End of August Brings a Few Surprises

This week brought a brief cold front, but the majority of the week was hot and humid with no favorable winds for migration in the Lake Erie Marsh Region. A few migrants did filter in bringing our first Swainson's Thrush, Hermit Thrush, and multiple Veeries. Fourteen species of warbler were observed and/or captured this week including Ovenbird (OVEN), Northern Waterthrush (NOWA), Black-and-white Warbler (BAWW), Prothonotary Warbler (PROW), Tennessee Warbler (TEWA), Mourning Warbler (MOWA), Common Yellowthroat (COYE), American Redstart (AMRE), Magnolia Warbler (MAWA), Bay-breasted Warbler (BBWA), Blackburnian Warbler (BLBW), Black-throated Blue Warbler (BTBW), Canada Warbler (CAWA), and Wilson's Warbler (WIWA).

Philadelphia and Warbling Vireo Comparisons

Philadelphia Vireo (PHVI): Note yellow throat and chest

PHVI: Note darker cap emphasizing lighter superciliary line above eye

Warbling Vireo (WAVI): Superciliary line not as apparent (white) on WAVI 

WAVI: Note throat and belly are whitish on WAVI not lemon yellow like the PHVI

While comparing vireos, here are a couple of warblers that could be confused with vireos at first glance:

TEWA: Note bill and head shape that helps separate this from a vireo

BTBW (female): Note bill shape and wing marking

One of the highlights of the week, as shared by volunteer Laura Gooch

After-second-year female Cooper's Hawk with dark cap and orange eyes

Laura captured the best shot of the bird flying away.
Note the band on its leg!

 Next week's forecast appears to be more of the same weather patterns with no apparent cold fronts moving through NW Ohio. Fall migration has begun and one never knows the surprises that await those that get outside. Explore your favorite birding spots and enjoy the first week of September!

Fall Migration Banding Season Begins in Navarre Marsh

The start of the fall 2014 season has been slow as usual in mid-August; however, we have been fortunate to have a few birds that remind us that migration is occurring. Baltimore Orioles (BAOR), Yellow Warblers (YEWA), Prothonotary Warblers (PROW), and flycatchers are either beginning their southward trek or arriving from northern breeding grounds. We had ten species of warbler between Wednesday 20 August and Sunday 24 August. These include: Northern Waterthrush (NOWA), Black-and-white Warbler (BAWW), PROW, Mourning Warbler (MOWA), Common Yellowthroat (COYE), Cape May Warbler (CMWA), Magnolia Warbler (MAWA), Blackburnian Warbler (BLBW), YEWA, and Canada Warbler (CAWA).

BAWW (female): Note blurry streaks on side and gray face

Adult Male BAWW: Note distinct streaks on flanks and black facial patch

Hatching-Year Male BAWW: Note distinct streaks on flanks and gray face

Hatching-Year Female BAWW: Note blurry black streaks on buffy colored flanks 

 Some Highlights for the time period:

Hatching-Year MOWA: Probably a male with whitish split eye ring

Hatching-Year male BLBW: Note distinct auricular patch on face that helps
identify this as a Blackburnian Warbler.

Take time to enjoy the early migrants. This will be the last few weeks of PROW, BAOR, YEWA, and most flycatchers. Free Public Banding demonstration will be conducted at Black Swamp Bird Observatory on Saturday September 20th and 27th at 10:00 AM. See what birds are in the area and learn why the Lake Erie Marsh Region is so important for them. 

Highlights from April 21-27th

This past week was a roller coaster as far as birds ability to move northward. Strong southerly winds on Friday night through early morning Saturday brought in a few neotropical migrants to start the first wave species off and running. Majority of the wind direction for the week was Easterly off the cold Lake for the Navarre Banding Station which pushes the birds back off the beach ridge. Despite the low volume, we did manage to get some quality for the week highlighted by Solitary Sandpiper (SOSA), Green Heron (GRHE), female Cerulean Warbler (CERW), and three Sharp-shinned Hawks (SSHA).
Hermit Thrushes (HETH), White-throated Sparrows (WTSP), Myrtle Warblers (MYWA), and Ruby-crowned Kinglets (RCKI) were the the dominant species seen.

Warbler species observed or captured this week include: Orange-crowned (OCWA), Nashville (NAWA), Yellow (YEWA), Myrtle (MYWA), Black-throated Green (BTNW), Pine Warbler (PIWA), Western and Yellow Palm (WPWA, YPWA), Cerulean (CERW), Black-and-white (BAWW), Prothontary (PROW), Ovenbird (OVEN), Northern Waterthrush (NOWA), Louisiana Waterthrush (LOWA), and Common Yellowthroat (COYE). Three Louisiana Waterthrushes so far this year is more than we have captured in several years. Our normal for this overflight warbler is usually one, if we are lucky.

To better understand the demographics of a population migrating through this area, understanding age is important to determine. Below is a second year (SY) and and after-second year (ASY) Myrtle Warbler. Using the primary coverts (small feathers covering the primaries or flight feathers) we can age the birds shown below as (left bird) an ASY and right bird as an SY. Primary coverts (replaced only during the basic or summer molt) on the ASY are edged with gray and SY coverts are brownish and off-color from the secondary coverts (replaced in both the basic molt and the alternate or winter molt) that were replaced this winter. The SY bird has maintained its primary coverts since fledging out of the nest last summer.

Two of the three SSHA are shown below with the younger bird (bottom photo) having the yellow/orange colored eye (ASY) and the second identified as an After-third year (ATY) bird with the ruby colored eye. Sex of this species is determine by size/wing chord.

ATY male SSHA with horizontal barring on chest, gray hood and back and ruby colored eye.

ASY female with its horizontal barring on chest, and orange/yellow eyes.

Highlights for the week: showing different poses to show the different colorations on these magnificent birds.

Female CERW

GRHE head

Back of GRHE

This coming Saturday from 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM is a great opportunity to see migrating birds up close at the Free public banding demonstration held at the bird observatory. Take time to get outdoors and experience the migration.