Kerns public winter finch banding

My very first memory of feedback from an assignment from University was my  wrongful use of the word irregardless . Apparently it is regardless.  I have had the fortune since my retirement to spend lots of time  banding  snow buntings and colour banding redpolls with the kerns public grade 5 and 6 students. The kerns kids have inspired me and they have embraced   our efforts to band . Clearly kids would rather help band birds then be in their classroom but the kids at kerns  can do both and be part of citizen science. We have been part of a  colour banding project from the Canadian wildlife service in Ottawa to put colour bands on redpolls and  grosbeaks to see they movements of winter finches. Birds seen at the feeders at kerns public and at feeders in the area will help researchers learn more about the movements of winter finches. The fact that this can be happening at the grade 5 and 6  level fills me with optimism and hope for the future.  Not to mention there is something special about these kids from kerns  who have been part of snow bunting  banding for the last  four years.  now that we are banding redpolls and the  grade 5 and 6 kids are starting to take birds out of nets makes this a very special place indeed .  The best part for me is that  the research that grade 5 and 6 kids can help out with is  referred to as citizen science  and they realize that  they are part of real science  something that is being used by scientists across north America.  Not too shabby for kids in grade 5 and 6.  I would challenge the real science happening at kerns with what is happening at the high school and with any other  public school in the province . Bird is the word!

all the reasons why this blog will not work

First of all I have  three confessions  to make. Number 1 is that I really think this blog will work if I wasn't  so lazy and  was so technologically challenged.
#2 If rick ludkin can do it I can do it . Rick is the  inspiration behind  the  Canadian snow bunting  research project so if he can handle the tech I should be able to but I  apparently cannot.
#3 If  Joanne was not here beside me to figure  it all out it will not happen... so  she is not so far away so it just might happen.
Reason number 4  we only have 1 follower  so thanks john Carhart but maybe we will have 2 in a  short spell.

 So here  is the rub I just happened to be heading to the marsh to put seed out for  our family day  event and I heard something about a blog that the executive director  for the Ottawa  humane society  put out and he had an amazing reaction. inspired by his time on the radio and  the positive discussion that came worth his blog made me   think just maybe  someone beside john might  be interested in what we have to say. So it is with optimism that I forge ahead and say whatever  bounces between my ears . please let me know if I should stop and please keep in mind   the perfect title for all of this should be the lazy blogger  as there is so much  to comment about banding at the marsh  and kerns public but I just cannot seem to keep up. Hopefully there will be another blog top foillow.

short and sweet 2 new arrivals

Rain always causes us grief. As i mentioned  rain means extra sleep but it also means we are missing birds. This morning it was raining at 5 so we went back to bed but waking later revealed it has stopped raining. Chris convinced me to go to the marsh but the skies were heavy with the threat of rain but in the end I was thanking Chris for convincing me. We only had 2 hours of banding but it was worth it  Today's new species were as follows

grey catbird any birders reading this will note the incorrect spelling but I can't help but make a Canadian statement!

The other  returning migrant was our first American redstart which is yet another example of how bird names are way better in French this is the Paruline Flamboyant!!! The flamboyant warbler is way better but you will need to see for yourself to decide

The weather this weekend sounds really good so come out and watch the banding  there are migrants arriving every day ready to dazzle you.  I cannot think of anything more miraculous than the migration from Central and South America to connect us to nature and to one another. The community of the marsh continues to inspire me as much as the journey of these winged travelers. So please make the trip to the marsh this weekend to celebrate the new arrivals.

Another traveler to the marsh  this spring  is Nicole our banding intern with our first grey catbird  she has traveled from Brantford to help in our migration monitoring . Thanks so much Nichole she first discovered the marsh on an owl banding trip with Nipissing University and may very well go on to study boreal owls at the marsh. her last name is Richardson which in the past was the name of the boreal owl. Coincidence I think not !!!!!!!

The last we read on the weather channel was today was going to be wet. Tired banders always greet the dawn with a certain amount of ambivalence . Rain means more sleep and no birds which is sad but sleep is so appealing. The morning revealed clouds and the threat of rain but no rain!!! Off we went and before we knew it we had nets up and 70 birds for 7 hours of effort . It was raining all around the marsh but whilke we had a few sprinkles we made out alright and found 2 beautiful common yellow throats and a savannah sparrow in the net as well as 19 other species.

savannah sparrow note the yellow eyebrow is much longer than the short yellow on the lores of a white throat

a white throaat for comparison

 

 Before I feel the pull of a comfy bed I wanted to thank the two people that are making this all happen our bander in charge  Chris sukah and our banding intern Nicole richardson

Chris Sukah

Nicole Richardson

More bird tales to follow

warbler "ketchup" to may 10th

I had such excellent plans to put out a blog every night before  going to bed but we have been so busy with life  which means I had three marsh meetings last week and it never happened  however it is time to catch up on the excitement we have been seeing at the marsh .
Over the last week we have banded 40 species  and 623 individual birds . Our highest daily total was may 8th when we banded 137 birds helped out in a big way by 38  yellow rumped warblers and 24 red winged blackbirds.   I am going to catch up with a bunch of photo's and some totals for the week and hopefully i can keep up . The week was incredible and we had some arrivals that were actually freaking us out as they were so early.  Case in point was the early arrival of a mourning warbler on the may 8th pictured here with an american tree sparrow these birds are usually seen on the opposite ends of the month of May

yellow warblers showed up on the 8th

also on the 8th this black and white warbler

orange crowned  warbler and a close up of the mourning warbler round out the highlights for the 8th

Not to be out down here are the new arrivals for the may 9th

here is a cape may warbler 

a chestnut sided warbler

a beautiful magnolia warbler 

the nick name for a blackburnian warbler is fire throat

On Sunday the 10th dragging ourselves out of bed we were rewarded with the stations 8 northern parula one of my favourite birds we also caught a veery but in our excitement did not get a photo

The warbler parade has been amazing if you find these birds amazingly beautiful please come to the hilliardton marsh and see for yourself  banding begins daily at sunrise and continues for 7 hours of magical migrant moments. Hope to see you at the marsh.

How do you spell migration? I spell it Chris Sukha!!!

The marsh welcomes hired bander Chris Sukha. he started the migration season April 28th and will be the bander in charge at the marsh this migration season. The Banding season officially begins May 6th but Chris is out getting his feet wet literally! He has had a chance to get some of the nets up and is off to a great start.


His totals for the first two days are as follows

Tuesday April 28th

62 juno's
48 american tree sparrows


Wednesday April 29th

24 American tree sparrows
7 junco's
4 red winged blackbirds
3 ruby crowned kinglets
1 white throated sparrow
1 song sparrow
1 sharp shinned hawk



These  birds have a special significance for me  because they were all banded while i was teaching in the hallowed halls of Timiskaming District Secondary School. These birds were banded because Chris has his banding license and hiring him allows us to operate as a migration monitoring site independent of me being there. The true significance of this is that as an organization  HMREC with the support of its members  and  donations and fund raising  and funding applications we have been able to make this important step. So thanks everyone for the support  in our important song bird research. Chris comes to us with experience from several migration monitoring sites he has volunteered and worked at places such as Mackenzie Nature Observatory, Thunder Cape in Thunder Bay and Long Point Bird Observatory on the shore of Lake Erie near Port Rowan Ontario. We are lucky to have Chris  with us and we are looking forward to a great banding season. The marsh will soon be filled with birds and the happy voices of school kids coming to learn about the marsh and the research we are doing and to see a bird or a frog up close. I can hardly wait. If you are not a school aged child and want to come out and meet Chris and the birds we are open to the public every weekend starting May 9th. Hope to see you there and thanks Chris!!

An exciting catch for the marsh

One of the things I have discovered over the years about banding is that I am so envious of new banders and birders  because their birding adventure is just beginning and the first spring everything is new and everyday the migration brings something new to the area on the wind. As a bander of many years it is a challenge to catch a new species but very now and then something very special happens

Last weekend i managed to catch and band a Merlin it was our first station record for a Merlin and this  male was after a flock of snow buntings i was trying to catch. needless to say the buntings were spooked and  my heartbeat was racing just as fast as the wing beats of the Merlin. I have never seen a faster predator in the quickness of its movements and it intent on the buntings. Fortunately I was at the right place at the right time. many people are talking about how many Merlins seem to be around this spring so perhaps I will not have to wait too long for another encounter with the next Merlin