Friday, May 22, 2009

Blackpoll Warbler number one bird of the day!

A northeast wind will cut the bird numbers in half and that is what they did for us today. We netted 172 new birds with 57 recaptures. If you were outside, you saw what the big bird of the day was: Blackpoll Warbler! It is not a regular occurrence that Blackpoll Warbler is the number one bird of the day in spring. In fall migration that happens on occasion but in spring this is a first. It is still a good day for warbler species with 16 observed including Tennessee, Yellow, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Black-throated Blue, Myrtle, Bay-breasted, Blackpoll, American Redstart, Prothonotary, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Mourning, Common Yellowthroat, Wilson’s, and Canada. Highlights for the day were the White-eyed Vireo and Myrtle Warbler. The Myrtle Warbler was a second year female and looked pretty ragged. She was probably the last of the bunch to go north.
Partial albino Swainson's Thrush. Note the light colored bill and the white feathers on the head and chin.

Top 6 species:
Blackpoll Warbler – 32
Red-eyed Vireo – 18
American Redstart – 16
Swainson’s Thrush – 16
Wilson’s Warbler – 12
Common Yellowthroat – 10

Here are three quiz birds for you! Compare sizes and bill shapes, etc.
Have a good birding weekend!
From left to right: female Mourning, Myrtle, and Bay-breasted Warbler.

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