, her outer primary coverts now black (orange arrow). She retained her inner pcovs (green arrow) and has retained two secondaries (blue arrow).

On the 17th we recaptured a Downy Woodpecker (a year older than the Hairy), who was first banded in 2010 as a HY bird so he is now in his third year. In the picture below you can see he is replacing his primary feathers indicated by the blue arrow. He is also replacing the corresponding  primary coverts,except it appears he is not replacing the corresponding covert to p7, which is brown compared to the ones on either side (orange arrow).

It is possible he may continue to retain one of these feathers, which apparently is rarely seen but could help to age them into their 4th year. Hopefully we will recapture him again next spring and can see if this indeed is the case.

We've had more Eastern Phoebes this year than ever before, all of them HY birds.

They too are starting to molt their body feathers and some of their wing feathers, specifically the lesser coverts, median coverts and greater coverts. The body feathers on their breast are coming in yellow and the replaced greater covs are now a darker gray with a whitish edging (blue arrow) compared to the browner juvenal covs with a buff edge.

More molting birds include this adult Northern Cardinal. He looked so funny with his feathers every which way I just had to take a picture.

 And I loved his bright red 'eyebrows'!

Also on the 18th was a young Gray Catbird

who presented with a growth on his upper wing. It had a hole in the top, which leads me to believe it was some kind of parasite, maybe blow fly, which burrowed into the skin, but has now emerged.

 On the 22nd we picked up another adult Brown Thrasher,

a HY European Starling, also molting, and yelling as usual,

and our first of the season Red-eyed Vireos.

 

Vireos have a hook at the end of their upper mandible and HY Red-eyed Vireos have brown eyes. By next spring the eyes will be red.

 

I was delighted to host the Monomoy banding crew for a couple of days before they headed over to South Monomoy to band for fall migration. From right to left- Keegan from Pennsylvania, James Junta, currently in grad school at McGill, Aviad and Ayla from Israel.

 

The Israeli ringers have never been to the states so were delighted to be introduced to a number of species including their first bird, which was a Great Crested Flycatcher, chickadees, kingbirds, and their first Yellow-breasted Chat (below)!

 

They came again on the 29th sharing with us special Israeli coffee that they brewed right out at our banding table.

 

It was great having all of them!

 

I've also been fortunate to have the Johnson family help out for the past two weeks. Mom, Sheryl and daughters Lauren, who is headed to Wellesley college as a freshman, and her daughter Kristen. Lauren had loads of practice this week extracting birds with so many found in our nets.

 

Kristen was also a big help keeping things organized at our banding table and releasing all the birds for me while Lauren and Sheryl were out at the nets. Here she is with a young male Baltimore Oriole.

 

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are on the move and we captured this HY female on the 25th. They often sit in our hands before flying off.

 

Many thanks to Ben Lagasse, Sheryl, Lauren, and Kristen Johnson, the Monomoy crew- James Junta, Keegan, Aviad, and Ayla, Gretchen Putonen, and Judith Bruce for helping out at the station for the past two weeks. The following is a list of birds seen, heard, or banded during this time period.

 

 

Total birds: 677                                    Total species: 64

Total banded species: 29                      Birds/100 net hours: 91

 

Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Green Heron Canada Goose Osprey Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper's Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Merlin Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover Whimbrel American Woodcock Laughing Gull Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Mourning Dove Yellow-billed Cuckoo Great Horned Owl Ruby-throated  Hummingbird 4 new Belted Kingfisher Downy Woodpecker 4 new; 1 recap Hairy Woodpecker 1 recap Yellow-shafted Flicker 3 new Alder Flycatcher 1 new Willow Flycatcher 1 recap Eastern Phoebe 20 new; 1 recap Great Crested Flycatcher 4 new Eastern Kingbird 18 new Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Blue Jay American Crow Fish Crow Black-capped Chickadee 8 new; 24 recaps Tufted Titmouse Red-breasted Nuthatch White-breasted Nuthatch Carolina Wren 7 new; 3 recaps; 1 unbanded Eastern Bluebird American Robin 11 new; 1 unbanded Gray Catbird 255 new; 163 recaps; 6 unbanded Northern Mockingbird Brown Thrasher 1 new Cedar Waxwing European Starling 3 new; 1 unbanded Red-eyed Vireo 3 new Yellow Warbler 1 new Pine Warbler Prairie Warbler 1 new Ovenbird 1 new Common Yellowthroat 30 new; 25 recaps; 3 unbanded Yellow-breasted Chat 4 new Northern Cardinal 2 new; 1 recap Eastern Towhee 3 new; 2 recaps Song Sparrow 30 new; 13 recaps Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Baltimore Oriole 3 new House Finch 4 new American Goldfinch 3 new House Sparrow