Big Bird Day Sunshine!

The sun did shine today on the outside and on the inside. What a day to be outside! I hope all of you had a chance to enjoy the great outdoors. The BSBO research team was hard at work today as it has been for the past month. Our research provide important information on bird timing, habitat use, and monitor condition of migratory songbirds to help the general public as well as State and Federal land managers improve their lands for migratory birds. Research is teamed with education at the Observatory to promote bird conservation. You can see it on the ground inspiring people to appreciate birds and to better understand what their needs are. We do this with our school education programs, public banding demonstrations (there is one tomorrow at 10:00 AM (Saturday)), Ohio Young Birder's Club (They have a field trip tomorrow too!), and by the dedication of the Observatory volunteers spending many many hours behind the scenes and out front to ensure the public's experience is good. Knowledge is power they say!

The second wave of songbirds finally hit NW Ohio. Gray Catbirds and Magnolia Warblers were the common birds of the day. Fifty-one bird species were captured in the mist nets including such highlights as two Connecticut Warblers and several Lincoln Sparrows. Twenty-seven warblers were seen or heard at the station including Blue-winged, Tennessee, Nashville, Northern Parula, Yellow, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Cape May, Black-throated Blue, Myrtle, Black-throated Green, Blackburnian, Prairie, Western Palm, Bay-breasted, Blackpoll, Black-and-white, American Redstart, Prothonotary, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Connecticut, Mourning, Common Yellowthroat, Hooded, Wilson's, and Canada.

Female Northern Parula. Note the green triangle on the back and the bi-colored beak. Beautiful Bird!

Top 8 species:

Gray Catbird (GRCA)- 111

Magnolia Warbler (MAWA)- 103

Common Yellowthroat (COYE)- 49

American Redstart (AMRE)-41

White-throated Sparrow (WTSP)- 35

Northern Waterthrush (NOWA)- 31

Ovenbird (OVEN) - 30

Least Flycatcher (LEFL)- 20

The winds are to be NW tomorrow going easterly for Sunday so tomorrow will be a good day to see a nice diversity of birds. Hopefully the Kirtland's will make a showing for the birdwatchers for the weekend festivities. Sharing another great bird with you. This is an After-second year FEamle Hooded Warbler with a partial hood. Some females have a shadow of a hood and depending on the genetics they can have a partial hood like this lady!

I liked the top view of her. You can see her white tail spots in her outer tail feathers. This is another diagnostic characteristic of a Hooded Warbler. Have a good Saturday!