28 September 2024
As I discussed in Meet the Baypoll, I visited Hen Lab’s Hays Woods banding station on Tuesday the place I had up shut seems to be at warblers and thrushes. Stars of the present have been a bay-breasted warbler and a blackpoll captured in the identical mist internet. I bought good pictures of the bay-breasted warbler (Setophaga castanea) each back and front. I feel he’s extra complicated from the again.
Right here he’s along with his blackpoll buddy.
Tuesday was a giant day for Tennessee warblers (Leiothlypis peregrina). No less than six have been banded whereas I used to be there. They’re arduous to determine in autumn as a result of so a lot of them are unremarkable immature birds with out the basic darkish olive again and grey head of breeding males. For instance …
… and one other instance, although this one has a darkish olive again.
In the course of the banding course of the bander followers the chicken’s wings to search for its wing molt stage, a technique for growing older the chicken. Right here’s a detailed take a look at a Tennessee warbler’s wing.
And eventually, Tuesday was additionally a giant day for Swainson’s thrushes (Catharus ustulatus). Within the hand you may simply see the chicken’s figuring out characteristic, its buffy eye ring, however I used to be shocked by two issues I’d by no means seen earlier than:
- Swainson’s thrushes have a two-tone beak. The decrease mandible is just not as darkish on the face as it’s on the tip.
- Swainson’s thrushes are small birds, although bigger than warblers.
As I stated earlier than, in case you’d prefer to see birds up shut throughout fall migration, go to Nick Liadis’ Hen Lab web site and scroll right down to the checklist of three banding areas — Hays Woods, Higher St. Clair and Twin Stupas in Butler County — with directions for contacting him to arrange an appointment.
Be taught extra about Hen Lab on Wednesday 2 October when Nick Liadis presents Finding out Migration Throughout a Panorama Gradient: Hen Banding in City, Suburban, and Rural Habitats on the Three Rivers Birding Membership assembly at Beechwood Farms (and on Zoom).
Don’t neglect to help Nick’s efforts with a donation at Hen Lab’s GoFundMe website.
