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Archived Postings

August 13, 2007 – August 19, 2007

The hopes that fall migration banding would pick up this past week were quickly squashed by the weather. Strong winds reduced our capture rates and rain forced the closure of the nets on several days. Overall bird banding and migration was slow, even on the rare days with ideal weather. 104 birds were banded through the week, with daily banding totals ranging from 35 to 6 birds. Swainson’s thrush and ovenbirds were the two top banded species. It appeared that we were nearing the end of the migration passage of some of our previously top banded species. Yellow warblers, black-and-white warblers, and Tennessee warblers were absent from observations. We were also seeing the indications that Canada warblers were nearing the end of their passage too because we began to captured adults. Adults tend to migrate after the young because they stay in the breeding areas for a little longer to complete their flight feather moult. Once fully moulted adults begin to show up in the nets, you know that you’re close to seeing the last one of the year. Despite the low capture rates during the weeks banding, we did manage to band two birds that deserve special note. That’s because those were two of our favorite species. As banders, we have developed a great appreciation for all birds. We respect and admire the diverse behaviour, migration strategies, good looks, and even the personalities that different species posses. However, that does not stop us from having a few favorites among the bunch. Favorites derive from either working extensively with a particular species or simply having that special appreciation creep up on you. One day you find this bird in the nets and say “awww…look at this little guy,” and look forward to everyone you catch thereafter. The first bird is one of Tyler’s favorites, a northern flicker. Northern flickers are a migratory species of woodpecker. Two forms of flickers occur in Alberta: the yellow-shafted and the red-shafted. We have primarily the yellow-shafted in these parts and the red-shafted can be found in the Rockies. There is a hybrid zone in the foothills where the two interbreed sometimes resulting in orange-shafted flickers. Tyler’s Masters Thesis studied northern flickers in the hybrid zone; where he spent two full summers chasing after them. The other bird captured that just happened to be my favorite is not a rare or exotic migrant, it’s actually a year-round resident. This bird is often seen foraging around backyard feeders during the winter. It is the red-breasted nuthatch. We only catch a couple every year, but the infrequent captures only add to the enjoyment of viewing them up close. Nuthatches have a unique feeding strategy. They forage for insects and seeds on a tree trunk like a brown creeper or woodpecker. But unlike the woodpeckers and creepers, they walk down the tree trunk instead of up. When being handled they make this delightful little peeping noise, which is a nice change from some of the squawking noises that some of the other birds make. The only problem with the two captured last week was that I wasn’t there. I took some time to go and gallivant around the province. The banders working at the station that day were kind enough to leave a message saying that these birds were caught and I missed them. It’s always nice to know that your friends are thinking about you.

2010