MIGRATION SUMMARY FOR SEPTEMBER 12th - 18th,  2008

 

Pelee Island Bird Observatory (PIBO)

 

Two days of steady rain and strong south winds associated with hurricane Ike produced little migration activity at the beginning of the week, but conditions changed dramatically on September 16th and a wonderful variety of birds appeared in significant numbers during the final three days of the summary period. Season-high daily counts were established for many species including 54 Swainson's Thrushes (September 16th), 28 Gray-cheeked Thrushes (16th), 52 Magnolia Warblers (18th), 22 Ovenbirds (16th) and 15 Black-throated Blue Warblers (16th), among others.

 

There were lots of birds recorded on both the census and in the netting area on the 16th and 18th, with 54 species tallied on census on the latter day along with 129 birds banded of twenty-five species. In all, 68 species were recorded in the official count area on September 18th including 19 warbler species and forms. The 16th was even more active in the netting area when 153 birds were captured including 43 Swainson's and 29 Gray-cheeked Thrushes.

 

Shorebirds, flycatchers and swallows continued to taper off this week and raptors were few and far between, with just four species observed from the 12th - 18th. At the same time, warblers and thrushes showed a dramatic increase (all but thirty-four of the 357 birds banded this week were from these two families) along with a host of typical September migrants that made their first appearance of the fall on the final morning of the summary period including Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Blue-headed Vireo, Winter Wren, Pine Warbler and White-throated Sparrow.

 

A total of 96 species was recorded at the Point this week during the official count period compared to 92 last week and ten Fall 'firsts' were noted, which brings the Fall species total to 128. In all, 357 birds were banded along with one recapture in 280 net-hours, for an average catch-rate of 1.28 birds/net-hour.  

 

Blue-headed Vireo - Sumiko Onishi

 

PIBO's next summary will be posted on September 27th.       

 

Birds documented at Fish Point by PIBO staff from September 12TH - 18TH, 2008

 

Date

September

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Species & forms

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Double-crested Cormorant

780

3.9K

4K

10K

1.6K

70

8K

Great Blue Heron

 

 

 

1

 

1

1

Turkey Vulture

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

Canada Goose

29

19

14

58

26

24

31

Wood Duck

 

7

13

4

 

 

 

2

Mallard

 

 

 

 

 

1

1

1

Redhead

 

 

1

1

 

 

 

 

Bald Eagle

 

1

 

1

 

1

3

1

Sharp-shinned Hawk

 

1

1

1

1

1

6

Red-tailed Hawk

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Merlin

 

 

 

 

 

 

2

 

Semipalmated Plover

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spotted Sandpiper

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

Ruddy Turnstone

 

 

2

 

 

 

 

Sanderling

 

9

10

43

19

 

3

3

Baird's Sandpiper

3

 

2

2

 

 

 

Semipalmated Sandpiper

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

Bonaparte's Gull

 

 

19

4

 

 

 

Ring-billed Gull

55

45

220

1700

3

16

40

Herring Gull

 

20

33

15

180

5

11

12

Great Black-backed Gull

40

30

30

 

8

9

30

Common Tern

1

1

10

 

 

 

 

Mourning Dove

2

4

4

5

2

2

3

Rock Dove

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

Great Horned Owl

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Chimney Swift

 

 

1

 

3

 

 

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

 

 

 

2

2

 

3

Belted Kingfisher

1

 

 

 

 

1

 

Red-headed Woodpecker

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Red-bellied Woodpecker

 

 

1

 

 

1

 

Downy Woodpecker

 

 

3

1

2

3

3

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Northern Flicker

 

 

1

1

4

2

3

Eastern Wood-Pewee

 

 

 

1

 

 

1

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

1

 

1

2

3

1

 

"Traill's" Flycatcher

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

Least Flycatcher

 

 

 

 

1

 

1

Great Crested Flycatcher

1

 

 

1

1

 

 

Eastern Kingbird

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Red-eyed Vireo

2

 

 

1

7

3

5

Philadelphia Vireo

 

 

 

 

 

1

2

Blue-headed Vireo

 

 

 

 

 

 

2

Blue Jay

 

1

 

1

1

2

4

6

American Crow

1

 

 

1

2

4

11

Horned Lark

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Barn Swallow

7

1

3

 

 

4

 

Black-capped Chickadee

 

 

9

3

8

19

10

Red-breasted Nuthatch

 

 

 

 

3

2

4

Carolina Wren

1

1

3

5

4

2

6

House Wren

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

2

Winter Wren

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

 

 

 

 

2

 

5

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

 

 

 

 

 

1

1

American Robin

1

 

 

 

2

1

1

Wood Thrush

 

 

 

 

1

 

1

Veery

 

 

 

1

2

1

1

1

Swainson's Thrush

3

1

2

10

54

17

29

Gray-cheeked Thrush

 

 

3

7

28

6

17

Gray Catbird

 

1

 

 

 

2

3

2

Brown Thrasher

 

 

 

 

3

2

1

European Starling

 

 

6

 

3

 

 

American Pipit

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Cedar Waxwing

 

14

11

 

15

2

2

Northern Parula

 

 

 

 

1

1

3

"Brewster's" Warbler

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Tennessee Warbler

 

 

 

 

 

1

2

Nashville Warbler

 

 

 

 

8

4

8

Chestnut-sided Warbler

 

 

1

1

1

 

2

Magnolia Warbler

 

 

3

2

37

11

42

Black-throated Blue Warbler

 

 

 

 

15

5

6

Blackburnian Warbler

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Yellow-rumped Warbler

 

 

 

 

 

 

3

Black-thr. Green Warbler

 

 

 

 

1

 

1

Palm Warbler

 

 

 

 

 

 

9

Pine Warbler

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Bay-breasted Warbler

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Blackpoll Warbler

 

 

 

7

12

4

10

Black-and-white Warbler

 

 

 

1

8

5

8

American Redstart

2

 

2

3

10

4

15

Ovenbird

 

 

 

 

1

22

 

10

Northern Waterthrush

 

 

 

 

2

 

1

Mourning Warbler

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Common Yellowthroat

 

 

 

 

1

1

2

Wilson's Warbler

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Canada Warbler

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

Northern Cardinal

2

5

2

 

2

2

2

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

 

 

 

 

3

 

2

White-throated Sparrow

 

 

 

 

 

 

5

Song Sparrow

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Lincoln's Sparrow

 

 

 

 

 

1

1

Brown-headed Cowbird

 

 

 

4

 

 

 

Red-winged Blackbird

 

3

 

10

43

2

2

Common Grackle

 

 

1

15

6

 

1

House Finch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1