Author Archives: Amy

Learning from blogging bird banders

by Amy Posted on 27 October 2010

This post is really about a specific niche of bird blogs, but I couldn’t pass up commenting on the bird blog news that has been boggling my mind in the past few weeks.

Seriously, I picked a lousy month to fall behind in my blog reading! October has been an exciting month for bird blogs, to put it mildly. In late September, the Nature Blog Network asked the community for input on expanding the network, and in early October they introduced two new team bloggers. More big changes are on the way. Big recent changes at the ABA include the announcement of a new president on October 4, and a new, multi-authored ABA Blog. On October 18th, the three regular bloggers at 10,000 Birds announced the addition of several beat writers to the team. On October 20th, the multi-authored BirdingBlogs.com officially launched. And then, yesterday, the “mega-blog” North American Birding officially launched, although contributors have been posting for a few weeks already.

With all of these new superblogs added to my reading list, I may never catch up. Back to the subject at hand — for this post I wanted to highlight some more neat bird banding blogs that I’ve been following in my quest to learn more about the technicalities of banding birds. Science learns a lot about birds from banding schemes, as mentioned in my last post (which obviously doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface). And I have been learning a lot about birds, and the ins and outs of banding, by following bloggers who band. These are some of the banding-themed blogs that I’ve been following for a while.

The WPBO Owls blog primarily covers Saw-whet Owl banding at the Whitefish Point Bird Observatory. They’ve had a good season this fall.

Net Results is a blog from banders at the Rouge River Bird Observatory at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. In addition to banding birds, they are running a study on the preferred seeds of certain bird species. Pretty neat reading.

Minnesota Birdnerd bands birds near Apple Valley, Minnesota. This blogger also frequently posts radar images showing bird migrations. Very cool.

Faab’s Sightings. Faab is a young birder who rings birds in the Netherlands. It’s neat to see the Dutch perspective on bird ringing – and they get some pretty great birds, too.

Rob’s Idaho Perspective. Rob is a masters biology student, and banding songbirds and raptors is part of his field work.

BSBO Bander’s Blog is from the Black Swamp Bird Observatory in northwestern Ohio. This is a banding station I’ve been lucky enough to visit as a spectator a couple of times. I love this blog because it shows lots of closeups of birds and points out unusual field marks and identification techniques. The blogger also challenges readers with quiz birds.

Alder or Willow Flycatcher
Alder or Willow Flycatcher, Black Swamp Bird Observatory, May 2010

If you search Google for “bird observatory” blog, you’ll find many results (unfortunately, not all of the listed blogs are active). Do you follow any bird banding blogs? Please let me know your favorites in the comments!

Posted in Banding, Websites & Blogs | Leave a comment

What we learn from bird banding

by Amy Posted on 27 October 2010

Last summer I had the opportunity to volunteer at a (temporary) banding station at Rollins Savanna, a preserve in the Lake County Forest Preserve District. The banding station followed the MAPS protocol, which basically means we were doing a breeding bird survey. We went out approximately every ten days during the summer months. The data will be analyzed over time to look at how the habitat is being used by breeding birds, like this Cedar Waxwing we banded on June 20th.

I was able to join the team at Rollins Savanna after attending a forest preserve banding demonstration in 2009 and talking the MAPS group during their 2009 season. I wanted to learn more about birds and more about the banding process. It was a great experience, I certainly learned a lot, but there is much more to learn. Now that the banding season is over, I’ve been reading more about how bird banding data benefits conservation science, and ultimately the birds themselves.

We learn about how birds age.

  • A Manx Shearwater that was first banded in 1953 as a four- to six-year-old adult may be the longest-lived wild bird. It was recaptured several times, the most recent being in 2003, meaning it was at least 54 years old.
  • The oldest known Little Penguin lived 21 years; the average lifespan of the Little Penguin is 5 years.
  • The average lifespan of the Whimbrel is about eleven years. Recently, a bird that had been ringed in Scotland in 1986 was recovered. The bird must be at least 24 years old, a new record for the species.

    We learn about bird migration.

  • A Common Tern banded in central Sweden was found dead five months later in New Zealand, more than 10,500 miles away.
  • A banded Barn Swallow made the journey from South Africa to the United Kingdom in just 27 days.
  • Arctic Terns have fantastically long migrations. A tern chick banded in eastern Britain in 1982 was recaptured in Australia three months later. The young bird had traveled over 14,000 miles over sea.

    Of course these extreme records are interesting, but a lot of data gleaned from bird banding is about averages and trends. Breeding success data helps land managers determine where habitat restoration or maintenance resources will best benefit the birds. Migration data helps scientists understand changes in bird populations and helps environmental groups working to help birds on both breeding and wintering grounds. If you’d like to learn more about bird banding and data collection, some excellent resources are listed below.

    Further reading:
    Bird Ringing for Science and Conservation (pdf)
    Fat Birder’s Banding & Ringing page
    North American Bird Banding Manual

    • Posted in Banding | Leave a comment

    Saw-whet Owl banding @ Sand Bluff

    by Amy Posted on 21 October 2010

    Last Saturday night Arthur and I visited the Sand Bluff Bird Observatory in Durand, Illinois. The banding station is open each weekend during spring and fall migration, and they band a huge number of birds – up to 4,000 per year. The station has been in operation since 1967 and has always been run by a team of dedicated volunteers. Visitors are welcome to observe songbird banding activities, which takes place during the day. Our visit on Saturday night was to see a special, nocturnal bird: the Saw-whet Owl.

    Northern Saw-whet Owls are small owls that winter in our region (there have been a few records of breeding Saw-whets in Lake and Winnebago Counties). The birds are banded during migration, when they are lured into mist nets using recordings of Saw-whet Owl calls. The data gathered through banding helps us understand more about these tiny nocturnal owls.

    As in other bird banding work, data such as sex, age and condition are measured each time a Saw-whet Owl is captured and banded. Saw-whets can be sexed by comparing measurements like wing chord (the length of an extended, relaxed wing) and weight. Age can be determined by examining the plumage and molt pattern.

    The program began with Sand Bluff Master Bander and founder Lee Johnson telling us about the banding station and their work. Since no Saw-whet Owls were found during the first evening net-run, Lee took some time to show us a few of the songbirds that were still being processed at the end of the day. Here he’s showing a Hermit Thrush. Of the thrushes that migrate through the area, Hermits are usually the first to arrive in the spring and the last to fly through in the fall.

    Hermit Thrush with bander
    SBBO Master Bander Lee Johnson with a Hermit Thrush

    It was great to see these little birds, which included a Fox Sparrow and a fiesty Field Sparrow besides the Hermit Thrush. But it did come as a relief when a Saw-whet Owl was found in the nets on the second run of the evening. Notice the high-pitched tooting in the videos – that’s the recorded call of the Saw-whet.

    Saw-whet Owl in the net
    A Saw-whet Owl in the mist net


    Removing the owl from the mist net


    Putting the Saw-whet Owl into the mesh bag

    In all, three birds were captured in the nets during the evening. After an owl was removed from the net, it was brought back to the banding station building in a mesh bag. The bird remains in the bag during the banding process.

    Saw-whet Owl banding
    Banding a Saw-whet Owl

    The main reason for this is to protect the bander’s hands from these:

    Talons
    Sharp and deadly to prey! Saw-whet Owl talons

    After banding, the bird is examined and measured, and the data is recorded. The wing feathers are even examined under a black light to help determine the bird’s age.

    Saw-whet Owl wing
    Examining the wings

    Saw-whet Owl wing
    Counting the feathers

    Measuring the tail bands
    Measuring the tail

    Fluorescent wing
    Viewing the plumage under black light; the uniform pink indicates a juvenile bird

    Saw-whet Owls are extremely docile in the hand, which adds to their already high cuteness factor. Did you notice how calm the bird was in the two video clips above? After data was taken on each bird, visitors were able to have a closer look. Here, Lee shows us the large ear opening of a Saw-whet Owl.

    Saw-whet Owl ear
    A Saw-whet Owl ear opening

    The birds also appear to enjoy having the backs of their heads stroked, as you can see in this short clip.


    A Saw-whet enjoys a pet

    Earlier in the evening, Lee had asked each visitor to introduce him/herself and tell the group his/her reason for visiting. As an introvert I admit I dread such moments, but I mentioned volunteering at the MAPS banding station at Rollins this summer. While the Sand Bluff volunteers were out on the third and final net-run of the night, Arthur and I remained behind and spoke with Lee about the MAPS work at Rollins and he told us quite a few fun banding anecdotes as we waited. It was really a treat to hear stories from someone with so much experience as a birder and bird bander.

    After the third bird of the evening was banded, the few of us that remained were able to hold the bird, if we wished.

    Saw-whet Owl & Amy
    Squee!

    The Sand Bluff Bird Observatory will have another Owl Night this Saturday, October 23rd. I highly recommend it!

    I took more photos during the evening besides the ones shared in this post; you can find them here: Amy’s Saw-whet Owl banding photos.

    Posted in Banding, IATB, Illinois | 3 Comments

    Fatten up and go!

    by Amy Posted on 18 October 2010

    During our recent visit to Holland, I had a free afternoon on my own in Leiden. I visited one of my favorite museums in the world, Naturalis, the national natural history museum of the Netherlands. The museum is always a treat to visit, but I really lucked out because one of the special temporary exhibits was an excellent study of bird migration.

    The exhibit, Opvetten en wegwezen (Fatten up and go!), was presented in one large exhibit room. There were cases of mounted birds arranged by average migration distance. Information provided by each case showed the route each of the birds takes during migration.

    Migratory Birds
    Display case with short-distance migratory birds

    Fatten Up and Go!
    Display cases with migratory birds

    Migration Routes
    Migration routes of birds that travel through the Netherlands

    Between these cases were various migration topics explained, like how birds navigate, the dangers birds face during their long travels, and how they prepare for the journey.

    Timing
    Display on the timing of migration behind more bird cases

    Dangers
    “Natural dangers” display behind more bird cases

    Fatten Up!
    The different fat levels in a Barn Swallow as it prepares for its journey

    There were also several points where current bird research being conducted in the Netherlands was explained. A written interview with the involved scientists was shown, along with supplemental media. Here, the current work being done with Eurasian Spoonbills is explained by Ornithologist Tamar Lok. Small text (click to see full size at Flickr) reads, “The protection of birds in the Netherlands started with (Eurasian) Spoonbills. The Naardermeer was declared a nature reserve for this bird species. Later on, more marshes and coastal areas were declared protected.” I had no idea that the spoonbill was a ‘spark bird’ for Dutch bird conservation!

    Spoonbills in the Netherlands
    All about Eurasian Spoonbill research in the Netherlands

    I was particularly interested in bird banding endeavors. A short video showed how Barn Swallow researchers work, and I was kind of wowed by the amount of birds caught in their nets.

    Barn Swallow banding
    Lots of Barn Swallows in mist nets

    The last bird cases were reserved for the birds with the longest migration routes. The final bird was the Arctic Tern, with a migration journey of 15,000 kilometers.

    Arctic Tern migration
    The Arctic Tern travels over 9,000 miles during migration!

    Arctic Tern at Naturalis
    Arctic Tern, the migration champion of the exhibit

    Opvetten en wegwezen will continue at Naturalis through February 20th, 2011. I highly recommend it!

    Posted in Migration, Museum, Netherlands | Leave a comment

    Migration Awareness 9

    by Amy Posted on 14 October 2010

    This morning Arthur and I are walking our Rescue & Recovery route to look for fallen injured or dead birds that have struck buildings in Chicago during the night and early morning. This is our fifth week volunteering for R&R this fall (we were off last week). During these weeks, I’d like to highlight some of the perils birds face on their migration by sharing a website or information about migratory birds.

    This week has been rough on birds migrating through Chicago. The teams out earlier this week had large numbers of birds that hit windows in the city. Tuesday was particularly heavy, and a local news station picked up the story.

    We prepared extra paper bags last night in anticipation of what may be another heavy wave of migration Wednesday night. We’ll be in the city by 4am Thursday morning.

    Posted in FCWR, Migration | Leave a comment

    Fall! (BPW)

    by Amy Posted on 11 October 2010

    Or, more accurately, falling behind. The weeks since our return from Holland have flown by — I can’t believe we’ve been back for over a month already! I’m behind on posts I’ve been thinking about for weeks, ugh! Hopefully I’ll be able to catch up soon. Meanwhile, the birds keep doing what they do, like these feeding fall plumage American Goldfinches I saw at Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary a couple of weeks ago.

    American Goldfinch

    American Goldfinch

    Bird Photography Weekly is a regular collection of user-submitted bird photos from all over the world. The new edition comes out every Sunday. Go have a look at this week’s submissions!

    Posted in Bird Photography Weekly | 5 Comments

    IATB #135, my #1

    by Amy Posted on 1 October 2010

    I and the Bird is a long-running blog carnival that brings together posts from bird blogs every two weeks. Each edition is hosted by a different participant; this week the 135th IATB can be found at The Birder’s Report, a blog by Larry Jordan. This is the first time I have participated. Each host brings a different voice to the carnival, and I think Larry has done a wonderful job. Go check it out – read the latest in bird blogging while learning something about the bloggers themselves.

    Posted in IATB | Leave a comment

    Some things you might not know about Mute Swans

    by Amy Posted on 1 October 2010

    Mute Swans are a rather common sight here in the Chicago suburbs. They live on residential lakes, forest preserve wetlands, manicured corporate ponds. They are not native to the American Midwest, however, or even to North America.

    Mute Swans are native to north central Eurasia, and we saw them all the time in the Netherlands, when we lived there.


    A pair of Mute Swans we saw in the Netherlands in August

    Mute Swans living outside of their native range here in North America are likely descended from ornamental escapees. Where breeding populations exist, the large birds may pose a threat to native waterfowl.

    Mute Swans are large birds, weighing about 22 lbs as adults. As cygnets they are grey; plumage develops from into nearly overall full white once they reach adulthood. Adults have a bright orange bill, while juveniles have dark bills.

    Like the population of native Mute Swans in Europe, some of the Mute Swans here in the United States migrate, while other populations remain year-round. Here in the lower Midwest, Mute Swans remain all year. The same is true for much of the European population, including the birds we saw in the Netherlands.

    Mute Swans are not a federally protected species in the United States. Mute Swans were at one time protected federally under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, but in 2005 they were officially declared non-native by the Department of the Interior.

    I’ve had Mute Swans on my mind after speaking with different people about them earlier this week. I was surprised to hear some misconceptions about these large waterfowl, so I wanted to share a short post about them. If you want to learn more about Mute Swans, Cornell’s All About Birds is a wonderful resource.

    Posted in Invasive / Non-native | 4 Comments

    Into the North Sea

    by Amy Posted on 30 September 2010


    (source)

    IJmuiden is located at the mouth of the IJ river and is an important port, connecting Amsterdam to the North Sea. The Zuidpier (south pier) juts about two kilometers into the North Sea. The small map at right shows the approximate location of the pier. Below is a what the pier looks like on Google maps. As part of our short birding trip based out of Leiden, IJmuiden was our next major stop (following the Oostvaardersplassen).

    We visited on a windy Sunday. The forecast was horrible so we weren’t too surprised to see few other people out on the pier. The only creatures on the beach were gulls, and our first Eurasian Oystercatchers of the trip.

    Beach from Zuidpier, IJmuiden

    We were on a tight schedule so we had no choice but to visit IJmuiden on the day we did, but we lucked out with the weather, mostly. It didn’t rain but ominous clouds hung low all morning and the wind was fierce. There were a few sport fishers on the pier; we were the only birders. The below picture was taken at the start of the pier, with the beach on the left side. On the far right you can see the lighthouse on the end of the pier. It was a long, windy walk!

    Zuidpier

    Unfortunately, it wasn’t too birdy. We did get some nice looks at another oystercatcher, plus small groups of Ruddy Turnstones turned up every few meters and didn’t mind us stopping to snap some photos.

    Eurasian Oystercatcher | Scholekster

    Ruddy Turnstone | Steenloper

    Ruddy Turnstone | Steenloper

    The Red Knot and Stonechat were not so accommodating. That’s birding. Win some, lose some.

    Posted in Netherlands | Leave a comment