tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83674650234548998442024-02-19T02:45:09.936-05:00CVWO at First Landing State ParkA twice, weekly (or more) account of activities at the passerine banding station at First Landing State Park, Virginia Beach, VA (N 36d 54' 21.4"; W 076d 01' 44.0") during the spring season from March 1 to May 31.Peter Dohertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094531509922029252noreply@blogger.comBlogger119125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8367465023454899844.post-89792813092818458612011-05-01T20:36:00.002-04:002011-05-01T21:01:32.862-04:00.........And the End to a Most Disappointing April.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDtZmhsPDfC-7aUf3FF1ZdiHNa4Hl9QF8YfW859H5gE4ICOu9GEkCTH_kJ9L-_qHIPuTmhrl1WBKu7YJcmLY8d5tqbiInveRpvhmi-r7A1sBhInOBQ5iTmsdqtYTvVw8sW9jOxern6NXl/s1600/DSCN0101.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDtZmhsPDfC-7aUf3FF1ZdiHNa4Hl9QF8YfW859H5gE4ICOu9GEkCTH_kJ9L-_qHIPuTmhrl1WBKu7YJcmLY8d5tqbiInveRpvhmi-r7A1sBhInOBQ5iTmsdqtYTvVw8sW9jOxern6NXl/s320/DSCN0101.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601912431343911010" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5M7S0ANBXTo7l0rTLuyDaPv_X6BY1lxj2f9C96R9AtOBj_ZoFS5J_BdXcJgIWIDJvgjBIH3ZoJB_T9-pkG-SbXEaQyVgkWqVupt2hE_FCfPTxcPAC7pesUYTHZqfZ2kB2uW8oBVTxIYu_/s1600/DSCN0090.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5M7S0ANBXTo7l0rTLuyDaPv_X6BY1lxj2f9C96R9AtOBj_ZoFS5J_BdXcJgIWIDJvgjBIH3ZoJB_T9-pkG-SbXEaQyVgkWqVupt2hE_FCfPTxcPAC7pesUYTHZqfZ2kB2uW8oBVTxIYu_/s320/DSCN0090.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601912423363444690" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkvJapXYzhqQHegYeI-i-3v5srwzIEKXT0UK3zAXLjZTfP1cyPCAiVx14V2D5H0Kz-LP99K5hbXsenADOZI5PvuYQyeILRqUfnqzP16fnfrtWFoOJqYh9v6QscFqTBRc6bZmr9L9zlFwYj/s1600/DSCN0081.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkvJapXYzhqQHegYeI-i-3v5srwzIEKXT0UK3zAXLjZTfP1cyPCAiVx14V2D5H0Kz-LP99K5hbXsenADOZI5PvuYQyeILRqUfnqzP16fnfrtWFoOJqYh9v6QscFqTBRc6bZmr9L9zlFwYj/s320/DSCN0081.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601912418470307858" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0gtydxZB0BngxqY3j3ZrvuOgbvTbIYhMC8_YpxHd8uEvkK9lzyo25CqACYPui2vDkHKSEa4YggslVrupAoMvVbTdn4FAvW_ymcmj1csyHcxDlGhVLt7O9-H7RP7nXCS84mcNyVm1G19a_/s1600/DSCN0077.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0gtydxZB0BngxqY3j3ZrvuOgbvTbIYhMC8_YpxHd8uEvkK9lzyo25CqACYPui2vDkHKSEa4YggslVrupAoMvVbTdn4FAvW_ymcmj1csyHcxDlGhVLt7O9-H7RP7nXCS84mcNyVm1G19a_/s320/DSCN0077.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601912416103255058" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUW6OL8TzceCG1124KJu4XGFRsfBb7g9nC4Jsuvj4U13-ieKbMzs1K_xFv-5sZFH5-Y5ZdjwsJDfpH7s1hpEhrw1s-a1JQHuEMJxuD5yncb_LSLvJZ3a-jPQRk7UV-MLQ6uOg_eGf-7G1/s1600/DSCN0071.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUW6OL8TzceCG1124KJu4XGFRsfBb7g9nC4Jsuvj4U13-ieKbMzs1K_xFv-5sZFH5-Y5ZdjwsJDfpH7s1hpEhrw1s-a1JQHuEMJxuD5yncb_LSLvJZ3a-jPQRk7UV-MLQ6uOg_eGf-7G1/s320/DSCN0071.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601912411611570162" /></a><br />While April has brought a number of warblers to our nets, including the Blue-winged Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, Yellow-throated Warbler and Northern Parula pictured above, the number of individuals netted in April has been profoundly disappointing. Only the 29th of April brought more than twenty new birds. A majority of days has brought fewer than seven birds to the station nets. Each neotropical migrant which has visited the station over the past six seasons in annual numbers greater than ten is well below that threshold. Kinglet, gnatcatcher and Hermit Thrush numbers, too, are at all-time lows and unlikely to improve in May. Today brought us only four new birds; not a good start to the final month of the season.Peter Dohertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094531509922029252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8367465023454899844.post-34042641137899669762011-05-01T20:23:00.003-04:002011-05-01T20:36:11.696-04:00Another New Species........<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC-nzwL92p5pkUFdu7u_nLgAuyePsG9gVtWiNbGQlYt9xYPqir8sdOzVw5tHXaNT3Wla7S0z8d0dEuSzZeLm1WfqhJl6Xg48g_CWfxCOT3qBi0btT29FNj8309Z1Sx3y3E8Z5JE3iC24IS/s1600/DSCN0117.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC-nzwL92p5pkUFdu7u_nLgAuyePsG9gVtWiNbGQlYt9xYPqir8sdOzVw5tHXaNT3Wla7S0z8d0dEuSzZeLm1WfqhJl6Xg48g_CWfxCOT3qBi0btT29FNj8309Z1Sx3y3E8Z5JE3iC24IS/s320/DSCN0117.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601909115523465586" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPXtitvNAd1F0S1jxqsTL5LTSPhCJfxLnUgP1vrtmbgDyY8raZgkoIL9fz7aGX4QwNVUjWb4_l6NT69umwZYACmsYyrXDFBaPai-UmZVZuyiL_PbU-58vsZzOywynM6AnmDHZPELouCEw-/s1600/DSCN0116.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPXtitvNAd1F0S1jxqsTL5LTSPhCJfxLnUgP1vrtmbgDyY8raZgkoIL9fz7aGX4QwNVUjWb4_l6NT69umwZYACmsYyrXDFBaPai-UmZVZuyiL_PbU-58vsZzOywynM6AnmDHZPELouCEw-/s320/DSCN0116.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601909114415404690" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-5Hbm5XShY4nnDwUuBeNrNr_ux0N8HKhDF8TjqDzigLBL6DqZZOPl_n6zooUZ30YKw_LvxreBwV8pBUAvh5-BWHnIy4n5QkoZgRHHX20jgq0-9GRX4qSBbxkwRTT0MLyagvRCd51nsoi/s1600/DSCN0115.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-5Hbm5XShY4nnDwUuBeNrNr_ux0N8HKhDF8TjqDzigLBL6DqZZOPl_n6zooUZ30YKw_LvxreBwV8pBUAvh5-BWHnIy4n5QkoZgRHHX20jgq0-9GRX4qSBbxkwRTT0MLyagvRCd51nsoi/s320/DSCN0115.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601909110372218018" /></a><br />April 29th, the day following deadly tornadoes across the Deep South and strong storms in eastern North Carolina and Virginia Beach, brought a Kentucky Warbler to the station for the first time. The bird was extracted by eleven-year old Mary Michael Lipford with great skill and without assistance. The warbler was a handsome after-second-year male.Peter Dohertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094531509922029252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8367465023454899844.post-37413364041032607622011-04-12T21:07:00.003-04:002011-04-12T21:18:24.613-04:00A Third New Species for the Station in 2011<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Efi9RU0xZnawjkcLU8ZR6-FGXy9apksQit-7z2rRRy79t-LUaj3dsgM1gcj7plwfYha3ffrYjYHn1AaqC7y0WtT6x4BreHcKPJF7DRVGF4l3sN1frQP0SeDBOPJYLDUC8HzNPOfmfyh2/s1600/DSCN0037.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Efi9RU0xZnawjkcLU8ZR6-FGXy9apksQit-7z2rRRy79t-LUaj3dsgM1gcj7plwfYha3ffrYjYHn1AaqC7y0WtT6x4BreHcKPJF7DRVGF4l3sN1frQP0SeDBOPJYLDUC8HzNPOfmfyh2/s320/DSCN0037.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594869218727509202" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPHZD2GB4cwpahwThquK1QbR4nHLv2ZFnWZM6netxyUdTO0ojJBb-_FRFMwehCWft1OmgiSg5PZjLrqb4QaZHa-Gv0WLqq-os0X9Jiy_agHOw-iAIvkhwE3DI9bl5izPy_V9KR-BeMQdob/s1600/DSCN0038.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPHZD2GB4cwpahwThquK1QbR4nHLv2ZFnWZM6netxyUdTO0ojJBb-_FRFMwehCWft1OmgiSg5PZjLrqb4QaZHa-Gv0WLqq-os0X9Jiy_agHOw-iAIvkhwE3DI9bl5izPy_V9KR-BeMQdob/s320/DSCN0038.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594869214995650626" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDjRo8yL0C15vbPvzROyWdP-W1TICE__4cFpenhkS4MPvTrgENH90mjgNWbL-BWl9-SsyaFPo7jFlJj3aDcHkt4-RI1L1KVJGsD4ipXJnIayf_EsNOJj_PGS-Clr37bAtLaNrZJv4Ynu4/s1600/DSCN0039.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDjRo8yL0C15vbPvzROyWdP-W1TICE__4cFpenhkS4MPvTrgENH90mjgNWbL-BWl9-SsyaFPo7jFlJj3aDcHkt4-RI1L1KVJGsD4ipXJnIayf_EsNOJj_PGS-Clr37bAtLaNrZJv4Ynu4/s320/DSCN0039.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594869208740591954" /></a><br />On April 7th an American Kestrel magically appeared in net "C5" in the late morning. I had not previously seen a Kestrel in First Landing State Park and other birders have since confirmed that the Kestrel, while common to the Eastern Shore of Virginia landscape, is rare within the Park. This individual is a second-year male and is the 114th species banded at the station.Peter Dohertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094531509922029252noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8367465023454899844.post-29461959324868387192011-04-12T20:42:00.002-04:002011-04-12T20:51:46.717-04:00First Prothonotary Warblers Netted<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP945q41TdabTP-h8g8_MniBIvYtgf8qxP_Q5QrhsUQF_D3P7DzOF915GseZJxtAPPS3vy4auz1jW19oNqp8Vs_YpbsLSd_mtb4LRDTKod2ILeqt7zD4np689C-hxowHtkO56BJ0ptDtc5/s1600/DSCN0045.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP945q41TdabTP-h8g8_MniBIvYtgf8qxP_Q5QrhsUQF_D3P7DzOF915GseZJxtAPPS3vy4auz1jW19oNqp8Vs_YpbsLSd_mtb4LRDTKod2ILeqt7zD4np689C-hxowHtkO56BJ0ptDtc5/s320/DSCN0045.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594862699216432098" /></a><br />Two, stunning, male Prothonotary Warblers were banded in the past week. The first bird was marked on April 7th and the second was netted today, the 12th. Whole blood was taken from each bird to compare with that of the Prothonotarys captured and bled last January on their wintering grounds in Panama City, Panama in conjunction with a VCU project. The plumage of each male was brilliant.Peter Dohertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094531509922029252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8367465023454899844.post-64213154417702984182011-04-12T20:38:00.003-04:002011-04-12T20:52:55.410-04:00Bridge Almost Finished!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvB234d2ihsxHZDK5JyHH-lyuMEwhulfvMolsVECW6SBrOkBNGZEzk1RJOahh7ZdsnGypTUHwwVAKTTl8-yerdhzXxrVzgFiFWgY-CrK1M1VUawdb81c7u3DbiRCo0e1WNC3ZvsABmwgD-/s1600/DSCN0048.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvB234d2ihsxHZDK5JyHH-lyuMEwhulfvMolsVECW6SBrOkBNGZEzk1RJOahh7ZdsnGypTUHwwVAKTTl8-yerdhzXxrVzgFiFWgY-CrK1M1VUawdb81c7u3DbiRCo0e1WNC3ZvsABmwgD-/s320/DSCN0048.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594861253001963202" /></a><br />CVWO 2011 field assistant, Kimberley Pasterik, is very pleased that the bridge across the tidal creek to White Hill Lake is about finished. Access to our group of "C" nets is much improved. More about Kim's background soon.Peter Dohertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094531509922029252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8367465023454899844.post-20654538307328250162011-04-12T20:07:00.002-04:002011-04-12T20:36:53.583-04:00Recent Arrivals<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCY1lbteP2WkcJZQaDpqwj6fp1yQlyN7gbWFoQPAm8SuQngNKg6og6MUXhJ0ReeNiQ4-TWP0ypdh7bmPbgQ3sFso3oJwlCseobQPrxCYA6A6ugDAe-hNk_qjaClyaJvkJi05zf6NYvYX2B/s1600/DSCN0057.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCY1lbteP2WkcJZQaDpqwj6fp1yQlyN7gbWFoQPAm8SuQngNKg6og6MUXhJ0ReeNiQ4-TWP0ypdh7bmPbgQ3sFso3oJwlCseobQPrxCYA6A6ugDAe-hNk_qjaClyaJvkJi05zf6NYvYX2B/s320/DSCN0057.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594859130733642498" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQBCo-XzErAvQMbXfa5mGzkd72Mi6v3gNADHJwY53Rs03raCgFG-luPARh0ZCBqpnyJZjZZ2cR3XluqHwmbQffCurJ-fixNdCmhhK5g4WXRZtykVhwbOjfuXAfLNzD1qfyiDnfO4uGxZFx/s1600/DSCN0060.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQBCo-XzErAvQMbXfa5mGzkd72Mi6v3gNADHJwY53Rs03raCgFG-luPARh0ZCBqpnyJZjZZ2cR3XluqHwmbQffCurJ-fixNdCmhhK5g4WXRZtykVhwbOjfuXAfLNzD1qfyiDnfO4uGxZFx/s320/DSCN0060.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594859125116809570" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5_gyIej7AJ4Bhao7lS8vpcQ5kqtRYfnMLRvqHVYj50uvFMe0aX7fPeWgzb2G_pXBWxf0H2jElB2WbUFK0pkLZLiT1vH7n3sM9XkYWommjDRCXm-m1fXr3kj5mRbWGf5oI0robmU3t2K6/s1600/DSCN0063.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5_gyIej7AJ4Bhao7lS8vpcQ5kqtRYfnMLRvqHVYj50uvFMe0aX7fPeWgzb2G_pXBWxf0H2jElB2WbUFK0pkLZLiT1vH7n3sM9XkYWommjDRCXm-m1fXr3kj5mRbWGf5oI0robmU3t2K6/s320/DSCN0063.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594859115502889234" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilEEIlwL682FOVAuZ4k-dbLIfsS4esm-sU14nK9BfmZBrAv10allvyWHHNKOxlAy8uUzpApGxXDCum4c1C21lfLSh5qUhnDfcUdfMh3vkJLNZ54Hg20JDLhgBUNvIbVqTVu5ZzF2SorZ4g/s1600/DSCN0061.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilEEIlwL682FOVAuZ4k-dbLIfsS4esm-sU14nK9BfmZBrAv10allvyWHHNKOxlAy8uUzpApGxXDCum4c1C21lfLSh5qUhnDfcUdfMh3vkJLNZ54Hg20JDLhgBUNvIbVqTVu5ZzF2SorZ4g/s320/DSCN0061.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594859112082125906" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijCqy1n2skmlSwirEq1Q1p9lultion4mMDnbSEmsdtyaccDqQj3nCdGBiWfMvCgbskOn0Vviw432stl7WLSMVJTsTMVLnCFgnZUXA8xibcgQGv4j95D2s4HeEciLX7v0hJ0dnjmP6Bdtbt/s1600/DSCN0049.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijCqy1n2skmlSwirEq1Q1p9lultion4mMDnbSEmsdtyaccDqQj3nCdGBiWfMvCgbskOn0Vviw432stl7WLSMVJTsTMVLnCFgnZUXA8xibcgQGv4j95D2s4HeEciLX7v0hJ0dnjmP6Bdtbt/s320/DSCN0049.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594859108867949714" /></a><br />Early April has brought a steady trickle of new-for-the-year migrants. The female Black and White Warbler arrived today. One or two Prairie Warblers have been marked each time the temperature perks up. The Blue-headed Vireo made its annual visit a bit later than usual. And the House Wren completed our first ever "wren sweep" in a season--Carolina, Marsh, Sedge and House!Peter Dohertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094531509922029252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8367465023454899844.post-90345361549712726152011-03-30T17:41:00.005-04:002011-03-30T18:46:06.891-04:00Two, New, Station Species in March? Yes.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjcQF6uRZ5MTfvUfHCmRudfrPPdYqApojCUEEZp0fYR3QBLwlMzHmE50-Rh2WFKcaMRSosS3foI2rzlTzAxRlhcYc7SmaV_dxGsGz7wDZgbAtYxZz-gq-oeLgXJ0P6Bg6hv0LDusRalLPH/s1600/IMG_0664.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589992911553037202" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjcQF6uRZ5MTfvUfHCmRudfrPPdYqApojCUEEZp0fYR3QBLwlMzHmE50-Rh2WFKcaMRSosS3foI2rzlTzAxRlhcYc7SmaV_dxGsGz7wDZgbAtYxZz-gq-oeLgXJ0P6Bg6hv0LDusRalLPH/s320/IMG_0664.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidkCCsMQutTKQyanwFGd0Fx_C4Mf8P51BkO5ALAauDoANXndM00ivaa4oPcK3QhutBIQlyDhAVOoGuEwYTvboRapXohT7zzrivWE3j4ANKcrwSgpg4VzQoiUFoKmo5d-gkkPhOJMVagbvB/s1600/IMG_0667.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589992903269457362" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidkCCsMQutTKQyanwFGd0Fx_C4Mf8P51BkO5ALAauDoANXndM00ivaa4oPcK3QhutBIQlyDhAVOoGuEwYTvboRapXohT7zzrivWE3j4ANKcrwSgpg4VzQoiUFoKmo5d-gkkPhOJMVagbvB/s320/IMG_0667.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUa7f5cDvHL7KbikLZ06ZlSTtvC9mlJ6sJah8ftqJITT55RG5k9d_MCW1-oqAB6KPlYHUMfs7WidlsW49NVPYyfO7C5f563DuVX99fn5JPrel__6d3sQFis50zISk9GLPjamaB-oz1-1dr/s1600/DSCN0760.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589992892840839234" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUa7f5cDvHL7KbikLZ06ZlSTtvC9mlJ6sJah8ftqJITT55RG5k9d_MCW1-oqAB6KPlYHUMfs7WidlsW49NVPYyfO7C5f563DuVX99fn5JPrel__6d3sQFis50zISk9GLPjamaB-oz1-1dr/s320/DSCN0760.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3QOvivLSKChAdmYL4PeMgR7s1uvUhbMpet8zzPlX2Y1ZjCIK0tJY6zWSAJHwpPLUWaDXiSOnKVaU8SnTFk1IMbmUbqZsQbU-fXxR2slP6uK7iUiaamzyyuvXeXhDDHM7Kp53uzshKOSX9/s1600/DSCN0759.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589992891473503650" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3QOvivLSKChAdmYL4PeMgR7s1uvUhbMpet8zzPlX2Y1ZjCIK0tJY6zWSAJHwpPLUWaDXiSOnKVaU8SnTFk1IMbmUbqZsQbU-fXxR2slP6uK7iUiaamzyyuvXeXhDDHM7Kp53uzshKOSX9/s320/DSCN0759.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigHNlFSlEPR5zqr2KxBjJXGE6npvWe_TjnmnzKVOfK9ma1j3q-SAozBO3t7eRg3gKI0Izvju-OjajdVVwlaHp1HekkiyPI2Qu8vlHLeFWt3jrrmnVJr7VqGosT9KaM0jqbAXbemJRSAEQq/s1600/DSCN0725.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589992921719367826" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigHNlFSlEPR5zqr2KxBjJXGE6npvWe_TjnmnzKVOfK9ma1j3q-SAozBO3t7eRg3gKI0Izvju-OjajdVVwlaHp1HekkiyPI2Qu8vlHLeFWt3jrrmnVJr7VqGosT9KaM0jqbAXbemJRSAEQq/s320/DSCN0725.JPG" /></a> On consecutive banding days in late March, two new species were added to the list of birds marked at the First Landing Station. The First Landing species total now stands at 113. <br /><br />A female Rusty Blackbird appeared late in the morning of the first CVWO bander training weekend in one of the wetland edge nets often frequented by Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles. Rusty Blackbirds are in a steep decline in North America. Read about the Rusty here: <a href="http://nationalzoo.si.edu/scbi/migratorybirds/research/rusty_blackbird/default.cfm">http://nationalzoo.si.edu/scbi/migratorybirds/research/rusty_blackbird/default.cfm</a> <a href="http://nationalzoo.si.edu/scbi/migratorybirds/research/rusty_blackbird/default.cfm"></a><br /><br />After a rain day, one of my favorite birds (and one rarely seen well by observers outside of the breeding season)appeared in one of our "roving" salt marsh nets. When I was much younger, the little bird (8 grams, this one) was called the Short-billed Marsh Wren. Now it is simply known as the Sedge Wren. The slightly larger wren pictured at the bottom above, now known as the Marsh Wren, was formerly the Long-billed Marsh Wren. What an appropriate description! But having the Sedge in the hand allowed me to "absolutely" separate Sedge from Marsh Wren: the length of the exposed culmen of the Sedge (length of upper mandible from the tip to the first feathers at the base of the bill) is less than the length of the middle toe, not including the claw!! Now who figured that out? One of the benefits of the shotgun era of ornithology? The exposed culmen of the Marsh is, of course, greater than the length of the toe! The Sedge Wren is distinguished from the Winter Wren by its lighter, overall appearance. <br /><br />Which will be the next, new First Landing species? Oh, yes, the prior mystery birds? Song Sparrow and Swamp Sparrow.Peter Dohertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094531509922029252noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8367465023454899844.post-33628016696072793582011-03-30T16:42:00.008-04:002011-03-30T17:41:17.626-04:00A Nice Start to the 2011 Season.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3hzn9UCAyv3NOK7Cq7R1T4Bgu5afNSMJQIpN71jWr87tkttymJPzZFFZD2YrlVeJ_hPGKOAdWNErKGrTs1DDcq8ZOObZK4nPbp8Q9923FdIlEORwlhdHMBrwS4-iAesN6jcdKY2KC_-k/s1600/DSCN0705.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3hzn9UCAyv3NOK7Cq7R1T4Bgu5afNSMJQIpN71jWr87tkttymJPzZFFZD2YrlVeJ_hPGKOAdWNErKGrTs1DDcq8ZOObZK4nPbp8Q9923FdIlEORwlhdHMBrwS4-iAesN6jcdKY2KC_-k/s320/DSCN0705.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589988730604672338" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwbrfdnaVm2rH1qPcFxOHqcVTDisFoI4F_xuM-NxVDhEKyfaEeTIjgykjJFYfDtLroHTtrBn4i5e9Y3lwJU4Dek3OKGn4WOB-HY3dxBNCclViy1FxG1D0BKpuBhsHwfJdxiv_HWzCWmdae/s1600/DSCN0756.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwbrfdnaVm2rH1qPcFxOHqcVTDisFoI4F_xuM-NxVDhEKyfaEeTIjgykjJFYfDtLroHTtrBn4i5e9Y3lwJU4Dek3OKGn4WOB-HY3dxBNCclViy1FxG1D0BKpuBhsHwfJdxiv_HWzCWmdae/s320/DSCN0756.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589982038183459298" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB0Mirl02m264C503wdEy1DNNdLRNYlcilTcXs2ymDyJ-i8PeYI22gvp7cI9x4UYs76drMVVsVVmvzHgIB0uxEc22synBI0Vfp0LyeQB1LTixzqlOOLHI6g8B-5pGlH7OdQom8QK5-Ke7z/s1600/DSCN0746.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB0Mirl02m264C503wdEy1DNNdLRNYlcilTcXs2ymDyJ-i8PeYI22gvp7cI9x4UYs76drMVVsVVmvzHgIB0uxEc22synBI0Vfp0LyeQB1LTixzqlOOLHI6g8B-5pGlH7OdQom8QK5-Ke7z/s320/DSCN0746.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589982023983314738" /></a><br />Events at a migratory bird banding station are always interesting. Take March 2010: talk about slow, only 140 birds of 31 species were marked in 19 days. Forty-four Myrtle Warblers led the way followed by twenty-one Swamp Sparrows, three Song Sparrows.<br /><br />Now consider March 2011 (given the weather forecast for tomorrow, banding for the month is over): talk about a nice pace, in 20 days 309 birds of 32 species were banded (including two new species for the season, more soon). One hundred seventy-two Myrtle Warblers have been marked (already breaking the season record of 137 established in 2006) and twenty-eight Song Sparrows have been marked (exceeding the season record of 23 in 2007 and following a season low of 3 in 2010). Also 41 Swamp Sparrows have been marked to date, a record pace.<br /><br />What does this all mean? Our working hypothesis is this: last summer was a successful breeding year for Myrtles, Swamps and Songs--given that a coastal station like First Landing captures mostly birds which were hatched last summer--called second-year birds by banders because all birds celebrate a birthday on January regardless of their hatching date! And those birds which hatched last summer, survived the 2010-11 winter thanks to the habitat provided by First Landing State Park and other undeveloped habitats in coastal Virginia. <br /><br />Now, let us see what April brings. Pictures above, top to bottom, Song, Swamp and Myrtle.Peter Dohertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094531509922029252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8367465023454899844.post-44230274549565228092011-03-30T16:37:00.004-04:002011-03-30T16:42:19.190-04:00More Bridge Progress!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2NaWBE9Yg-XCvaKjLV8qDCKi5RkSH9gt5WpZ_zX-O6e14_XkjF6yx6KAYDRZwzzemCQeXHp4DhyphenhyphenAQytOzHXdBZbCn1SsyX5mmMtr4_rvIC7hB9H-cyMMtT2Jd6TDQgy5NLXZy-VEFEbz/s1600/DSCN0763.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2NaWBE9Yg-XCvaKjLV8qDCKi5RkSH9gt5WpZ_zX-O6e14_XkjF6yx6KAYDRZwzzemCQeXHp4DhyphenhyphenAQytOzHXdBZbCn1SsyX5mmMtr4_rvIC7hB9H-cyMMtT2Jd6TDQgy5NLXZy-VEFEbz/s320/DSCN0763.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589975419537202322" /></a><br />The First Landing State Park crew, led by Sean, has been making great progress on the new bridge this week. Another day or two, weather permitting, and the deck should be finished.Peter Dohertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094531509922029252noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8367465023454899844.post-21826135330065039912011-03-20T20:47:00.002-04:002011-03-20T21:07:27.382-04:00The Bridge at Long Creek and White Hill.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmiHCHPwSsShQczNDoYnNVDkiNLD0GR3rGW3-FO1DCeV8Now96Zfn_7wfVDKOdzMoWZAwyLMZHOl9kMJIT9MBYs7Jzp0h1GonYjW8y-mTvarwu-vkci58_1fXTZj14gS2YjQvBrSY3Nu1/s1600/DSCN0726.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmiHCHPwSsShQczNDoYnNVDkiNLD0GR3rGW3-FO1DCeV8Now96Zfn_7wfVDKOdzMoWZAwyLMZHOl9kMJIT9MBYs7Jzp0h1GonYjW8y-mTvarwu-vkci58_1fXTZj14gS2YjQvBrSY3Nu1/s320/DSCN0726.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586329978764004642" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIo5yTz4hTv0zhCWHymbgU4oYiABDrAoAVNKUkTYEloHBkBPjpvsgkkOo_E_Hndx0sBvZSoOn_5GRdwMDOhxk8zXVpGYvgrrPUe0fjR9tmTJmDhVZIFdOpMSR4LHrR7l_3ZgoBZ-MHvVwy/s1600/DSCN0695.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIo5yTz4hTv0zhCWHymbgU4oYiABDrAoAVNKUkTYEloHBkBPjpvsgkkOo_E_Hndx0sBvZSoOn_5GRdwMDOhxk8zXVpGYvgrrPUe0fjR9tmTJmDhVZIFdOpMSR4LHrR7l_3ZgoBZ-MHvVwy/s320/DSCN0695.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586329971655176210" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJBoTtmRQlTpWVcB5Dpyd_lZ-Uiq5d83XSLtb5PYsfe2VicQ862WnSI644u5Q-wPS-jOaPC-aJDWGeTYx6IdQ2O4Dt3WLwTqOAbcfu0TPfT62BQ6n3rhMGsaYpm4uZ9zHOSZPVF3LHU8qo/s1600/DSCN0734.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJBoTtmRQlTpWVcB5Dpyd_lZ-Uiq5d83XSLtb5PYsfe2VicQ862WnSI644u5Q-wPS-jOaPC-aJDWGeTYx6IdQ2O4Dt3WLwTqOAbcfu0TPfT62BQ6n3rhMGsaYpm4uZ9zHOSZPVF3LHU8qo/s320/DSCN0734.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586329986526324450" /></a><br /><br />The bridge across the outlet of White Hill Lake at the intersection of Long Creek and White Hill trails in the Park was washed out by the November 2009 northeast gale. The banding station is nearby. Repair of the bridge is now underway. Over the past three weeks large laminated trusses have been moved into place by Park staff and mounted on two I-beams. With a little luck, the project will be completed by April 10, 2011. Bridge or not, foot traffic has crossed the outlet for the past 16 months!Peter Dohertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094531509922029252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8367465023454899844.post-59483836661226884522011-03-20T20:15:00.004-04:002011-03-20T20:47:28.016-04:00Two New Mystery Birds.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim7kT_JKJVpAf0YjwOTYMP-dDkR-Hd_EIQYrY3D595h-Is1zqdoHyXXkjMSM0DyoVi9zCTrpQK708Q2MHce3yyJ7nxd2IGMgwzmiidyDbe9Leh63hoiod_Nfr2gnoku4T1ZWcI9Rbb1tBL/s1600/DSCN0718.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim7kT_JKJVpAf0YjwOTYMP-dDkR-Hd_EIQYrY3D595h-Is1zqdoHyXXkjMSM0DyoVi9zCTrpQK708Q2MHce3yyJ7nxd2IGMgwzmiidyDbe9Leh63hoiod_Nfr2gnoku4T1ZWcI9Rbb1tBL/s320/DSCN0718.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586327915479822242" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7X_KOWPqh-3UhAe6c0HIE-7g1azInn0zvqQG41VMgvQTigDwRg-xAkJhVn1c_unHixbRczplUxp-yykEIxitsiOENRkro5rIevPyxHkp4Qz3_uaDJ-zcanhLmXWe0log30Yt8XNjjifeW/s1600/DSCN0719.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7X_KOWPqh-3UhAe6c0HIE-7g1azInn0zvqQG41VMgvQTigDwRg-xAkJhVn1c_unHixbRczplUxp-yykEIxitsiOENRkro5rIevPyxHkp4Qz3_uaDJ-zcanhLmXWe0log30Yt8XNjjifeW/s320/DSCN0719.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586327922317026546" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghYv2AEs55oYeNoQBGkNs8nmzDeP1raZnr37tutP8GcgGKAwo9Qi83FC4xl2z3XzPNGmVIyguFZlajRVnEO5kya_phahVexjx_K0agGxenjR-r12F4LUt2QsTQ89Lx1cxkdIFTSnpvU5i5/s1600/DSCN0717.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghYv2AEs55oYeNoQBGkNs8nmzDeP1raZnr37tutP8GcgGKAwo9Qi83FC4xl2z3XzPNGmVIyguFZlajRVnEO5kya_phahVexjx_K0agGxenjR-r12F4LUt2QsTQ89Lx1cxkdIFTSnpvU5i5/s320/DSCN0717.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586327905743753874" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHAP2WxgHl3WEMjp9es8rv1cREVa54xa9DfNNmMj9avG17uCfJ7YR4HkQG7eAb-hWXHZGakBIczRCG0aTMH_KMr9AFQ_VBPjCtWSl8-vX9E4Oic2UnWL3m3Q94j9WIUOEvbETK2vMDpWqa/s1600/DSCN0716.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHAP2WxgHl3WEMjp9es8rv1cREVa54xa9DfNNmMj9avG17uCfJ7YR4HkQG7eAb-hWXHZGakBIczRCG0aTMH_KMr9AFQ_VBPjCtWSl8-vX9E4Oic2UnWL3m3Q94j9WIUOEvbETK2vMDpWqa/s320/DSCN0716.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586327907268650114" /></a><br /><br />The first mystery birds (March 14) are Brown Creeper and Eastern Phoebe. The brown forked tail with extended shafts and the long claws mark the creeper as a bird which climbs trees to forage. The bill profile of the phoebe mark it as a flycatcher.<br /><br />The new birds can each be identified correctly by their crowns and bill. The undertail coverts of each are quite beautiful, but not helpful. Try the <em>Emberizidae</em> family.Peter Dohertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094531509922029252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8367465023454899844.post-84876710752724194002011-03-14T19:55:00.003-04:002011-03-14T20:07:04.649-04:00Can You ID These Two Birds?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHuMZ-5D2j0qyKAmowf4OYi_Psidrz7QEs_AGJCmGngA4shw1J2OmKhfGHWWX2_gyzLOzg8Jo_7nNs9JC9tj7D9FxXXJsuMAcSkmak8DS9ZZE1nnyYwdosZuZ6f7ZrqlazzH58j1ivMibW/s1600/DSCN0707.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHuMZ-5D2j0qyKAmowf4OYi_Psidrz7QEs_AGJCmGngA4shw1J2OmKhfGHWWX2_gyzLOzg8Jo_7nNs9JC9tj7D9FxXXJsuMAcSkmak8DS9ZZE1nnyYwdosZuZ6f7ZrqlazzH58j1ivMibW/s400/DSCN0707.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584088927349037042" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpdOHKfID-VVtjOaD-zKXxmc_1PslpWxOE7tJKlsYc9f1TAWH-ELoShJFDSHL30hZ_4rpoPpSRsYcshav5qhEMtEqHlGWUTGAFHtAMzn2DlCYlJa1YWR3N4TyjW86vnSR-2t3jBJFBuBG2/s1600/DSCN0706.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpdOHKfID-VVtjOaD-zKXxmc_1PslpWxOE7tJKlsYc9f1TAWH-ELoShJFDSHL30hZ_4rpoPpSRsYcshav5qhEMtEqHlGWUTGAFHtAMzn2DlCYlJa1YWR3N4TyjW86vnSR-2t3jBJFBuBG2/s400/DSCN0706.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584088926242484322" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_mfjbyunMRNtxxLcH78wDbFnQkgMVv7lmzg2JU06LAXCud_WA0kWBely86Fk3bO5BVoB4006mvIGEu735THpe5B0z2Jhkh6FA1cu9sOXZ5yT1Tihjw6d9wp2G2lcdctLJc96ugT-ag9R/s1600/DSCN0710.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_mfjbyunMRNtxxLcH78wDbFnQkgMVv7lmzg2JU06LAXCud_WA0kWBely86Fk3bO5BVoB4006mvIGEu735THpe5B0z2Jhkh6FA1cu9sOXZ5yT1Tihjw6d9wp2G2lcdctLJc96ugT-ag9R/s400/DSCN0710.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584088919877662498" /></a><br />Using the characteristics of the toes and the color (brown) and shape of tail (out of focus, sorry) the identification of this cryptic winter Park resident is not that difficult.<br />The bill, bristles and crown of this migrant (a very few overwinter in coastal Virginia) reveal the identity of this signal of spring. The first of the season at the station was banded today.<br />Answer in a day or two.Peter Dohertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094531509922029252noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8367465023454899844.post-55286877242004940772011-03-14T18:30:00.006-04:002011-03-14T19:54:08.806-04:00Old Friends and Aquaintances and Opening Day.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjb0VdVauvVycFD41hjZhOoVH2nFb5FBAJMGqTZLFog_B-_eZFwGzchv_ABp20rLOqCPljEbTZnZm2hgj_k1uUxrlTUfomMrFoe5ecBFXKDO7hTdsrpEPrb-cFK2jiTVxqfhCNgl9PVmDi/s1600/DSCN0667.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584072951782164594" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjb0VdVauvVycFD41hjZhOoVH2nFb5FBAJMGqTZLFog_B-_eZFwGzchv_ABp20rLOqCPljEbTZnZm2hgj_k1uUxrlTUfomMrFoe5ecBFXKDO7hTdsrpEPrb-cFK2jiTVxqfhCNgl9PVmDi/s400/DSCN0667.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOLK3Nxl7Piv3Lp8qL3zNXqzvCb4IcE-LhAQyhAU3l0v2c9bHMlEAzPENH2GqK5CJe6esrsyuw_iW0rmJaR93Ow2yRlkPNPcdSjG7TPEXgwju1KG3Ehgck9UZcH2okyZMY7SH6nh99PhaB/s1600/DSCN0678.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOLK3Nxl7Piv3Lp8qL3zNXqzvCb4IcE-LhAQyhAU3l0v2c9bHMlEAzPENH2GqK5CJe6esrsyuw_iW0rmJaR93Ow2yRlkPNPcdSjG7TPEXgwju1KG3Ehgck9UZcH2okyZMY7SH6nh99PhaB/s400/DSCN0678.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584083511994753698" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcUt7rDr9oeK0dLEff4TWkAn4_zfaEV7zhv8TjAHq8Qcf2l2enAlA4D5sc-Wf2wXlf3FUcWlL8-J-DxZcdDaUV81NvnucS8Dx7H9QSXjx-K5ajLOhMgSOZTWWfO6RK0y1gZuRzRl9mUyke/s1600/DSCN0675.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584072957476669026" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcUt7rDr9oeK0dLEff4TWkAn4_zfaEV7zhv8TjAHq8Qcf2l2enAlA4D5sc-Wf2wXlf3FUcWlL8-J-DxZcdDaUV81NvnucS8Dx7H9QSXjx-K5ajLOhMgSOZTWWfO6RK0y1gZuRzRl9mUyke/s400/DSCN0675.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiROLTpTMKJvO16Qp5fsKjPchZBxgKUJIm2stUrR5p29G73ZnQKEAWsu58dRXBB_bY3qttp3oZFejKIW5TY0MRawaC1lc_fk62EWsoisDDNGjuihqGZxoG8iPgvV8DdTYEHGg4Ylpe10Tf0/s1600/DSCN0670.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584072963388668082" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiROLTpTMKJvO16Qp5fsKjPchZBxgKUJIm2stUrR5p29G73ZnQKEAWsu58dRXBB_bY3qttp3oZFejKIW5TY0MRawaC1lc_fk62EWsoisDDNGjuihqGZxoG8iPgvV8DdTYEHGg4Ylpe10Tf0/s400/DSCN0670.JPG" /></a><br />On Saturday, February 26, 2011, old and new friends gathered for the eighth time to set up the CVWO spring banding station at First Landing State Park. Under the direction of Bob Reilly, the nets were set in place at the station. Using the many talents of Robert Klages, the fabric structure covering the banding table was assembled with the customary difficulties. This is my fifth spring.<br /><br />Terry Jenkins and I fine-tuned the aerial nets and rearranged the boards at the treacherous mud nets over the next two days. And after waiting for some temperate weather, I opened the nets for the first time on March 4th at 1000. Why so late in the morning?<br /><br />In past years the first banding day has netted good numbers of birds. Temperatures around freezing and many birds in the nets at once are not a good match. So I waited for a day when the sun was up and the temperatures exceeded 40F on a bright day with little wind. Such was March 4th.<br /><br />On the 1400 net run a fond acquaintance appeared in net A3; the Fox Sparrow pictured. Banded at First Landing on March 10, 2010, the bird was a picture of health and prepared for its long migration north to Canada after another comfortable winter at First Landing. Another winter resident, a male Myrtle Warbler from March 17, 2008 also found the nets. Other old mates captured during the first few days were local, year-around residents, two Carolina Chickadees (2009 and 2010) and a Carolina Wren (2010).<br /><br />Fidelity of many bird species to the same nesting areas is well established. The fidelity of many bird species to the same wintering areas is less well known. Over the seven seasons of the First Landing station, winter residents such as Fox Sparrows, Hermit Thrushes, Myrtle Warblers, Swamp Sparrows and Ruby-crowned Kinglets have demonstrated their affection for the Park habitat by returning annually.<br /><br />Finally, Eastern Bluebirds have done well in the Park in recent years. The male pictured earned a band on opening day. And not to be left out, a female Common Yellowthroat appeared from out of the marsh-the earliest of her species yet banded at the station. There will be many more Yellowthroats to come.Peter Dohertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094531509922029252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8367465023454899844.post-3214595288405956662010-04-27T17:38:00.002-04:002010-04-27T18:32:51.020-04:002010 CVWO Bander Training at FLSP<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicoEQTHOJ5inkX5M7moTp0Y6vpxzwg2VwbobsHhyphenhyphen-H_tdyvvgE0ZRwvv65kMj_lyvJm4p4uXYarPe4UwBRPpbQhWHRTeys8VrHYwI9RWojnNbHoB1Ysq-LI5IgPBMrAtTrMn0hwGsZrSX3/s1600/DSCN0065.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicoEQTHOJ5inkX5M7moTp0Y6vpxzwg2VwbobsHhyphenhyphen-H_tdyvvgE0ZRwvv65kMj_lyvJm4p4uXYarPe4UwBRPpbQhWHRTeys8VrHYwI9RWojnNbHoB1Ysq-LI5IgPBMrAtTrMn0hwGsZrSX3/s400/DSCN0065.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464936184757206290" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQIyKFFVoLtaKHPC0SVqNY0drKyiJsTE_3OF2k2vsA0dpR5z3fIgqlVpVNHNsjIUMm7_GHIwq1O6Z9Pv6AlGHJMlHIw2MSdvC0MAVUMJzTtS8s_jVCnkaLVsPAE2rEAaYNQ63NEFsi2S3V/s1600/DSCN0067.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQIyKFFVoLtaKHPC0SVqNY0drKyiJsTE_3OF2k2vsA0dpR5z3fIgqlVpVNHNsjIUMm7_GHIwq1O6Z9Pv6AlGHJMlHIw2MSdvC0MAVUMJzTtS8s_jVCnkaLVsPAE2rEAaYNQ63NEFsi2S3V/s400/DSCN0067.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464936194070083506" /></a><br />Over two weekends, one in late March and the second in early April, CVWO hosted a bander training session for the second consecutive year. This session was attended by nine individuals, plus the CVWO bander intern. The weather cooperated and bird numbers were sufficient to allow each participant to handle a number of birds using the skills they learned. First Landing State Park provided living quarters and a central meeting/lecture room. <br /><br />The goal of the session is to demonstrate and teach the basic skills necessary to participate in all aspects of a bird banding project. Various tasks were undertaken by each attendee, including net set-up, take-down and furling. This year the participants included a college student, two college professors, two state environmental agency employees (one from VA; other from NC), an NCAudubon employee, a VSO board member, a CVWO board member and a "professional" volunteer. It was a wonderful group with which to work and interact.Peter Dohertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094531509922029252noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8367465023454899844.post-59335459288210556732010-04-27T17:13:00.003-04:002010-04-27T17:38:25.572-04:00Is the Migration Finally Here?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl85wiO31EsWB-gbstoSwPPndDheSXJoURmIr8bDwyM2l2P4rzc0kLib-wq3OFLkpj5A2xtoLySEA1rdySN7YBWYNsyQau2cFs-DlskXZImOOW-26PpRkV50AztIcz_r3GO0OrObA9Vxxu/s1600/DSCN3364.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl85wiO31EsWB-gbstoSwPPndDheSXJoURmIr8bDwyM2l2P4rzc0kLib-wq3OFLkpj5A2xtoLySEA1rdySN7YBWYNsyQau2cFs-DlskXZImOOW-26PpRkV50AztIcz_r3GO0OrObA9Vxxu/s400/DSCN3364.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464934326429836242" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYljiafV2rlen-JcdSZozN8J2tsav9QR1KA7C2Pvcn3H2erhrT2cRFJdHaRi8GTGB2hvzW6HN9p9_AFniaSMYLMVtIfqHwXQ-wwJ7pOYc92c3jI4cg0fOv2PSICFuzh7dPH5fBjff6J4qh/s1600/DSCN3347.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYljiafV2rlen-JcdSZozN8J2tsav9QR1KA7C2Pvcn3H2erhrT2cRFJdHaRi8GTGB2hvzW6HN9p9_AFniaSMYLMVtIfqHwXQ-wwJ7pOYc92c3jI4cg0fOv2PSICFuzh7dPH5fBjff6J4qh/s400/DSCN3347.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464934315524227906" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixziQTQrPdwXLKgXo8hIPC5sSDYyqHLL21OubHNI6WGHaZKEbzEPhVIsNloPsoY0pKbkAhBu7fq7wrDtatpbQA6KPfPd8KoZ_eSltc4GxWxXOE14FPtuvvmdp1eUW6uHDJEbqgwjuqxCK9/s1600/DSCN0112.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixziQTQrPdwXLKgXo8hIPC5sSDYyqHLL21OubHNI6WGHaZKEbzEPhVIsNloPsoY0pKbkAhBu7fq7wrDtatpbQA6KPfPd8KoZ_eSltc4GxWxXOE14FPtuvvmdp1eUW6uHDJEbqgwjuqxCK9/s400/DSCN0112.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464934306838176642" /></a><br />Yesterday we banded 64 birds: today we marked 23 more. Finally, the dawn chorus included chips and songs of species other than our resident Carolina Wrens, Carolina Chickadees and Tufted Titmice. (Even a Chuck-will's-widow called in the distance.) Wood Thrush, Prothonotary Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Black and White Warbler and Black-throated Blue Warbler all magically appeared in our nets--along with a number of Gray Catbirds and White-throated Sparrows. The endless disappointing, nearly birdless, days of late March and early April were forgotten for a moment.Peter Dohertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094531509922029252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8367465023454899844.post-52006883096723133972010-04-27T15:45:00.003-04:002010-04-27T17:12:07.391-04:00Meet CVWO's FLSP 2010 Bander Intern<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOeOC-gh8Rs-4sWxpOoRFpofvHw1wXK_Jt69uQLNK4uXO8jMr-orHMkVumFxJMLUkUFsm1mwpivGJAjqJoVhylqftW9uR1yUTUgb7Z3buCXCTHjly_K4N_q0GC-UExJ_pxgITjXx88VkJe/s1600/DSCN0111.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464919804620252066" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOeOC-gh8Rs-4sWxpOoRFpofvHw1wXK_Jt69uQLNK4uXO8jMr-orHMkVumFxJMLUkUFsm1mwpivGJAjqJoVhylqftW9uR1yUTUgb7Z3buCXCTHjly_K4N_q0GC-UExJ_pxgITjXx88VkJe/s400/DSCN0111.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOueNCkddcUOyWbXoQKry-PQFoYxzU04mk4pPkIPC02MO-9ZaggHZYOi2xnFbOj1-bqmjWJC2tkgyhGpZBZ9MBT2oYEFFCOBJq7bRemneilQTpLFc_Td6Nh71C6rmLLNGemvZ7f0bO9qka/s1600/DSCN0048.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464919793296398610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOueNCkddcUOyWbXoQKry-PQFoYxzU04mk4pPkIPC02MO-9ZaggHZYOi2xnFbOj1-bqmjWJC2tkgyhGpZBZ9MBT2oYEFFCOBJq7bRemneilQTpLFc_Td6Nh71C6rmLLNGemvZ7f0bO9qka/s400/DSCN0048.JPG" /></a><br />Mindy Mathenia of Downer's Grove, IL (west of Chicago) was just the type of individual CVWO had in mind when the banding intership at FLSP began in 2009. A recent recipient of a M.S in Biology from Northern Illinois University, Mindy had the desire yet little opportunity to gain field experience because of logistics and academic course load. Her thesis is entitled “Effects of Rainfall and Spatial Variation on Small Mammal Populations in North-Central Chile”.</div><div><br />Since her arrival at First Landing in mid-March, Mindy has developed the keen eye necessary to age and sex passerines and the dexterity and care necessary to extract and handle small birds. She is also a good field companion whether there are few birds or many birds at the Station.</div><div></div><div> <br /></div><div>My goodness, that looks like a new species for the Station in Mindy's left hand on the "bridge" crossing the tidal creek to White Hill Lake!! Get out your field guide (or shotgun). I think it is a game bird. Could it be a Virginia Rail?<br /><br /></div><div></div>Peter Dohertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094531509922029252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8367465023454899844.post-31416271088929147362010-04-02T17:21:00.005-04:002010-04-02T18:07:38.078-04:00The Migration Gathers Momentum<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_zlk4WW8AWy-307DYQRd6ppbMGUg_DMYA9oscerOCuUkXEAuSxCcZdBLqDnS8VUhUeC2vFviAPXpzuwPRgpptOuvti5NZsghhMZ43jdOdM2MYqaMj2IKDr0KDteJX7-pqLAWsZjGIylgi/s1600/DSCN0028.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455655545994703010" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_zlk4WW8AWy-307DYQRd6ppbMGUg_DMYA9oscerOCuUkXEAuSxCcZdBLqDnS8VUhUeC2vFviAPXpzuwPRgpptOuvti5NZsghhMZ43jdOdM2MYqaMj2IKDr0KDteJX7-pqLAWsZjGIylgi/s400/DSCN0028.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7i_W2OgZzpSfiCm01LGGpYLrgFQTOGVw3EGimD3ZW0yystJX3NRvAi0jYU0sLPl6poYcAT8My8o_eSF5kBZzRapocKVBFydV7vGNXpnccyHsisJq0-v0fE7S4iNnVv4f02o0Z5aJHEybp/s1600/DSCN0029.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455655539219149138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7i_W2OgZzpSfiCm01LGGpYLrgFQTOGVw3EGimD3ZW0yystJX3NRvAi0jYU0sLPl6poYcAT8My8o_eSF5kBZzRapocKVBFydV7vGNXpnccyHsisJq0-v0fE7S4iNnVv4f02o0Z5aJHEybp/s400/DSCN0029.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL-P6u4BqNCV1IBa2WA5ekJZquPKqh6Qq5dLocCFyEzMVIhdzaY_tkBoKYvuw5cdS4QcbD4T2Wji_S9WuX90oTYU35BPNXPG4dcgVe-qjuB7F_cHzaJIck_abfDu0ab88N4Lfox75y-4wx/s1600/DSCN0044.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455655533335539618" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL-P6u4BqNCV1IBa2WA5ekJZquPKqh6Qq5dLocCFyEzMVIhdzaY_tkBoKYvuw5cdS4QcbD4T2Wji_S9WuX90oTYU35BPNXPG4dcgVe-qjuB7F_cHzaJIck_abfDu0ab88N4Lfox75y-4wx/s400/DSCN0044.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_JxyASmPgn_9GJFGUSqqCElgzsRpdE0P-i61WIw9kBjnS2zw5q28vJYLt9Vgk9ncU4N3lVGuJ1NtbTLo9ZlxXASS1v19xDGAYLoOJysej8_Ne78l_AeE3j7xUZFjYiuu-qtwQ4kkFlepO/s1600/DSCN0036.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455655526793793698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_JxyASmPgn_9GJFGUSqqCElgzsRpdE0P-i61WIw9kBjnS2zw5q28vJYLt9Vgk9ncU4N3lVGuJ1NtbTLo9ZlxXASS1v19xDGAYLoOJysej8_Ne78l_AeE3j7xUZFjYiuu-qtwQ4kkFlepO/s400/DSCN0036.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsxgGh6LE_IAQRlgEWHEjDFU_Q12SUutRk9i0E4xGV9iWqqJBasy3bhgUa0i32ZmO-92YHM2u0g6NWWCPZQwdyFG2XPyx2tdC4GFilQozO3npI0YBmr3_yQidKnInxjCFeg2ngyinHDKHb/s1600/DSCN0056.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455655517563285106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsxgGh6LE_IAQRlgEWHEjDFU_Q12SUutRk9i0E4xGV9iWqqJBasy3bhgUa0i32ZmO-92YHM2u0g6NWWCPZQwdyFG2XPyx2tdC4GFilQozO3npI0YBmr3_yQidKnInxjCFeg2ngyinHDKHb/s400/DSCN0056.JPG" /></a> </div><div>The three species above are each a member of the <em>Parulidae </em>(or wood-warbler) family. And each species tends to migrate earlier than other members of this large New World family. The Orange-crowned Warbler is a hardy warbler which spends the winter across the southern tier of the United States and into Central America. It nests in the Canadian boreal forest and in the high country of the American West. And it is infrequently captured at First Landing. This individual was captured on March 24th and is only the second in six seasons. See: <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/orange-crowned_warbler/id">http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/orange-crowned_warbler/id</a></div><div><br /> </div><div>The Louisiana Waterthrush is also an early migrant, but flew a great distance to visit First Landing. See: <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Louisiana_Waterthrush/lifehistory">http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Louisiana_Waterthrush/lifehistory</a> Salt marshes and tidal creeks are not Louisiana Waterthrush breeding habitat, but the two birds pictured above seem to enjoy the Park. They were each banded on March 31; and each recaptured on April 2d. They had gained a little weight for the next leg of their migration. Note that the two waterthrushes are slightly different in the throat. Still white; and with a stout, long bill and white undertail coverts Louisiania's each.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div>The Northern Parula arrived today, April 2d. Parulas, of course, breed in the Spanish Moss in the Park each spring/summer---with some banded birds returning on multiple springs to nest within the area in which we band. This first arrival was an unbanded, after-second-year male. Perhaps this bird spent the winter in The Bahamas. <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/northern_parula/id">http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/northern_parula/id</a></div><div> </div><div> </div><div>These three arrivals signal that the migration is underway and gathering momentum. It will not be long before Gnatcatchers, Catbirds, Flycatchers and the later-arriving warblers visit First Landing once again. Come see them some morning.<br /><br /><br /></div><div></div></div></div></div>Peter Dohertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094531509922029252noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8367465023454899844.post-28218386019011964292010-03-30T10:29:00.002-04:002010-03-30T10:48:09.373-04:00Here Comes Trouble...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIw31OnFeu_yfUMka2H9VyTDsl6iezWnomuozbwwPAXZ2_krjoCF4hSVjbGJiVWOvDNNZ7WhBhbRCCdInjCsCYnEGQma2kVxGoGLFNBJApPukLnb75PfQ5p0hS5cU8dSRC94sS6z7OhM5r/s1600/DSCN0033.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454434941864992642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIw31OnFeu_yfUMka2H9VyTDsl6iezWnomuozbwwPAXZ2_krjoCF4hSVjbGJiVWOvDNNZ7WhBhbRCCdInjCsCYnEGQma2kVxGoGLFNBJApPukLnb75PfQ5p0hS5cU8dSRC94sS6z7OhM5r/s400/DSCN0033.JPG" /></a>All banders and mist net extractors know that Common Yellowthroats can do remarkable things in a mist net. Simply stated, they can become very tangled and then, more tangled, in a very brief period of time. The Yellowthroat is also one of the two most commonly captured migrants at First Landing each spring; the COYE competes with the Gray Catbird for "top bird". Two hundred or so of each species are marked. Thus, while we were pleased to see this handsome male on March 25th (and he behaved well in the A2 net), trouble is not far away!<br /><div></div>Peter Dohertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094531509922029252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8367465023454899844.post-46383845131101733362010-03-30T09:14:00.005-04:002010-03-30T10:25:14.866-04:00A Turtle and A Salamander<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY20WjfcEhGOF1Sw5DMafAUke9Da7MJMZhlkgVsDCRPueeO_lESQMuictvX7nfYUqltbKXgM8YrU-WZNDoJKGazIPzMrBJWuqz0EZjDfZvVMO1x_nLJPEGbTyenvGu60gU__-VP5HIzOYy/s1600/DSCN0021.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454417995901719410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY20WjfcEhGOF1Sw5DMafAUke9Da7MJMZhlkgVsDCRPueeO_lESQMuictvX7nfYUqltbKXgM8YrU-WZNDoJKGazIPzMrBJWuqz0EZjDfZvVMO1x_nLJPEGbTyenvGu60gU__-VP5HIzOYy/s400/DSCN0021.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKgfC4qZs-Ox7uOznJ_R2gvew3CsXed8v72zd84ABUlXlh41Zd_VfO3_VtAOBeDe9Wqn4lhlDFOxemjq7SJNm6IB5fkkj3X6rCxiApYNDdVy5lxnATfnbcdh0M4z9hKYBOb8ocOJ2jMTx4/s1600/DSCN0019.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454417989490260946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKgfC4qZs-Ox7uOznJ_R2gvew3CsXed8v72zd84ABUlXlh41Zd_VfO3_VtAOBeDe9Wqn4lhlDFOxemjq7SJNm6IB5fkkj3X6rCxiApYNDdVy5lxnATfnbcdh0M4z9hKYBOb8ocOJ2jMTx4/s400/DSCN0019.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHFfM__UWUog84yGusjdfWrh2WrHNoJIfAXYf8vMZKmHqDo_6OCnl4lT7c9Aekg7xv4-DpmUkRT2dN-98oDr5JuZRAWNzLS0f9tduJIAe2a0Kc4ZgJJ8We20UUc_otxHWlkLBFJkBt-CSi/s1600/DSCN0025.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454417980430090338" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHFfM__UWUog84yGusjdfWrh2WrHNoJIfAXYf8vMZKmHqDo_6OCnl4lT7c9Aekg7xv4-DpmUkRT2dN-98oDr5JuZRAWNzLS0f9tduJIAe2a0Kc4ZgJJ8We20UUc_otxHWlkLBFJkBt-CSi/s400/DSCN0025.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG-W5ofAso23B5R3QtFaognH9ifAbepuHC3GvNBDAKZihSi7LVH5VEeZ_la8gtpJAp1aSIKI5chmU5PqpAE7tVf7TzrIfX1ww9gwRHb5p4kgqw8a54uHxyjdEHXKRbtr0etMQF5PQyto3T/s1600/DSCN0023.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454417971917516866" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG-W5ofAso23B5R3QtFaognH9ifAbepuHC3GvNBDAKZihSi7LVH5VEeZ_la8gtpJAp1aSIKI5chmU5PqpAE7tVf7TzrIfX1ww9gwRHb5p4kgqw8a54uHxyjdEHXKRbtr0etMQF5PQyto3T/s400/DSCN0023.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8QMGscRTBoI26dWyN_bd_eJZ9uss4hUbepcxdQ-OxwgqFqg-1cFIpIciyLjK0DaFAUSAGy_v8GXliEuSVEiXM5qf9uSib851qXoIw_sAfPx-fYpSGtbm1DX53VZ2dE76cyqNeFv8V6i4x/s1600/DSCN0024.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454417968606416882" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8QMGscRTBoI26dWyN_bd_eJZ9uss4hUbepcxdQ-OxwgqFqg-1cFIpIciyLjK0DaFAUSAGy_v8GXliEuSVEiXM5qf9uSib851qXoIw_sAfPx-fYpSGtbm1DX53VZ2dE76cyqNeFv8V6i4x/s400/DSCN0024.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Whether it is still,sunny and warm or blustery, sunny and cold or just miserable, March is the slowest month for spring songbirds at First Landing station. Between and during net runs, however, interesting and unusual wildlife can appear--consider March 23 and 24.<br /><br />The Eastern Mud Turtle <em>(Kinosternon subrubrum subrubrum)</em> pictured above was found inside its carapace (shell) along a dry, sandy stretch of Long Creek Trail as joggers ran past almost stepping on it. This turtle can be identified by its plastron (underside)with its two hinges and the triangular shape of its pectoral scute (plate). see also:<a href="http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7152.html"></a> <a href="http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7152.html">http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7152.html</a> I picked up the turtle and gave it a lift to a nearby fresh water wetland. The turtle soon emerged from its carapace and crawled off into the mud and water.<br /><br />While walking in the saltmarsh above the bridge which crosses the tidal creek to White Hill Lake, I found the salamander. Before I picked it up, I thought it was an eel. Upon picking it up, I had no idea what it was, although eel was no longer on the list of possibilities. Mindy Mathenia, CVWO 2010 spring intern, and Sheila Scoville, CVWO board member, each identified the creature as a salamander. Indeed, it is!!<br /><br />The Two-toed Amphiuma <em>(Amphiuma means)</em> was cold and inactive. Out in the open in the marsh it looked like a meal for the Great Egret which forages there daily. The pictures show the two toes on the small, vestigial limbs which characterize the species. Coastal Virginia is at the northern edge of this Amphiuma's range. see: <a href="http://people.wcsu.edu/pinout/herpetology/ameans/index.html">http://people.wcsu.edu/pinout/herpetology/ameans/index.html</a> <a href="http://people.wcsu.edu/pinout/herpetology/ameans/index.html"></a>and <a href="http://amphibiaweb.org/cgi-bin/amphib_query?query_src=aw_lists_alpha_&where-genus=Amphiuma&where-species=means">http://amphibiaweb.org/cgi-bin/amphib_query?query_src=aw_lists_alpha_&where-genus=Amphiuma&where-species=means</a> <a href="http://amphibiaweb.org/cgi-bin/amphib_query?query_src=aw_lists_alpha_&where-genus=Amphiuma&where-species=means"></a>The salamander was released into similar salt marsh habitat nearby the station.Peter Dohertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094531509922029252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8367465023454899844.post-87014068477515995232010-03-29T15:36:00.008-04:002010-03-29T19:51:51.007-04:00Bahamas Plover in Cape Cod!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrqK6kcFsyrYW1KXJ9jWDRAkAtx7AJYohk7_O81X7pnIZGp-SShVvt-D_VLlpDvwROhFJmDIys0rkO2nDMWxP3c75f0e4GnbeAYFSTlhCUmdkYhI4cKSjp8DgVZe790ZEgaN52dslyjHK/s1600/PIPL7+008.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrqK6kcFsyrYW1KXJ9jWDRAkAtx7AJYohk7_O81X7pnIZGp-SShVvt-D_VLlpDvwROhFJmDIys0rkO2nDMWxP3c75f0e4GnbeAYFSTlhCUmdkYhI4cKSjp8DgVZe790ZEgaN52dslyjHK/s400/PIPL7+008.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454154627323714898" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYpkbJDPX1_jHeXsEFgORsS3YsWTdtG_3UyrZKGuqpvP7M0m2dF61hOddhoqyHYOG_2nC_LjU1UsZCDBm-aQIHd72kdbc3pYhqDQUwdV33W6FD-ACEo6ixr_Zwi_y7DHTOhJsdJF6d_C9x/s1600/HarwichCrop1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 274px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYpkbJDPX1_jHeXsEFgORsS3YsWTdtG_3UyrZKGuqpvP7M0m2dF61hOddhoqyHYOG_2nC_LjU1UsZCDBm-aQIHd72kdbc3pYhqDQUwdV33W6FD-ACEo6ixr_Zwi_y7DHTOhJsdJF6d_C9x/s400/HarwichCrop1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454187971408629970" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy34ujt4HtnZmRT_-PY1oVW86jQzFGKdTsSxXS0UwO76zCAhq-W3ffvVNDS_drLNuB7zfdtO-ORZD7mvtN2MYRKe7Y5i2B5QjrI5Q2eNSa7Hob_Ud1gZNZrHC8r1PImh3fz4EgJhXq2v6k/s1600/harwich3crop.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy34ujt4HtnZmRT_-PY1oVW86jQzFGKdTsSxXS0UwO76zCAhq-W3ffvVNDS_drLNuB7zfdtO-ORZD7mvtN2MYRKe7Y5i2B5QjrI5Q2eNSa7Hob_Ud1gZNZrHC8r1PImh3fz4EgJhXq2v6k/s400/harwich3crop.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454207354644299554" /></a><br /><br /><br />The third Bahamas plover re-sighted in the US this spring was seen on Bank Street Beach, Harwich, MA by Susie Gallagher, Town of Dennis plover monitor with MassAudubon for three seasons, and her colleague Ed Nash. [coordinates: N 41.663379° W 070.072140°] The bird was spotted on Saturday, March 27, at 1645. The bird was marked with a black flag on the upper left leg, white band lower left leg; upper right leg unbanded; lower right leg dark blue over orange bands. <br /><br />This piper was captured, banded and released on South Beach, New Providence, The Bahamas on January 17, 2010. [coordinates: N 25.00693; W 077.33325] The bird was in the first group of birds caught in the Environment Canada Piping Plover Project. It is ~1225 miles from the banding site to the re-sight location. <br /><br />The top picture above was taken on the Pea Island NWR beachfront just south of Oregon Inlet on December 17, 2005. I spent that winter following Piping Plovers in a Virginia Tech project undertaken by the lab of Dr. Jim Fraser. This is among my favorite images. And it is, in large part, responsible for our ability to capture as many plovers as we did in The Bahamas last winter. The bird with the piper is, of course, a Black-bellied Plover. Pipers always seem to feel safe from outside threats when in the company of the wary "mama" plover. Thus, I had David Rhodes, a noted shorebird carver and conservationist from New Jersey, carve a black-belly for our use this winter. The decoy worked like magic; not only were pipers attracted to the decoy, live black bellies fell in love with her.<br /><br />UPDATE: Thanks to Ellen Jedrey of MassAudubon for supplying the bottom two photos above, taken by Susie and Ed of the Harwich/Bahamas plover.Peter Dohertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094531509922029252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8367465023454899844.post-49165163354929687922010-03-18T20:11:00.002-04:002010-03-18T20:21:34.119-04:00Second Bahamas Plover in South Carolina<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtkt0BpkKT65x27gJUXoXN792_tTaVDL9BaUEJx6uMHc_fUU0QAf5Vm4AUfB1XUaaXRBh5NN1YfZ9TGFeLO_8y4qSWiS006GL6H1Bppy9Bu0y7yGUaBhd658hjS99ytoXPHsT78DPokr5x/s1600-h/BarbaryBeachlr3O5Q5646.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtkt0BpkKT65x27gJUXoXN792_tTaVDL9BaUEJx6uMHc_fUU0QAf5Vm4AUfB1XUaaXRBh5NN1YfZ9TGFeLO_8y4qSWiS006GL6H1Bppy9Bu0y7yGUaBhd658hjS99ytoXPHsT78DPokr5x/s400/BarbaryBeachlr3O5Q5646.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450131120676571506" /></a><br />Tuesday afternoon, March 16th, on the beach at Kiawah Island, South Carolina the second Piping Plover color-banded in The Bahamas this winter was seen by Aaron Given, a biologist with the Town of Kiawah. This bird was banded on Barbary Beach, Grand Bahama Island, The Bahamas on the late afternoon of January 27, 2010. Kiawah is ~425 air miles from Barbary Beach. <br /><br />No pictures of the plover on Kiawah are available, but the identification is solid. Another likely ASY, male plover. The picture above is of Barbary Beach, located on the south shore of Grand Bahama. Seven plovers were marked on Barbary on the 27th. The birds foraged on the exposed shelf during low water and roosted on the narrow beach either side of high water.Peter Dohertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094531509922029252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8367465023454899844.post-33334111772289091742010-03-15T13:52:00.005-04:002010-03-15T15:23:48.009-04:00First Phoebe = Spring!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgYlTPTDZSwuD0maMZpVm8LxYWeU7tsBj2EnAbbKbu0ZKXuSouYqeAjlkZuqt64i6i51vFYVVm2SkbrBGND8SPihWxcQAWiY1AgolcYVE8_M2OmbH65m0sAbh5eB25IjRvI_u9PSnuh_aY/s1600-h/DSCN4261.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgYlTPTDZSwuD0maMZpVm8LxYWeU7tsBj2EnAbbKbu0ZKXuSouYqeAjlkZuqt64i6i51vFYVVm2SkbrBGND8SPihWxcQAWiY1AgolcYVE8_M2OmbH65m0sAbh5eB25IjRvI_u9PSnuh_aY/s400/DSCN4261.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448920745660784258" /></a><br />Spring arrived officially at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach on the 1145 net run of Thursday, March 11th in net C5. The season's first member of the flycatcher family, <em>Tyrannidae</em> , a second-year Eastern Phoebe, was in the net. As I extracted the bird it snapped its bill together to remind me that it eats flies and to assure me that winter weather is past.Peter Dohertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094531509922029252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8367465023454899844.post-4727887132406236732010-03-15T13:04:00.003-04:002010-03-15T13:49:26.061-04:00The Picidae Quartet<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjibPyUZCF_2XcRl_zRtJ1BKf_4B8GQ6H6rw8qzi-3mDjQgmuNuloRazM3XFsWL75v5gbaPywzPecQER4HtXZWBvMsMixWeq3Phh7t6ztiGwatXp6IDA8kdnuDkGR1aTMxbQ5hj4H2Fi0bJ/s1600-h/DSCN4258.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448910505027150082" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjibPyUZCF_2XcRl_zRtJ1BKf_4B8GQ6H6rw8qzi-3mDjQgmuNuloRazM3XFsWL75v5gbaPywzPecQER4HtXZWBvMsMixWeq3Phh7t6ztiGwatXp6IDA8kdnuDkGR1aTMxbQ5hj4H2Fi0bJ/s400/DSCN4258.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjxsLy87aMtbaGT6SPvQqHOwUredq1no3DZNvfxh06T8Ixlc8U8kEaE02Qw2ypDxXeHBKtQgY3_LtwW_yjP2WPuqMQ23y7eIDV12qE-IeAeWOCEuibRS04a9TGumWv86906nUsXHQXnaug/s1600-h/DSCN4269.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448910488899262498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjxsLy87aMtbaGT6SPvQqHOwUredq1no3DZNvfxh06T8Ixlc8U8kEaE02Qw2ypDxXeHBKtQgY3_LtwW_yjP2WPuqMQ23y7eIDV12qE-IeAeWOCEuibRS04a9TGumWv86906nUsXHQXnaug/s400/DSCN4269.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCebOSEXdtwVgPG8Hpg4NhU-p-5W-aZNWOyp2MG6glkI0HQXld6Y6gzJFSeuxVQLD0xufcBaAb1Wc-C9r6MFtyTHUC35SYcocwUhyMDXB_pYMw-JyjT9lSzpwFlS93OC6-RfZEb134aZWZ/s1600-h/DSCN4252.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448910481540748498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCebOSEXdtwVgPG8Hpg4NhU-p-5W-aZNWOyp2MG6glkI0HQXld6Y6gzJFSeuxVQLD0xufcBaAb1Wc-C9r6MFtyTHUC35SYcocwUhyMDXB_pYMw-JyjT9lSzpwFlS93OC6-RfZEb134aZWZ/s400/DSCN4252.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAqCt78SRI1yjZwWFwzkeNl6xPvhJFJS22aiMI94Xr7Ab5XiDj7gZHvHITul7B58Rs8MBhsYFOWRDR97Q4uUKVjD_7nHbS9ArUWxh-m8pmhSZEwZnZ0ufDsNTbIAURVJ2mKSyGeeGnOSxq/s1600-h/DSCN4272.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448910474259262466" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAqCt78SRI1yjZwWFwzkeNl6xPvhJFJS22aiMI94Xr7Ab5XiDj7gZHvHITul7B58Rs8MBhsYFOWRDR97Q4uUKVjD_7nHbS9ArUWxh-m8pmhSZEwZnZ0ufDsNTbIAURVJ2mKSyGeeGnOSxq/s400/DSCN4272.JPG" /></a><br />Last Thursday and Friday, March 10th and 11th, as the temperatures warmed to the upper 50s and into the 60s, woodpeckers were suddenly active about the station. And for the first time this season, woodpeckers found the nets. <br /><br />The male Pileated pictured was an old friend--of Jethro Runco, the first station bander! This bird, which I aged as an after-third-year bird by virtue of three generations of primary coverts, was banded by Jethro in the spring of 2006 as a third-year bird, meaning that this individual hatched in the Park during the 2004 breeding season. He was fit and trim and weighed 264 grams or 9.25 ounces. (You thought he would weigh more, did you not?) The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is a handsome second-year male by virtue of the retained, brown, juvenile, body feathers on his breast (among other things). The male Hairy is a fine third-year bird because of retained, worn, inner primary coverts on his wings.<br /><br />As for the Red-bellied female, she would not hold still for a picture until I agreed to let her grab my thumb (we reached an agreement that she would not peck a hole in it). The resulting image does not reveal how beautiful an after-third-year bird she is.Peter Dohertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094531509922029252noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8367465023454899844.post-43998334822946655372010-03-12T19:00:00.005-05:002010-03-12T21:46:59.819-05:00First Bahamas Piping Plover Re-sighted!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8LKerEjLWb959z-7TuOxWukRC7wka6-BUwR_utn5eB83ZlHDZv8PIuf3CXzxgxYpfkASwW6F6sLHisIGZaXCMizDlsxQG9I0opAdpoybV11C2PvUpy6jnfUUxugQEFiUPpSXLiyNEYysw/s1600-h/PIPLFKKOnoWrightLtTalbot3122010.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 347px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8LKerEjLWb959z-7TuOxWukRC7wka6-BUwR_utn5eB83ZlHDZv8PIuf3CXzxgxYpfkASwW6F6sLHisIGZaXCMizDlsxQG9I0opAdpoybV11C2PvUpy6jnfUUxugQEFiUPpSXLiyNEYysw/s400/PIPLFKKOnoWrightLtTalbot3122010.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447943140689700418" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihfzgh6NuoshJsvh8tvjg4yN-Kn1B0rrAww4mLLdzAR8vuf7QeieaW3lFKu8oGXADwn0EmvR4Y_NwhagP0jiU5qYbFoeBON5efbU-WugO0RhuHyKOGdyt-iI_KKXeTCIIv0bNo4501DdKa/s1600-h/PIPLFKKOnoWforagewormLtTalbot3122010.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 362px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihfzgh6NuoshJsvh8tvjg4yN-Kn1B0rrAww4mLLdzAR8vuf7QeieaW3lFKu8oGXADwn0EmvR4Y_NwhagP0jiU5qYbFoeBON5efbU-WugO0RhuHyKOGdyt-iI_KKXeTCIIv0bNo4501DdKa/s400/PIPLFKKOnoWforagewormLtTalbot3122010.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447943135163927330" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzpDr2JhgrBMyh_8sOKmRWohCYirVk_8h4rroYSwGuQwNLmjbcUkCzeXxdhEADnoLdGhZAzwyfWbtdztgAF63WZKefdS11jbJoXHoQ0gINVfp09l9Gw8Dq0UVjjdUzLZX1ilOlCCBZUom9/s1600-h/PIPLFKKOnoWLtTalbotSendSectA3122010.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzpDr2JhgrBMyh_8sOKmRWohCYirVk_8h4rroYSwGuQwNLmjbcUkCzeXxdhEADnoLdGhZAzwyfWbtdztgAF63WZKefdS11jbJoXHoQ0gINVfp09l9Gw8Dq0UVjjdUzLZX1ilOlCCBZUom9/s400/PIPLFKKOnoWLtTalbotSendSectA3122010.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447901961488945730" /></a><br />Today at Little Talbot Island, Duval County, FL, Pat and Doris Leary re-sighted and photographed the first marked Bahamas Piping Plover. The Learys are devoted shorebirders and have re-sighted untold numbers of marked waterbirds in Florida for many years. <br /><br />The plover was captured and marked on February 17 on a sand flat near South Blanket Sound, Andros Island and was the last of the 57 birds banded in The Bahamas in the 2010 Environment Canada/Bahamas National Trust project. It is ~440 air miles from the Andros capture location to Little Talbot Island. <br /><br />At Andros the bird was aged as after-second-year and was sexed as likely male. Today's picture shows that the definitive pre-alternate molt has proceeded by the distinct black forehead and breast band, together with the orange base to the bill. The band combination is upper left leg black flag, lower leg black over orange; upper right leg no band, lower left white.<br /><br />Please be alert for banded Piping Plovers as they migrate to their breeding grounds this spring. They are coming; more will arrive soon.Peter Dohertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094531509922029252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8367465023454899844.post-32460929206138685162010-03-09T18:26:00.004-05:002010-03-12T12:59:25.189-05:00Rusty Blackbird Road Trip<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL7bbQFhex_GRHMH4eqtgTrR0m4MmI_JB0YAyU2zvmjXWCIEQD_NhgTSfe7SOxKQwIEElf4Mz_XT_AmlmTWkqw_1Pe-k-9qYN6of7JdHfRkmGZknNWRrYBQeCVnOkQydyIN-8KDSseAnLG/s1600-h/DSCN4202.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447791269137967778" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL7bbQFhex_GRHMH4eqtgTrR0m4MmI_JB0YAyU2zvmjXWCIEQD_NhgTSfe7SOxKQwIEElf4Mz_XT_AmlmTWkqw_1Pe-k-9qYN6of7JdHfRkmGZknNWRrYBQeCVnOkQydyIN-8KDSseAnLG/s400/DSCN4202.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcg1YJyH7_1KC_xoYXWI1Gth0uWany3TKISEgP83Uxz9uhsJDNJBOlaPpRT9R3Z1LPYV51W7XCu0CsLBtlTQeK8MtaL106oB-ovOopcXaSRqIsX8Km9iPzLDrYuyDUzaE63ilcEMSZDvww/s1600-h/DSCN4203.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447804174942957042" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcg1YJyH7_1KC_xoYXWI1Gth0uWany3TKISEgP83Uxz9uhsJDNJBOlaPpRT9R3Z1LPYV51W7XCu0CsLBtlTQeK8MtaL106oB-ovOopcXaSRqIsX8Km9iPzLDrYuyDUzaE63ilcEMSZDvww/s400/DSCN4203.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT84BuI7nY5EZsQuQrimE7zxMe9k-HrSMFY9hM4AhEmY_uPukibEgRuzBQRr2SgKUDHsFCl6JL0raFrCKCwldyrUKMD_w8RM2lkfVtj1Um5eJnwGo8wvpadH8C39UkW6PRTu6lvPtXLMMn/s1600-h/DSCN3239.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447798239529666114" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT84BuI7nY5EZsQuQrimE7zxMe9k-HrSMFY9hM4AhEmY_uPukibEgRuzBQRr2SgKUDHsFCl6JL0raFrCKCwldyrUKMD_w8RM2lkfVtj1Um5eJnwGo8wvpadH8C39UkW6PRTu6lvPtXLMMn/s400/DSCN3239.JPG" /></a><br /><div>The Rusty Blackbird is declining for reasons which are poorly understood. Given the robust populations of many blackbird species in North America this is surprising to many birders. Sadly it is real. The Rusty Blackbird Working Group was formed in 2005 to discover and understand the cause(s) of the decline. <a href="http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/MigratoryBirds/Research/Rusty_Blackbird/default.cfm">http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/MigratoryBirds/Research/Rusty_Blackbird/default.cfm</a></div><div></div>At present there are research projects in progress throughout the range of the Rusty Blackbird.<br /><br />One of the projects is taking place on study sites in the Carolinas by a University of Georgia/Smithsonian graduate student. Her efforts are directed to understanding aspects of the wintering ecology of the Rusty. During the 2008-09 winter she was able to trap good numbers of Rusties using mist nets. This winter capture rates were discouraging to the point that use of a new method was in order.<br /><br />Whoosh nets in the back of my truck and the prospect of poor banding conditions in Virginia Beach for a few days, I drove to a study site near Greenville, South Carolina and back between March 3-5. The whoosh net is a modern, bungee-powered net which throws a folded net over birds within the capture area when triggered. The net gains elevation by the use of launch poles. The net is very fast, safe when used properly and can be made in many sizes. The nets used in Greenville were ~38 feet by ~15 feet in coverage. The whoosh pictured above is 19 feet by 14 feet. The net is set and ready to fire.<br /><br />I have been building and using whoosh nets (usually in concert with my drop nets) for six years. Over that time I have whooshed many targeted species of shorebirds (including many of The Bahamas plovers, see Feb 2010 blogs), Virginia Rails, lure birds for the CVWO Kiptopeke raptor station (Starling and Rock Dove), and some passerines, including 100s of Red-winged Blackbirds. Thus, notwithstanding the almost "mythological" wariness of the Rusty, I had confidence that they could be whooshed if there was a location at which the birds regularly fed AND at which a whoosh could be set.[note: whoosh and drop nets are active nets which only capture birds which the researcher intends to capture, i.e. target species; the mist net is a passive net which catches most birds which encounter the net, target or not.]<br /><br />By 0630 on the morning of March 5th in a gravel driveway in a surburban neighborhood outside Greenville, we had the whoosh in place. The birds arrived just before 0700, as they had the previous morning when we were still setting the whoosh. Five minutes and one pull of the trigger line later we had eight Rusties to process and release.Peter Dohertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094531509922029252noreply@blogger.com0