Spring 2020 Banding Season, Week 5: May 11—15

Jeanne O'Rourke | May 20, 2020 |

The Landbird Conservation Team

Alan: Monday, May 11—Census

Within five seconds of stepping on the path along Stage Point, I knew that it was “one of those mornings.” My head began spinning in hyper-speed, trying to keep track of all the birdsong. The walnut tree over my head had half a dozen Northern Parulas in it and Ovenbirds were chanting all around me. As I made slow progress down the path, I filtered through the additional species singing – Blackpoll, Black-and-white, Prairie, Gray Catbird, Baltimore Oriole, Carolina Wren, House Wren, Northern Cardinal, Great Crested Flycatcher, just to name a few. Mid-May is often showtime at Manomet, and today was no exception. In two hours of census, I tallied 76 species. In addition to the overall diversity, several species were present in abundance. Least Flycatchers, Blue-headed Vireos. Make sure to explore the Net Lanes checklist below to listen to recordings of the morning chorus, and look through all three lists to see some photos of the action!

Net Lanes: https://ebird.org/checklist/S68864877

Holmes Farm: https://ebird.org/checklist/S68864934

Seawatch: https://ebird.org/checklist/S68865079

Yellow-rumped Warbler.

Common Grackle.

Common Yellowthroat.

Black-and-white Warbler.

Yellow Warbler.

TREVOR: WEDNESDAY, MAY 13—BANDING

Trevor’s sightings around the property: https://ebird.org/checklist/S69310107

The recent warm weather (finally) released some of the pent-up songbird migrants from the south. The first sub-sample grouping of five nets (5 of our usual 50) was in a sheltered location near a small lily-pond on the property. The banding net lane census q.v., also on 14^th May, detected a good diversity of migrants, while the nets added Black-and-white, Yellow, and Black-throated Blue Warblers, Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, Swamp Sparrow and Ruby-throated Hummingbird to the banding totals for spring 2020.

The walk-in traps continued to attract locally-breeding birds plus 13 unbanded migrant White-throated Sparrows. All our wintering whitethroats have now headed north, and most of these late migrants were females (shorter wing chords) that, on average, follow about a week after the males. Four new catbirds were banded, while three more were returning birds we had previously banded at Manomet: a 1-year-old from Oct. 2019, a 2-year-old female first banded in June 2019, and an 8-year-old hatched in 2012 and first banded on 13^th May 2013. As with many returning migrants, the first birds back are often the local breeders. Altogether an interesting sample of 33 unbanded birds and 10 recaptures of previously banded individuals.

Least Flycatcher.

Blue-headed Vireo.

Black-and-white Warbler.

Singing Song Sparrow.

Bobolinks.

EVAN: THURSDAY, MAY 14—CENSUS

It seems much of the action from Monday has settled down, as many of those migrants have moved away from the coast and northward. Another fairly slow day for neotropical migrants; only a small handful, when we should be in the peak of migration. Mixed flocks of sparrows were still patrolling the understory. While checking out a pair of Yellow Warblers, a very inquisitive male Black-and-white Warbler silently flew within inches of my face, providing fantastic looks! A flyover pair of Wood Ducks on the farm was also out of the ordinary. Two coyotes were wandering the trails of the farm. Meanwhile, Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles, and Song Sparrows have begun building nests in the bogs.

Net Lanes: https://ebird.org/checklist/S69021143

Farm Survey: https://ebird.org/checklist/S69023266

Seawatch: https://ebird.org/checklist/S69024563

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