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November 2008 Banding Notes and |
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In early November Boy Scout Troop 311 came
to the Powdermill Bird Banding Lab to complete their Bird Study Merit
Badge. During the day they learned about bird banding at the lab
and by the end of the day were able to identiy many of the common birds
by both sight and sound. That night we were fotunate to capture
several Northern Saw-whet Owls with the troop.
We also hosted a group of students from the Valley School of Ligonier
who were working on a climate change project and came to Powdermill to
learn a little bit about how these changes may be affecting bird
populations. Here, several of the students are checking out a
White-throated Sparrow that had just been banded.
White-throated sparrows are easily identified by
birders by
the yellow coloration in their lores.
Previously, on this website, the different morphs (white striped
and tan
striped) of White-throated Sparrows has been discussed.
This fall, one of the White-throated Sparrows
captured at Powdermill had orange lores instead of the typical yellow
lores. The coloration of the lores is
the result of pigments known as carotenoids, which produce reds,
oranges, and
yellows in birds. Carotenoids are only
synthesized by plants, and birds must acquire them from their diet. The replacement of yellow with orange
coloration is well known in the tail band of the Cedar Waxwing. For the waxwing the orange coloration is the
result of consumption of rhodoxanthin, a pigment found in the fruits of
exotic
honeysuckles.
Some Eastern Bluebirds will spend the winter in
the Powdermill area, and we captured and banded 2 bluebirds in
November. Shown is the outstretched wing of an after-hatch-year male
bluebird.
Notice the sharp blue edging on the feathers and the lack of a molt
limit.
Below is the outstretched wing of a hatch-year
bluebird. Here you can see the dusky gray edging on the primary
coverts and the outer greater coverts. Also, note the molt limit
among the greater coverts (outer ones with gray edging are juvenile
feathers).
This Song Sparrow had an interesting pattern of feather wear. In the photograph you can see that the fifth primary shows extreme wear with the barbs/barbules worn away and only a portion of the rachis remaining. Interestingly, not only did the surrounding primaries show very little wear, but this exact pattern was symmetrical (found on both wings).
Throughout the Fall we were grateful for the help
from many
people including Bob Mulvihill, Bob Leberman, Andy Mack, Mike Lanzone,
Dave Smith, Cokie Lindsay, Emma Deleon, Lewis Grove, David Norman,
Eugene Hood, Alice Van Zoeren, Alex Shidel, Bob and Margaret Vitz, Anna
Marie Bakermans, Rob Slebodnik, Richard Joos, Jennifer Wang, Kristi
Bowersox, Jeff Territo, and Carol Lebarthe.
We were especially
grateful to Marja Bakermans and Mary Shidel who both dedicated many
hours to
the banding effort. Not only was their
help essential in operating the banding operation, but their positive
attitudes
and enthusiasm for the birds was equally important.
Here are two very different pictures of Marja holding a Mourning Dove.
Marja’s interest in birds was developed during her childhood when she spent countless hours in the woods with her father.
Mary began volunteering at Powdermill’s Bird Banding Lab
during the winter of 2006-2007. When she
began she had no experience with the techniques of bird banding. Through dedication and hard work, Mary has
gained proficiency at extracting and banding birds.
Still, every morning that she comes to Powdermill
she remains enthusiastic and passionate about the birds.
We are absolutely thrilled to have Mary as a volunteer of the Banding
lab!
Gerardo is shown processing a Blue Jay on his last day at the
banding lab.
Last
Updated on 01/03/09
By Andrew
Vitz