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Archived Postings

June 25, 2009 – July 1, 2009

One of the topics mentioned last week was how the LSLBO banded a wonderful looking female black-throated green warbler during MAPS banding. It was worthy to mention because only three or four pairs breed within our banding sites and catching just one of those breeders is a rare occurrence. This past MAPS round we managed something that has not been done at the LSLBO for many years, we banded a male black-throated green warbler in breeding plumage. Only six other males wearing their breeding colours have been banded at the LSLBO in the past 15 years. Like most wood-warbler species, black-throated green warblers have sexually dimorphic plumages, meaning the males are more brightly coloured than the females. I had always thought the females were gorgeous and wondered what banding a male would be like. After nine years of bird banding it was great to finally have the chance for a close look at one of these stunning birds. The Canada Warbler Project is coming to an end as the nesting season winds down. Over the past few weeks we located six Canada warbler nests within our study site. These nests were passively monitored with video equipment to document nesting behaviour and nest success rates. Two of the nests failed at an early stage. A predator grabbed the eggs only a few days after they were laid. Two of the nests successfully fledged five young apiece. The outcome of the final two nests will be determined over the next few days. The young need a little more time to finish developing before they are at the stage where they can leave the nest. The Canada Warbler Project may evolve into something much larger over the next few years. Canada warblers were recently designated as threatened by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) because of steady population declines throughout their breeding range over the past 30 years. The data we have collected from these nests may provide information that will help identify population threats and possibly assist with future recovery plans. It's the time of year that baby birds are leaving their nests and there is something very important to keep in mind. Nestlings from many songbird species will fledge from their nests before their flight feathers are fully grown in, so they are incapable of flight. This may seem strange, but it makes sense. An entire brood is vulnerable to be wiped out by a predator, like in the case of our first two Canada warbler nests. When the young are scattered in the forest there is an increased chance that some will survive. Parents will continue to feed their chicks out of the nest until they are able to fly and feed on their own. If you see a young bird on the ground the best thing to do is simply leave it alone. One of the parents is close by. Remember, these birds have come a long way just to raise young; they will not abandon them easily.

2010