Neotropical Migrants in the Dry Tortugas, April 25, 2017

If you have seen my recent Facebook post, this will be very similar, but this post is primarily for discussion at our first OLLI Birding class, May 3 at Prime Hook NWR.

Neotropical migrants are birds that migrate from the new world tropics to more northern areas of the new world, like the U.S. and Canada. Migration is hazardous, so why do they do it? Breeding success combined with over winter survival is the most probable reason. We can explore that in more detail Wednesday. But for now, a few pics from Fort Jefferson on Garden Key in the Dry Tortugas. (Click on images for a larger version).

"The Messenger", a film about the increasing perils migrant birds face

The Rehoboth Beach Film Society (RBFS) will be screening this documentary Friday, 4/22, at their new location at  Cinema Art Theater, 17701 Dartmouth Drive, #2, Dartmouth Plaza, Lewes (behind Wawa.)

The following quote is from Denise Hoban of RBFS. She has asked Sally and I to make our Osher Birding Class aware of this very informative film about the plight of migrant songbirds.

"It’s a spectacular film with wonderful aerial footage that takes viewers from locations in the Boreal Forest to the streets of NYC  and shows how the problems facing birds pose implications for planet earth.  The Messenger is being shown in collaboration with the Delmarva  Birding Weekend and the Delmarva Birding organizer, Jim Rapp will be present to lead a post film discussion."

Official Trailer of The Messenger

OLLI Birding Field Trip Report for 9/9/15 at Prime Hook NWR

Some really good birds today, but boy was it hot and humid!!! My favorites today were the group of about 8 Wild Turkeys as we left the Headquarters area, the very close 10 or so Glossy Ibis along Prime Hook Road, and the distant 10 White Pelicans along the same stretch of road. We also saw as many Snowy and Great Egrets as I have seen recently. My estimate viewed from the Boardwalk trail was 1,200+ of the two combined.

Our shorebird count was good with Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs (the last being very distant), Spotted Sandpiper, Sanderling, Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Plover and Black-bellied Plover.

Also excellent views of Caspian and Forster's Terns very successfully catching fish. My total species count was 36 species. And please remember that our goal is learning about the birds we encounter, and not recording a big list.

As I said, next week will be different. We will have a greater variety of terns and gulls, so if you are inclined to do homework, study Forster's vs. Common Terns, Caspian vs. Royal Terns, and Ring-billed vs. Herring vs. Great Black-backed Gulls.

Looking forward to seeing most of you next Wed at Cape Henlopen.

PS - To photographers in the class: If you get some good photos on our field trips, I am happy to post them on this blog site with credit to you. Scroll down to July 23, 2015 for some in-flight photos of the same White Pelicans we saw today.

Class 4 Field Trip to PH State Wildlife Mgt Area

On this May 6, 2015 field trip, I recorded 68 species, so it was our most productive field trip so far, and not unexpected, since we have entered peak migration time. This coming Wednesday's trip to Milford Neck should also produce migrants seen only briefly in spring and fall.

Highlights from our May 6 field trip include: Glossy Ibis - a flock flying over the Grasshopper Sparrow field, 3 Flycatchers: E. Wood Pewee, Acadian and Great Crested........Horned Lark, and best of all, a good variety of "wood warblers": N. Parula, Black-throated Blue, Yel-rumped, Yel-throated, Pine, Blackpoll, B&W, Prothonotary, Ovenbird, and Com Yelthroat.

Probably our best highlights were excellent views of the drop dead gorgeous Scarlet Tanager, and the super elusive Grasshopper Sparrow. We also had many fantastic views of the "Blue guys"....Blue Grosbeak and Indigo Bunting.

Looking forward to this upcoming field trip to Milford Neck.....It is back woods Sussex at its best, and warbler plus shorebird migrations should still be near peak.......

Hope to see you Wed,
Bill

Wed 10/8 Possibilities

The above "Shelf Mushroom" is less than a block away from us, so good possibility to see in real life. (click on image for a full size view)

As far as birds, we are in between the outgoing summer breeders, and the incoming wintering birds. But with the latest cold front, hopefully we get a new influx of incoming wintering birds. Sally and I scouting today did pick up Northern Harrier and Savannah Sparrow as new arrivals from the north.

Wind Turbines and Bird Kills

On this morning's bird class, while standing at Cape Henlopen point and looking at the UD wind turbine, someone asked me what the latest studies showed about wind turbines and bird kills.

By chance, I received a recent report from Renewable Energy World about that topic. Agreed, they have a stake in playing down the impact, but they are also highly scrutinized, and in my review of their article, I feel they make a fair representation that the overall impact is actually quite low....much lower than tall buildings, especially those clad with reflective surfaces, and also much lower than from natural causes, like flying off course during migration and drowning in the N. Atlantic

For this article, see New Research Improves on Earlier Bird-killing Turbine Studies .....and note the comments and pics of the very old Altamont CA wind turbines with the unintended raptor perch cross bars which I mentioned this morning.

Sep 18, 2013 - Visits to Fintel and Edelen Yards

Misters do work, although the exact timing is up to the birds. Above photos of Black and White Warbler and Parula Warbler were taken about 2 pm today (9/18) as the birds were using the Fintel's mister. About the same time a Pileated Woodpecker visited our yard.

Now as promised this morning, below is the Peanut Butter Suet recipe. Also, the Woobark Suet Sandwich woodpecker feeder you saw is available from Birds Choice, as is the suet for it in case you do not want to make your own.

Peanut Butter No Melt Bird Suet 

Sally Fintel and WildBird Magazine,  Dec. 1994

18 oz. crunchy peanut butter

2 cups (1 lb.) lard – no substitutions

4 cups quick oats

4 cups yellow corn meal

2 cups white flour

2/3 cup granulated sugar

Melt lard and peanut butter together over low heat. Remove from heat and thoroughly mix in remaining ingredients. Transfer to shallow Styrofoam veggie or meat containers. Cover & store in refridge or freeze. Slice and use to fill suet stick, as needed. Birds love this all year round.

Spring Migration

What a great time of year to be outdoors. I went to Prime Hook this morning to check out birds that have recently arrived there. I was happy to locate 3 singing Yellow-throated Warblers, and we will certainly try to see at least one on tomorrow's OLLI field trip. Other recent arrivals, both very vocal, were Chipping Sparrows, and Brown Thrashers. Additionally, the numbers of singing Pine Warblers and Field Sparrows has dramatically increased.

What I did not locate was an early Ovenbird, or Blue-gray Gnatcatcher .....maybe by tomorrow with it being 82 degrees today....... and I know you know (if you have been paying attention in class), they migrate at night, and tonight has all the earmarks of being a good migration night. Want to get really into bird migration science and prediction? Visit woodcreeper.com

See you tomorrow.
Bill