MIGRATION SUMMARY – AUGUST 15th TO 21st, 2007

 

Pelee Island Bird Observatory (PIBO)

 

Migration activity was up-and-down at the Point this week and once again the weather played a significant part. Northeast winds and a low of 14° C on August 18th produced a season-high sixty-two species on the day, followed by forty-eight hours of rain and a decline in bird numbers. By way of further contrast – 267 birds were banded in 299 net-hours (.89 birds/net-hour) in 2006 from August 15th-21st compared to forty-one birds in 248 net-hours this Fall (.17 birds/net-hour). Despite the conditions, there were a number of new arrivals and interesting bird encounters during the summary period.    

 

August 15th

 

It was generally quiet today with not much to report from the census or in the netting area. While Semipalmated Sandpipers have been observed on the island for some time, the first individual of this species was ‘officially’ recorded in the count area during the morning census. Good numbers of gulls and terns continue to loaf on the Point. There were a few migrant songbirds about including ones-and-twos of Red-breasted Nuthatch, Swainson’s Thrush, Black-and-white Warbler and Northern Waterthrush.

 

August 16th

 

Similar activity to August 15th with forty-nine species tallied on the day including the first Black-bellied Plover and Bobolink of the Fall. A few more Least Flycatchers and six warbler species observed in small numbers. A  young Black-crowned Night Heron flew over the Point in the early morning.

 

August 17th

 

More birds in the area this-morning including the first Magnolia Warbler of the Fall and the first Rock Doves of 2007!  Four Yellow-bellied Flycatchers were banded and fifty-five species were tallied during the morning coverage period.

 

August 18th

 

It was noticeably cooler today and there were quite a few migrants about including six shorebirds species, ten warbler species and five Fall ‘firsts’ – Baird’s Sandpiper, Veery, Nashville Warbler, Ovenbird and Song Sparrow. All told there were sixty-two species counted – a nice variety of Fall migrants in small numbers.

 

August 19th

 

The rain started at dawn and continued steadily through-out the day. The census was completed under poor conditions and there was no mist-netting. Not much to report apart from a few waders and the usual contingent of gulls and terns at the tip.

 

August 20th

 

Today was a repeat of the previous twenty-four hours – lots of rain and strong west winds and very few migrants in the area. Fifty Purple Martins recorded on census was the only news of note.

 

August 21st

 

The weather improved somewhat but there wasn’t much activity on census or in the netting area – just four birds were captured and forty-one species were recorded on the day. Two Northern Harriers and a singing Olive-sided Flycatcher on census were new for the Fall.  

 

Seventy-five species were recorded at the Point this week compared to seventy-three last week and thirteen Fall ‘firsts’ were tallied, which brings the season species count to ninety-three.

 

Black-and-white Warbler photo – Kerry McGuire

 

Next week’s summary will be posted on August 29th.

 

Birds Documented at Fish Point                    August 15th – 21st, 2007 

    

Date

August

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Species

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Double-crested Cormorant

2K

30

90

2.4K

2K

60

140

Great Blue Heron

1

 

1

 

 

 

1

Turkey Vulture

1

2

 

1

 

 

 

Canada Goose

2

 

 

 

 

 

15

Bald Eagle

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

Northern Harrier

 

 

 

 

 

 

2

Ring-necked Pheasant

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

Wild Turkey

3

 

 

1

 

 

 

Black-bellied Plover

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

Semipalmated Plover

 

 

 

 

2

 

3

Killdeer

 

4

1

2

5

2

 

 

Spotted Sandpiper

5

4

4

2

2

4

 

Sanderling

 

 

4

2

5

 

2

Baird's Sandpiper

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

Semipalmated Sandpiper

1

 

 

1

3

2

 

Least Sandpiper

3

3

1

2

5

6

1

Bonaparte's Gull

13

18

17

80

30

20

15

Ring-billed Gull

350

250

300

200

300

8

80

Herring Gull

39

33

30

30

40

40

40

Great Black-backed Gull

 

9

6

30

5

1

40

Caspian Tern

 

 

2

2

1

 

 

Common Tern

400

400

500

30

300

50

250

Mourning Dove

2

2

4

4

2

5

5

Rock Dove

 

 

15

 

 

 

 

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

2

1

3

1

 

 

1

Black-billed Cuckoo

 

 

1

1

 

 

 

Chimney Swift

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

Belted Kingfisher

 

1

1

 

 

 

 

Red-bellied Woodpecker

1

1

1

1

 

 

 

Downy Woodpecker

6

5

5

6

 

 

3

Northern Flicker

1

1

1

1

 

 

2

Olive-sided Flycatcher

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Eastern Wood-Pewee

5

2

2

3

 

 

4

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

 

 

4

1

 

 

2

"Traill's" Flycatcher

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

Least Flycatcher

2

5

4

4

 

 

 

Great Crested Flycatcher

1

1

1

1

 

 

1

Eastern Kingbird

4

2

2

6

3

1

 

Red-eyed Vireo

4

3

4

3

 

 

4

Blue Jay

 

6

3

4

6

 

 

4

American Crow

5

1

2

2

 

 

1

Purple Martin

9

12

3

4

 

50

11

N. Rough-winged Swallow

 

 

 

6

 

 

 

Bank Swallow

 

1

2

 

 

 

 

Tree Swallow

 

 

4

1

 

 

 

Barn Swallow

10

13

11

11

6

16

12

Black-capped Chickadee

7

11

15

9

 

 

6

Red-breasted Nuthatch

2

2

4

6

 

 

2

Carolina Wren

2

2

4

3

1

 

 

House Wren

 

1

3

2

 

 

1

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

 

 

 

2

 

 

 

American Robin

3

4

5

2

1

 

2

Veery

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

Swainson's Thrush

1

 

1

 

 

 

 

European Starling

2

2

2

4

 

1

1

Cedar Waxwing

11

8

11

20

1

 

6

Tennessee Warbler

 

1

 

2

 

 

 

Nashville Warbler

 

 

 

2

 

 

 

Yellow Warbler

4

2

3

2

 

 

 

Magnolia Warbler

 

 

1

3

 

 

1

Blackburnian Warbler

 

2

1

2

 

 

1

Black-and-white Warbler

2

4

2

6

 

 

 

American Redstart

1

2

3

1

 

 

 

Ovenbird

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

 

Northern Waterthrush

3

 

1

1

 

 

1

Canada Warbler

 

2

1

2

 

 

 

Northern Cardinal

8

6

5

7

4

3

7

Indigo Bunting

 

3

4

2

2

 

3

Song Sparrow

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

Bobolink

 

 

1

 

2

 

 

2

Red-winged Blackbird

37

38

8

13

5

4

15

Common Grackle

67

9

47

24

30

40

154

Baltimore Oriole

9

8

11

10

1

 

3

House Finch

2

1

2

1

 

 

3

American Goldfinch

5

1

7

6

1

 

7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SPECIES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day

 

46

49

55

62

25

17

41

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fall 2007

 

81

84

86

91

91

91

93

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This period

75

 

Previous period

73

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August

 

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weather - 1 hr after sunrise

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wind direction/strength1

E2

W2

W4

NE3

NE1

ESE2

N2

Visibility (km)

25

20

30

30

20

20

20

Cloud cover (0-10)

2

6

0

8

10

10

10

Temperature o C)

22

22

18

14

16

19

19

Precipitation

 

 

 

 

RAIN

RAIN

 

1 Beaufort  

  scale