Spring 2020 Banding Season, Week 7: May 25—29

Jeanne O'Rourke | June 4, 2020 |

Eastern Kingbird.

The Landbird Conservation Team

EVAN: TUESDAY, MAY 26—CENSUS

It was yet another foggy morning on the way into Manomet. This time though, the temps were shifting from cool to warm, as summer finally bears down on the northeast in earnest. Along the net lanes, the cool air coming in off the ocean brought heavy fog and the classic “Manomet mickle” as the fog settled onto freshly-emerged leaves and dropped as a light mist. Truthfully, this weather can often make the birding great throughout the morning; overcast skies simulate early dawn and the mist will force migrating passerines to desperately drop down into coastal thickets and forests. A few Blackpoll Warblers and Northern Parulas did drop out of the mist along the bluff, but the overall volume of migration has diminished greatly. There were still a few transient birds including singing Magnolia Warblers, a silent Swainson’s Thrush and single Bay-breasted and Blackburnian Warblers, staying together in the same tree. The Farm was abuzz with Eastern Kingbirds, Yellow Warblers, Red-winged Blackbirds, and a singing Brown Thrasher. A lone Greater Yellowlegs darted around in search of aquatic invertebrates in the Bennett Bog. A great reminder of the impact of our habitat management practices. During a no-scope-needed seawatch, I was able to hear Common and Least Terns through the dense fog. Gray Seals have begun their summertime howling from the water below.

Net Lanes: https://ebird.org/checklist/S69660003

Farm: https://ebird.org/checklist/S69662412

Seawatch: https://ebird.org/checklist/S69664206

House Sparrow using a Tree Swallow/Eastern Bluebird nesting box.

Greater Yellowlegs

American (Small) Copper

Northern Flicker

Eastern Wood-pewee

Magnolia Warbler

White-throated Sparrow

Lilacs in bloom

Beach Rose

TREVOR: THURSDAY, MAY 28—BANDING

Now that most of the seedeaters that are migrants have passed through Manomet Bird Observatory, and many of the residents that eat seeds have turned their attention to juicy invertebrate food, we have closed out ten 4-cell walk-in traps. This week we ran the same cluster of 5 mist nets as last week, near a sheltered lily pond; then added 6 more nets on Cranberry Hill, between the big bog and Scoke’s Pond. The day started warm in the 60’s F and nets were closed at noon when temperatures reached 80°F. Because one of the goals of our reduced netting samples is to band residents before the migrants return in the fall, it was pleasing to recapture 8 birds that had been banded in previous years. Catbird recaps were known 4, 3 and 1-year-olds, while a titmouse and a chickadee were banded as hatch-years in 2019. A cardinal was 2-years-old, another chickadee was 3 and the oldest recap was a female Downy Woodpecker that is 4-years-old and was brooding eggs or small young in some nest hole we have not yet discovered. The oldest recap catbird was even more distinctive by having three white inner primaries on each wing.

Migrants banded included a Magnolia and a Blackpoll Warbler and a Common Yellowthroat, plus another 4 catbirds that may breed locally, or may make it anywhere northwards as far as southern Ontario or Quebec. See this week’s census results for all the exciting migrants that did not grace our nets!

Trevor’s observations: https://ebird.org/checklist/S69934799

House Wren

Recaptured Gray Catbird, distinguished by its three white inner primary featheres

Blackburnian Warbler

Bay-breasted Warbler

Brown Thrasher

Wild Geranium

ALAN: THURSDAY, MAY 28—CENSUS

Thursday morning at Manomet was humid, and made me wish I had dressed a bit more for summer. As we reach the tail-end of migration, it’s always interesting to see which transients linger and consider breeding on the property. With this in mind, I paid special attention to a male Black-and-white Warbler singing from the oak woods, and the multiple Red-eyed Vireos giving their incessant song. Our daily census is in part a game of chance. What are the chances that the Green Heron, lurking unseen along the swale, will happen to “Skowk!” within earshot as I pass? The chances for that were 100% today, as I recorded my first GRHE of the year. On the farm, I did our regular check of the nest boxes, where I confirmed four active Tree Swallow nests as well as a House Wren nest under construction. The pair of Eastern Bluebirds continue to stand guard over the kestrel box, though given its high perch we cannot easily check it to confirm a nest.

Net Lanes: https://ebird.org/checklist/S69761945

Farm: https://ebird.org/checklist/S69761957

Seawatch: https://ebird.org/checklist/S69761979

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