Spring 2020 Banding Season, Week 9: June 8—12

Jeanne O'Rourke | June 19, 2020 |

The Landbird Conservation Team

EVAN: TUESDAY, JUNE 9—CENSUS

Tuesday morning was overcast and cool, the type of weather that would induce migrants to sing into late morning. Instead, the net lanes were mostly silent, save for the occasional songs of resident birds on territory. Birds are indeed settling-in on the property; I found Gray Catbirds, American Robins, and Downy Woodpeckers all attending to their nests. As I worked my way along the bluff, I came face to face with one of our Common Snapping Turtles, contemplating a dive off the bluff. Last year we encountered two such turtles wandering along the rocky coast. It seems that the soft sands under the bluff edge exposed by spring rains are a draw for local nesting turtles. The only problem is that neither they nor their tiny progeny can climb back up over the bluff edge. I was able to move this turtle to a more favorable location. Hopefully, she’ll rethink her choices! On the farm, the milkweed is starting to form blossoms in anticipation of their summer pollinators. I encountered an odd song and was able to track down a late singing Magnolia Warbler. By mid-June, most Magnolia Warblers are on territory, but this young male was a bit of a straggler. Hopefully, he makes his way north soon.

Net Lanes: https://ebird.org/checklist/S70234369

Farm: https://ebird.org/checklist/S70236377

Seawatch: https://ebird.org/checklist/S70237958

Daisies in bloom

Gray Catbird on a nest

Common Snapping Turtle

The slope of ferns along nets 20-26

TREVOR: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10—BANDING

The 10th June date would normally signal the last five days of spring migration banding, although there is little this spring that is normal. Our one-day-per-week banding with traps early on for migrant sparrows, blackbirds, and seed-eating residents, but only 20% of nets open each day, has resulted in about 5% of normal coverage. This is because we could not hire a field crew, or legally have more than one bander in the lab. A good virus note is that as far as we know, birds have not been affected by the disease; a welcome change from the H5N1 that killed many birds, especially waterfowl in Asia.

We handled 21 birds this week. Five were recaptures, including two 2+-year-old catbirds banded as adults in the fall of 2019 and now both breeding here. Of the 16 new bandings, only one – a female Blackpoll Warbler – is a true migrant, wintering in the rainforest of northern South America and breeding north of us in the boreal spruce/fir forests of northern New England and Canada. Ten of the bandings were from the Holmes Farm nest boxes and included five Eastern Bluebird and five Tree Swallow nestlings – “cheating” you say? All is fair in love, war, and conservation biology, and now we will know if they return successfully in the future.

Trevor’s observations: https://ebird.org/checklist/S70571760

Baptisia australis

Gray Catbird singing with the wind direction!

Vetch

Rhododendron in bloom

A socially distanced wind-down after a morning of surveys and banding.

ALAN: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10—CENSUS

Manomet is magical most days, but it’s hard to beat June! Wednesday was such a day, as I stopped and reflected multiple times how the temperature was absolutely perfect. Warm in the sun with an ocean breeze that cooled the skin, but not at all chilling. The birdlife seems to have settled into a bit of a summer routine, with nary a single transient songbird detected. However, I did detect two “first of the year” species for the property – both highly skilled flyers. The first sighting occurred during the seawatch, when I heard the unmistakable Pterodactyl-like screams coming from out over the ocean. Surely not, I thought. But, lo and behold, a few seconds later two Caspian Terns emerged from the haze, flying directly over my head northward directly over the buildings. This represents just the fifth record of Caspian Tern for the property. Not long after, a cruising Purple Martin gave its distinctive calls from overhead. Purple Martins are very local in Massachusetts, only seen regularly around their nesting colonies. Over the past decade, we’ve averaged roughly one martin sighting every two years, with the most recent records being from August 2019 and April 2017.

Net Lanes: https://ebird.org/checklist/S70269578

Farm: https://ebird.org/checklist/S70270756

Seawatch: https://ebird.org/checklist/S70275230

Back to all summaries