MIGRATION SUMMARY – APRIL 10th – 16th, 2008

 

Pelee Island Bird Observatory (PIBO)

 

 

The week started off on an active note but then migrants tapered off towards the end of the summary period.  Although northeast and west winds from the 10th – 15th gave way to a light southerly flow and milder temperatures on the final day of the count period, it was quiet on the 16th, with 41 species tallied and 12 birds banded of four species.           

 

April 10th

 

A cool clear morning with quite a few birds about including moderate numbers of kinglets and creepers along with ones-and-twos of Yellow-rumped Warbler, Fox, Song and Swamp Sparrow. Ten Brown Creepers banded (22 DT) as well as 3 Hermit Thrushes (8 DT) and a Winter Wren (8 DT). Three Sandhill Cranes were observed flying over the netting area.

 

April 11th

 

Lots of rain last night and this-morning and not much activity on census or in the netting area. A few Yellow-rumps and sparrow spp along with ten waterfowl species.  

 

April 12th

 

Two American Coots at Fox Pond and 3 Barn Swallows on census were both new for 2008.   

 

April 13th  

 

Another rainy morning with just the census and some additional observations but no mist-netting. Forty-two species recorded on the day.

 

April 14th

 

It was 0° C at dawn but the weather warmed up throughout the day. Still generally quiet with the exception of Brown Creepers (30 DT) and small numbers of kinglets.

 

April 15th

 

A similar morning compared to the last few days with not much activity in the netting area or on census. A single Tundra Swan was one of four Spring-firsts on the day.

 

April 16th  

 

The wind was from the southwest this-morning and it was a warmer start to the day, but migrants remained fairly scarce, with just small numbers of creepers, kinglets, Yellow-rumps and sparrows observed in the count area.     

 

Sixty-six species were recorded at the Point this week compared to sixty-five last week and twelve Spring-firsts were recorded, which brings the season-to-date species total to 77. In all, seventy-eight birds were banded and four recaptured during 250 net-hours for an average catch-rate of .31 birds/net-hour.

 

PIBO’s next summary will be posted on April 25th.  

 

Birds Documented at Fish Point by PIBO Staff from April 10th – 16th, 2008

 

Date

April

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Species

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common Loon

1

2

1

 

 

 

1

Horned Grebe

1

1

2

 

2

 

2

Double-crested Cormorant

40

105

112

11

20

90

35

Great Blue Heron

 

1

4

1

1

 

4

Tundra Swan

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

Canada Goose

7

5

6

8

17

8

 

Wood Duck

4

9

 

3

4

2

3

Blue-winged Teal

 

3

6

6

4

6

11

Mallard

 

7

9

8

10

1

6

8

Green-winged Teal

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

Northern Shoveler

 

 

3

 

 

 

 

Gadwall

 

 

2

 

 

 

 

 

Greater Scaup

 

 

 

5

3

 

 

Lesser Scaup

2

14

1

25

16

5

2

(Scaup spp.)

 

 

 

45

12

23

 

Bufflehead

 

22

36

23

23

32

19

20

Common Goldeneye

2

1

1

1

3

5

 

Red-breasted Merganser

9

83

38

18

25

11

141

Bald Eagle

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

American Kestrel

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ring-necked Pheasant

1

 

 

 

2

1

2

Wild Turkey

4

11

 

4

3

3

3

Sandhill Crane

3

 

 

 

 

 

 

American Coot

 

 

2

2

 

 

 

Killdeer

 

3

 

 

 

 

 

 

American Woodcock

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Common Snipe

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

Bonaparte's Gull

45

8

9

1

7

14

71

Ring-billed Gull

3

2

13

 

 

2

6

Herring Gull

5

7

38

10

4

3

10

Great Black-backed Gull

2

 

1

 

 

 

 

Mourning Dove

4

12

4

4

3

3

2

Red-bellied Woodpecker

3

 

1

1

2

3

3

Downy Woodpecker

3

5

4

5

4

9

6

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

3

1

1

1

2

1

1

Northern Flicker

11

4

3

4

6

9

8

Eastern Phoebe

3

3

1

2

2

3

 

American Crow

5

 

1

1

3

5

4

Tree Swallow

9

7

16

4

14

8

9

Barn Swallow

 

 

3

 

 

 

 

Black-capped Chickadee

7

1

3

3

3

4

4

White-breasted Nuthatch

 

 

 

 

1

1

 

Brown Creeper

22

6

9

4

30

13

21

Carolina Wren

4

1

1

3

5

5

4

Winter Wren

8

4

2

4

3

2

 

Golden-crowned Kinglet

32

21

14

5

16

6

1

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

17

4

4

2

7

4

1

Eastern Bluebird

 

 

 

 

 

 

11

American Robin

16

15

12

12

20

23

8

Hermit Thrush

8

2

 

 

2

 

 

Brown Thrasher

1

 

 

1

1

 

 

European Starling

14

12

11

23

15

14

16

Yellow-rumped Warbler

3

10

5

2

2

1

1

Northern Cardinal

8

7

7

4

6

8

7

Eastern Towhee

2

1

 

2

1

 

3

American Tree Sparrow

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

Field Sparrow

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

Chipping Sparrow

 

 

 

 

 

2

 

Fox Sparrow

2

 

 

 

 

 

 

Song Sparrow

1

3

1

1

3

4

4

Swamp Sparrow

1

 

1

3

1

1

 

Dark-eyed Junco

4

2

 

 

 

 

2

Brown-headed Cowbird

11

15

 

13

11

17

7

Red-winged Blackbird

105

168

130

155

124

115

195

Rusty Blackbird

19

14

8

16

6

5

3

Common Grackle

122

84

75

73

120

85

110

American Goldfinch

 

 

 

 

 

1

2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SPECIES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day

 

49

43

42

42

45

44

41

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fall 2007

 

69

70

73

73

73

77

77

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This period

66

 

 

Previous period

65

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April

 

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weather - 1 hr after sunrise

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wind direction/strength1

NE4

NE3

W3

W1

N1

0

SW3

Visibility (km)

30

5

30

15

30

30

30

Cloud cover (0-10)

3

10

9

10

9

0

1

Temperature o C)

4

8

11

5

0

0

7

Precipitation

 

RAIN

 

RAIN

 

 

 

1 Beaufort scale