First
Day______9/11/07________________
Last
Day______11/29/07________________
Total Days in
Operation_______29_______
Range of No. Mist Nets
Used___4-9_______
Total Net Hours for
Fall______755.5______
Number of Traps in
Use_______0________
Largest Daily Catch________22
(includes recaptures)
On
Date_________10/10/07_______________
Number of Birds Banded
______158________
Number of Recaptured
Birds____19________
Total Species
Banded________33___________
Birds/100 Net
Hours_____23.4____________(including recaps)
Number of males
captured____21_______ %______13_____
Number of females
captured___41________%______26_____
Number of sex unknown
captured___96____%_____61_____
Number of Hatch Year
captured______84___%____53_____
Number of After Hatch Year
captured__74___%___47_____
The fall banding season was
heavily interrupted due to many days of heavy rain and high
winds leaving a reduced number of days for banding as compared
to the previous fall. Only 2migrant birds from previous seasons
were recaptured: An Ovenbird first banded on 9/7/06, recaptured
on 10/3/07 and a Gray Catbird first banded on 10/18/05. This is
the 2nd recapture for this bird having been also recaptured on
10/5/06. This supports the theory that passerines have strong
site fidelity as the bird was caught both times within 50 yards
of the original capture site.
Two lectures were given about
banding and, in particular, my projects at Tomoka State Park.
One was to the Orange Audubon Society in Orlando on 10/18/07 and
the other was to the Flagler Audubon chapter on 11/1/07.
Three more talks are scheduled for 2008.
A total of 73 cloacal swabs and
sets of feathers were collected for the Avian Flu and Stable
Isotope studies. Samples were sent to California on 12/3/07.
Results are still pending from the samples sent in May, 2007.
An inquiry as to when these results will be returned was asked
but not responded to as yet.
I conducted a Fall Migration
Bird Count on Sept 15 for Halifax River Audubon and will also
conduct the Christmas Bird Count from TSP in December.
Final
summary of birds banded during Fall 2007 in pdf format. Get a free download
In comparison to last fall the
low numbers of each species reflects the weather situation. I
believe a large number of birds flew above and/or around the
storms. Many banders have reported a much slower than normal
fall.
The recaptured species
included: 4 Carolina Wrens, 1 Common-ground Dove,
2 Ovenbirds, 3 White-eyed
Vireos, 6 Northern Cardinals, 1 Common Yellowthroats,
and 2 Gray Catbirds.
PERSONAL WRAP-UP:
Since the fall banding season ended Nov. 30, banding has
"tanked" so to speak. I did go out on New Year's Day
and caught 9 Myrtle Warblers (MYWA) but since then not a
single bird. I even did a banding demonstration at
Merritt Island this past Friday and caught exactly one Gray
Catbird (GRCA) in 7 hours of effort.
The fall did end up with
banding a first ever Chipping Sparrow (CHSP) for TSP.
That was the good news. The bad news is the numbers
for this fall are way down from previous years. Much
of this must be blamed on my being ill for a few weeks and
some VERY screwy weather this fall. My assessment is
that many of the birds just scooted over our heads above
those weather clouds and winds. And, as you all have
no doubt noticed, the numbers of Myrtle Warblers is way down
from last year which served to be the bulk of my numbers in
2006-07.
I am including the photo of
the Chipping Sparrow and one of a Common Loon (COLO) that
was in the water in the canal so close I could have scooped
it up! The rest of the report is a copy of what I sent
into the state and district about what was caught for the
fall.
VISITORS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME
