Spring Has Sprung at the Navarre Migration Monitoring Station

The Navarre Migration Monitoring Spring Season has begun. Nine warbler species have been captured or observed thus far including Louisiana and Northern Waterthrush, Black-and-white, Yellow, Western Palm, Pine, Myrtle, Black-throated Green, and Prothonotary. 

A cool start to the migration season with continuous winds off the lake have held the birds to points south. Fair numbers of White-throated Sparrows (WTSP), Hermit Thrushes (HETH) and Ruby-crowned Kinglets (RCKI) are around as would be expected for the latter part of April. The expected timing of the first wave (24 April) has not materialized and weather projections does not look promising until later this coming week. 

Early spring allows the opportunity to compare the overflight Louisiana Waterthrush and the more common Northern Waterthrush. Difficult for many to separate, the two species have many distinctive differences. From leg color (bubblegum pink for LOWA and dark for NOWA), distinctive eye lines and the more subtle throat and under tail patterns can be useful to some degree in the field. 

LOWA (L) and NOWA (R)
LOWA superciliary line which is wider and whiter than NOWA
Leg color on LOWA are lighter than NOWA
Clear throat on LOWA / Speckled on NOWA

LOWA (L) and NOWA (R)
clear throat on LOWA streaked throat on NOWA

Here in northwest Ohio, the species we associate with winter, such as the Dark-colored (Dark-eyed) Juncos (SCJU) aks, "Snowbirds", are slowly disappearing from the region. Pictured below is an individual that illustrates the worn pointed and abraded primary coverts signifying that is was hatched last year and identified as a Second-Year bird (SY).

SCJU 

SCJU wing with primary coverts dull, pointed and abraded signifying an SY bird. 
Secondary coverts have been molted in the past few months.

Some highlights from the week:

Female (L) and Male (R) Eastern Towhee EATO

Female Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (BGGN)
(Female lacks black superciliary line above eye.)

Stay tuned as the coming days will see more birds arriving. Free Public banding demonstrations every Saturday in May at the Observatory from 10:00 - 11:30.Get outside and enjoy Spring! 

Navarre Update: October 20-26th

Fall songbird migration is winding down as an American Tree Sparrow (ATSP) graced us with its presence. The ATSP is a winter bird for Ohio, so that means only one thing: colder temps, and seed-eating birds will make up the majority of birds as cold weather closes in.

Some Hermit Thrushes (HETH) and Myrtle Warblers (MYWA) will stick around during winter with the MYWA switching to a berry diet of dogwood, sumac, etc. One of the diagnostic features of a ATSP is its dark breast spot. However, this bird (photo to the right) does not show this field mark but does possess the other identifying features including the bi-colored bill, chestnut cap and wings and clear breast. Just goes to show not all birds look like the photos or pictures in the book.

 We still had nine species of warblers for the week including: Orange-crowned (OCWA), Nashville (NAWA), Cape May (CMWA), Black-throated Blue (BTBW), Myrtle (MYWA), Blackpoll (BLPW), American Redstart (AMRE), Ovenbird (OVEN), and Northern Waterthrush (NOWA).

A couple of warblers caused minor confusion for our great volunteers this week, so thought we would share:

OCWA left and NAWA right
Note: OCWA has split eye ring and NAWA has complete eye ring and yellow throat

Backs of OCWA and NAWA: OCWA is slightly larger

Both OCWA and NAWA have yellow undertail coverts

 An additional highlight of the week was a male Sharp-shinned Hawk. An older Adult with the ruby red eyes.

SSHA: courtesy of Laura Gooch

 Another harbinger of winter is the Pine Siskin (PISI).

Pine Siskin: with yellow on primaries and retrices

PISI: possesses a considerable amount of yellow on its back, a trait
that you do not always get to see when it visits your feeder or in the field

 Since we're talking winter birds, the Winter Wren (WIWR), which can be found hunting for dormant insects and spiders in the dead of winter in this area, has been in good numbers. A few House Wrens (HOWR) are still moving through the region as well. So we thought we would share some comparisons so that you can be up to speed in case you come across a wren in winter that may not be a Winter Wren.

WIWR-left and HOWR-right
Note: WIWR is darker on underside than HOWR

WIWR is smaller and has a more pronounced eye line than the HOWR.

WIWR left and HOWR right:
Undertail coverts are dark on WIWR and light on HOWR
This corresponds to the light and dark undersides of both birds mentioned above.

 Take time to enjoy the last warm days of fall. There may be a stray long distance warbler still lurking around.

Navarre Marsh Banding Update: October 12-19

Male Golden-crowned Kinglet

We are reaching the latter part of fall songbird migration season and the diversity is beginning to diminish; however, the past week recorded a nice variety of warbler species including Tennessee (TEWA), Orange-crowned (OCWA), Nashville (NAWA), Magnolia (MAWA), Black-throated Blue (BTBW), Myrtle Warbler (MYWA), Black-throated Green (BTNW), Western Palm (WPWA), Blackpoll (BLPW), American Redstart (AMRE), Ovenbird (OVEN), Common Yellowthroat (COYE), and Northern Waterthrush (NOWA).

Sparrows have similar field markings but yet are so different. Having birds in the hand offers an opportunity to see what makes up the field mark as well as making size comparisons. Below are two sparrows with breast streaking, where one of the field marks is a dark spot in the center of its chest (Song Sparrow-SOSP) and the other with similar chest markings, but how the streaks come together on the breast do not make a "spot" (Fox Sparrow-FOSP).

SOSP and FOSP: See any "spot" on the SOSP?
Just a series of streaks coming together to form a "spot"

SOSP and FOSP: note bill coloration on both

Backs of the SOSP and FOSP: Note reddish tail of FOSP

Another comparison includes the two Zonotrichia sparrows,
White-throated (WTSP) and White-crowned (WCSP).

WCSP and WTSP: Front view showing bill coloration of both and breast markings. Both birds pictured are hatching-year (HY) birds. For WCSP, HY birds have brown head stripes while adults have black and white stripes on head. The WTSP age is determined by the gray-brown eye. An adult has a red-brown eye (difficult to call in the field through optics).

Generally WCSP are slightly larger than the WTSP

The backs of sparrows display a series of browns and tans
that are very beautiful.

Top: WCSP (HY bird)
 WTSP bottom

FOSP (L) and WCSP (R)
Note  growth bars on the tail of the FOSP depicting symmetrical molt of retrices.

Fall passerine migration will be continuing for at least another month as new species that we think as wintering birds will begin to make there appearance. 

For a broader scope of migration, take a look at the 2014 fall banding numbers and species on our website.