1,000th Bird Banded at SpruceHaven

22 June 2018

     This morning, the 1,000th banding of a bird at SpruceHaven took place, an auspicious event indeed.

     No. 1,000 was a ten-day old baby Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica), from nest number 28, one of five healthy young in that nest, and it now bears the band number 2631 97104.

     

     It seemed especially appropriate that Heather, having her first session banding nestlings (under Kevin's careful supervision), was able to get a day off work to permit her to do this. As we all expected she handled it like the true pro she is.

     Sandy got up early to witness the event and here is a picture memorializing the occasion.

Kevin, Heather, Sandy

     We have enjoyed a remarkable period of success at SpruceHaven and it sometimes is hard to believe that we have only been involved in this venture for two and a half years.

     Our thanks go out to Dave Westfall, and Jamie and Sandy Hill; without their consent nothing could take place. Kevin Grundy, our master bander continues to inspire us all with his professionalism, dedication and consummate skill, to say nothing of his depth of knowledge about birds and his ability to age and sex species often without referring to the text.

     I know that he has been an inspiration and a fine mentor to Heather and Daina. Unfortunately, Daina was unable to be with us today (she is out of town doing field work) but she was with us in spirit and we acknowledge the wonderful contribution she has made to everything we do.

     A morning spent with Kevin, Heather and Daina is a delectable experience, the likes of which few people get to enjoy. I am lucky that I get to do it all the time.

     Josh Shea has been out to help us several times and we acknowledge his good humour, helpful manner and willingness to pitch in and assist where needed.

     Debbie Hernandez is the newest member of our group and comes out to learn whenever she gets a chance. 

     Ross Dickson has always been willing to help when called on and provided yeoman service filling in for Kevin when he had the nerve to take a vacation during banding season!

     This year, for the first time, David Lamble and Merri-Lee Metzger operated the nets on a couple of occasions mid week when others were working.

     Before returning No. 2631 97104 we took a couple of final pictures.

     May he/she return to SpruceHaven next spring and have a long and fruitful life thereafter. He/she has already brought much joy to OUR lives.

Final weekend of spring bird banding at Sprucehaven

26/27 May 2018

SpruceHaven, St. Agatha, ON

26 May 2018

     We seem to have just started banding for the spring session and it is already over. Kevin was unable to come one weekend due to family commitments and we got rained out on another so the activity has been shortened a little.

     For the first time this spring Debbie Hernandez was able to make it out to the nets and we were delighted to see her again.

     

     Since we last saw her Debbie has graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with an Honours BSc. in biology and is now contemplating her future. Whatever it holds we hope that she will continue to come and help out at SpruceHaven.

     We banded a few new species for the season including this Mourning Warbler (Geothlypis philadelphia), a bird previously only recorded in the fall.

     It is interesting to look at the following photograph of the same bird taken from a slightly different angle. You will see that the grey throat has a much paler aspect, and in a couple of other photographs which were blurred unfortunately, it looked even whiter.

     I simply provide this comparison to illustrate the fact that a photograph can at times be misleading. Different light can portray a bird in tones quite unlike its true colours.

     This male Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)was one of two caught in the same net.

     A Lincoln's Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii) is a delicately marked little bird, one which is often misidentified in the field by inexperienced birders, but there was no mistaking this bird in the hand.

     Heather carefully processed the bird and she and Kevin conferred on some finer points of aging and sexing.

     Kevin's tee shirt says, "I'm not normal," and I leave it up to you to judge how true this statement is! Suffice it to say, that Kevin would have been right at home as a member of Monty Python's Flying Circus, or perhaps a star performer on The Goon Show!

     Here are a couple more pictures of Lincoln's Sparrow before release.

     It is not often that we capture a Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris). Perhaps this species is generally too wily to be caught in a mist net.

     Without a shadow of a doubt Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) is one of our most beautiful birds.

     Here you see the detail of the waxy tips on the wings from which the bird derives its name.

     It would be pretty hard to tire of waxwings.

     Curiously several of our Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) nests held a single nut (walnut?). How these nuts got there is a matter of conjecture but perhaps they represent some kind winter storage for squirrels.

     Pileated Woodpecker (Dyocopus pileatus) is a species we have seen infrequently at SpruceHaven and Kevin's friend, John Pringle, visiting from England, managed this flight shot.

All species banded 26 May: Cedar Waxwing (1), Common Starling (1), American Goldfinch (1), Common Yellowthroat (1), Mourning Warbler (1), Brown-headed Cowbird (2), Common Grackle (2), Song Sparrow (2), Lincoln's Sparrow (1). Total: 9 species, 12 birds.

27 May 2018

     It was a slow day at the nets, fittingly perhaps on our final day of banding for the spring.
     Significantly, however, we trapped two more Mourning Warblers for a total of three in two days. Since most warblers have already moved north, and this species has bred locally in past years, it leads me to believe that perhaps they are breeding at SpruceHaven.
     A Barn Swallow in our nets was the first bona fide capture, other birds having been netted in/at the barn to establish which birds had returned to their natal site. This bird had not been previously banded and was not one of the nestlings banded last year.

     A male Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) is not a momentous capture, given the sheer number of this species at SpruceHaven, but this male was especially handsome and robust. This is a polygynous species and it is likely that this male has a harem of females.

     Just before we wrapped it all up, Vashti Latchman and her young son, bird devotee, Roddie, arrived for their first visit of the season.

     It was good to see them both and it was too bad that we had but a single Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) to show them. We will look forward to a return visit in the fall when we hope to have many interesting birds to fuel Roddie's already burgeoning interest in all things ornithological.

All species banded 27 May: Traill's Flycatcher (1), Barn Swallow (1), Mourning Warbler (2),  Red-winged Blackbird (2), Song Sparrow (1), Northern Cardinal (1).  Total: 6 species, 8 birds.

Gotta love this one.

A Day Out with the Ladies

12 November 2017

     Our stalwart helpers at our SpruceHaven banding operation, Heather, Daina and Debbie, indicated an interest in joining me for a day's birding. Today worked for everyone so we embarked on a quest for waterfowl - and any other species we could find.

Debbie Hernandez, Daina Anderson, Heather Polan

     Heather and Daina have had considerable exposure to waterfowl; Debbie much less so, and it was my aim to refine the identification skills of Heather and Daina a little, and begin the educational process for Debbie.

    The temperature was relatively mild and as November days in Ontario go, it was quite pleasant.

     We started our day at the DesJardins Canal in Dundas, a location which Hooded Mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus) seem to find particularly appealing, and large numbers can be found there as long as there is open water.

     There was not a whole lot else on the water, except for the predictable large numbers of Mallard (Anas platyrynchos), Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) and, surprisingly, a couple of juvenile Black-crowned Night Herons (Nycticorax nycticorax) still braving the cold. A few juvenile Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) were also still present, and some members of this species routinely spend a good part of the winter there. This always strikes me as odd in a species that needs to dry its wings after pursuing fish underwater, but they seem to accomplish this operation despite the freezing temperatures.

All species at DesJardins Canal: Canada Goose, Mallard, Hooded Merganser, Black-crowned Night Heron, Double-crested Cormorant, Ring-billed Gull, Carolina Wren (Heard only by Heather), House Sparrow. 

     We moved over to LaSalle Park and Marina in Burlington, our principal destination for the day, where we were amused to see the male Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) observed there a couple of weeks ago, in ardent pursuit of what appears to be a female Mallard/American Black Duck (Anas rubipres) hybrid. This little duck, half the size of the object of his affections, provided a textbook demonstration of mate guarding, and fearlessly drove off any male Mallard that had the audacity to come near.

     The sheer number of ducks, geese and swans was not great, but there was a pleasing variety of species, allowing for many inter specific comparisons, identification of males and females and the opportunity to observe feeding strategies.

     Heather tried her best to gain entry into the world of the Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator), but she was treated with nothing but disdain.

     Greater Scaup (Aytha marila) was seen in great numbers, generally far off, but a few individuals were obliging enough to come in close, prompting a discussion of the ways to identify Greater Scaup from the very similar Lesser Scaup (Aytha affinis).

     There were many Red-breasted Mergansers (Mergus serrator) on the water, all females.

     Both Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata) and White-winged Scoter (Malanitta deglandi) have begun to assume their annual residency on Lake Ontario. A few White-winged Scoters came in close enough for a photograph.

     Just a few weeks ago I was looking at Eurasian Wigeon (Anas penelope) in Slovenia and Croatia and was given to pondering the difference a nine-hour flight can make as I gazed at American Wigeon (Anas americana) in Ontario!

     Surely one of the most under-appreciated ducks of all is Gadwall (Anas strepera) but I am always struck by its subtle, understated beauty, and more than once I have mused about the beautiful quilt that Miriam could fashion by combining all those shades of brown and beige. Perhaps she might even add a jaunty accent of black - just like the duck.

     A walk along the woodland trail was very pleasant but did not turn up anything of note.

All species at LaSalle Park and Marina: Canada Goose, Trumpeter Swan, Wood Duck, Gadwall, American Wigeon, American Black Duck, Mallard, Greater Scaup, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Ruddy Duck, Horned Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, American Coot, Bonaparte’s Gull, Ring-billed Gull, American Herring Gull, Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, House Sparrow, Northern Cardinal.

     Our final destination of the day was Paletta Park, which was quiet, but we did see our only Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula) of the day.

     Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) was also present, a familiar bird that often merits barely a passing glance, but it is indeed a creature of great beauty.

All species at Paletta Park: Canada Goose, Greater Scaup, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Ring-billed Gull, Mourning Dove, Blue Jay, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, House Finch, Dark-eyed Junco.

     It was a very pleasant day indeed and it was a delight to spend time in the company of Heather, Daina and Debbie. I hope we can do it again.

Back to Normal

21 October 2017

     Miriam and I have just returned from a fabulous trip to Slovenia and Croatia and we are still getting over our jet lag. We have thousands of pictures to sort through and edit, so it will be a while before a full report of our trip is up on the blog. In the meantime, I was back at our normal routine of bird banding at SpruceHaven this morning.

     It was good to see everyone, with our regular crew of Kevin Grundy, Heather Polan, Daina Anderson, Judy Wyatt and Debbie Hernandez out to help. Heather and Daina were both kept busy banding, while Kevin exercised his usual professional level of supervision, and shared his expertise gained over many years with the young up and comers.

Daina banding a Dark-eyed Junco

    Our first capture of the day was a Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata). My camera (or more than likely, me) was unable to get a decent shot in the relatively poor light of early morning, but Debbie produced this image on her smart phone.

     She was equally successful with a White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis).

     It is amazing the quality that can be produced on these state-of-the-art mobile devices.

     Both Golden-crowned Kinglets (Regulus satrapa) and Ruby-crowned Kinglets (Regulus calendula) were moving through in substantial numbers and we trapped several of each.

     It looks as though Heather is adding to her wrist adornments!

     The most common species of the morning was Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) of the slate-coloured form, recently arrived to take up residence here for the winter.

     Heather had to depart early today to attend a significant family event, and Daina left off banding for a while to take over as scribe.

     Judy handled the clerical duties for a while too, as far as I can recall the first time she has done so, but I neglected to take a picture of her busy at work.

     It was a great morning to be banding, with slowly warming temperatures, although we never did have bright sunshine. What a pleasure to see everyone out, filled with enthusiasm for the task at hand. It reminded me that however agreeable the travels, it's always good to be back home.

All species banded: Blue Jay (1), Black-capped Chickadee (1), Golden-crowned Kinglet (7), Ruby-crowned Kinglet (5), Song Sparrow (5), White-crowned Sparrow (1), White-throated Sparrow (2), Dark-eyed Junco (9).  Total: 31 individuals representing 8 species.