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Banding Lab Updates 2009
April/May 2009 Allen's Hummingbird |
 Anna's Hummingbird |
 Black Throated Warbler |
 Cassin's Vireo |
 Interns Lyla, Kristy and John |
 Townsend's Warbler |
 Wilson's Warbler |
Banding Notes
I was content with a slow start in April; we operated 3-7 nets per day while intern staff trained. The interns puzzled over my amateur drawings of truncate and tapered rectrices, not to mention my artistic rendering of an Oak Titmouse on the lab whiteboard. But by the end of May, all the nets were up, and the interns and I were well on our way to memorizing appropriate page numbers and passages in the Pyle guide. Although strong in spirit, our staff size was usually sufficient for operating no more than 14 nets per day in May (duplex and simplex for those of you who know the old lingo).
We captured 72 birds of 26 species in April and 375 birds of 37 species in May. Much, but not all, of the difference can be attributed to a greater number of net hours in May. Wilson’s Warbler was the most frequent capture in April, and Orange-crowned Warbler took the prize in May. It wasn’t because we stopped catching Wilson’s Warbler in May. It was because we suddenly started catching Orange-crowned Warbler fledglings in big numbers around the second week in May. We didn’t start catching hatching year Wilson’s Warblers until the end of May. Chestnut-backed Chickadees were infrequent captures until mid-May when hatching year birds started to find their way into the nets.
Starting my first year at the lab, I am enjoying learning more about the migration patterns that our data reflect. When we had a run of Yellow-breasted Chats on May 15, I was preparing to see them for the rest of the summer. But, we stopped catching the chats, and their chuckling calls became infrequent as May drew to a close. The Hermit Thrushes thinned out as April turned to May, and they were replaced by large numbers of Swainson’s Thrushes. There are also subtleties that handling birds will allow you to discover. For example, I discovered for the first time how bill length tends to be different for male and female Brown Creepers. I never noticed before, nor would I unless I had one of each in hand.
Education and Outreach
We enjoyed visiting with 103 people in April and May, including groups from All Saints Day School in Carmel Valley and Aliso Niguel High School. One young man appeared like an obvious candidate for future ornithologist, with his binoculars at the ready, engaging questions, and desire to volunteer with Ventana in the fall.
Comings and Goings
The lab is run primarily by intern staff and volunteers. Intern staff in April and May included Karen Hotopp, John Ludka, Kristy Markowitz, and Loni Silver. At first, I enjoyed giving them little identification quizzes when we caught something different. Is this a Hutton’s Vireo or a Cassin’s Vireo? Is this a Song Sparrow or a Lincoln Sparrow? In just a few short weeks, those quizzes have become hardly necessary. They are getting too good! John has proven that even a big guy with big hands can handle a Wilson’s Warbler. Evan Shanbrom joined us in late May and immediately won the poison oak prize, though he has been a quick study at the nets.
Lyla Hunt volunteered with us in April on her way to a summer research project in Oregon. She got some exposure to her future study species, Orange-crowned Warbler and Swainson’s Thrush, while she was here and found time to help with our Spotted Owl surveys. In May, we were joined for a few days by Darrell Abernathy, who brought bird handling skills from the UK and an accent to match. As I donned my thick waders each morning to brave the chilly Big Sur River, he would be ready and waiting in shorts and flip-flops. We had a great time with Lyla and Darryl and appreciate the skills and help they provided.
Jessica Koning is a regular volunteer at the bird banding lab. Jessica has a talent for sharing information about condors, and we are glad to have her help us with the little birds once a week, or as her schedule allows.
