The Thrushes have invaded...

Another light northwest wind overnight helped us catch 50 new birds and 5 recaptures. Thrushes were the catch of the day. We had three of the five brown thrushes. Swainson's, Gray-cheeked, and Veery from left to right. Notice their brown versus red-brown back coloration. This will help you differentiate from the red-backed/red tailed Veery and the brown backed/brown-tailed Gray-cheeked and Swainson’s Thrush. I want to know why the Swainson's Thrush used to be called the Olive-backed Thrush. It looks like to me the Gray-cheeked should have been called that. Oh well, they did not ask for my opinion.
The Swainson’s is the only thrush in this group to have an eye ring. Gray-cheeked Thrush and Veery do not have an eye ring. Can you tell how the Gray-cheeked got its name? I guess what else would you call it? Notice also that the breast spots on each species is different. Swainson's usually wears vivid breast spots with some buffiness. The Gray-cheeked has vivid spots and no buffy coloration. The Veery has blurry, indistinct spots.

Top five species:
Swainson’s Thrush – 15
Common Yellowthroat – 7
Gray Catbird -5
Gray-cheeked Thrush - 5
Blackpoll Warbler – 5

The winds are supposed to shift to the Northeast for the next two days. Friday and Saturday the overnight winds are northeast but during the day it is to be NNW. I am not sure what kind of migration will happen with these winds. No rain is forecasted so that will be good for the Midwest Birding Symposium happening around here this weekend. Songbird Banding demonstrations will be held at the Observatory this Friday and Saturday from 8 AM – 9:30 AM so come on out and see some birds up close!

Light Northwest winds turn things around

Today was a busier day than the weekend which was very slow with no more than a seven bird day and a twenty-one bird day. Yippee! The winds were more favorable overnight with a light NW wind. I left the station up to Mark and the volunteers today, so of course it was going to be a good day! That is the way it happened the last time.
Eleven species of warbler were seen on site including Tennessee, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Black-throated Blue, Blackpoll, Black-and White, American Redstart, Ovenbird, Mourning, Common Yellowthroat, and Wilson’s. There were 43 new banded birds and 3 recaptures.

Top 5 species were:
Swainson’s Thrush – 11
Gray Catbird – 8
Blackpoll Warbler – 4
Ovenbird – 3
Gray-cheeked Thrush -3

Quiz bird for the day in parts: First the tail. Notice the tail pattern. This is a big hint!

This warbler has a characteristic tail pattern that no other wood warbler has. Here is the front end of the bird: How are you doing? Isn't she one beautiful female?

Here is the whole bird for you to get the entire picture. Afterall you do not always get to see the whole bird in the field so paying close attention to other features may be helpful. Do you see the little splash of color at the bend of the wing? The bill is wider and has many rictal bristles (Whiskers) than most warblers. This assists it in aerial foraging like flycatchers do.

And if you guessed American Redstart you are correct! Get out and enjoy the great weather!

Quality birds for this 9-11 day

Before I go into my catch of the day, I want take time to remember all the people who lost their lives 8 years ago at the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania due to terrorist hijacked planes and also to those who lost their lives trying to save those from the horrific event. We are grateful for all that has been sacrificed and for the freedom we are able to express daily.

Quality not quantity was the catch of the day!

Another east wind today; but who cares when you have good quality birds like this quiz bird

and a nice looking adult male Connecticut Warbler. Yes, you heard me a Connecticut Warbler. So get out there and look for the Connecticut Warbler you missed in the spring. We catch more Connecticuts in the fall than we do in the spring; so maybe your chances of seeing one is greater in the fall.Below is a Hatching Year (HY) male Mourning Warbler with the adult male Connecticut Warbler. I am hoping you can see the split eye ring on the Mourning Warbler and the Connecticut Warbler's eye ring is more vibrant or as I say goes "boing!" compared to the duller split eye ring of the Mourning Warbler.Another highlight for the day was this Philadelphia Vireo. Its lemon yellow throat and belly look like lemon meringue pie. Eight species of warbler were seen or heard today which include Magnolia, Black-throated Blue, Blackburnian, Bay-breasted, Ovenbird, Connecticut, Mourning, and Common Yellowthroat. American Robin, Veery, Swainson’s, and Gray-cheeked Thrush were the thrushes for the day.

Here is the whole body of the quiz bird. It has a characteristic facial pattern and even if the photo does not show that the yellow on this bird has a tint of orange in it. How is that for a hint?!

The quiz bird is the best looking warbler in my opinion. It is the Blackburnian Warbler!

Enjoy the weekend! Search for those warblers. They are out there!