Powdermill Bird Banding

We caught our first Spotted Sandpiper on 5/3, but it was not the one below photographed on 5/12 by visiting ringer David Norman.

We also banded our first Red-eyed Vireo this spring on 5/3. As seen in the photo below, it had a few feather lice visible on its throat. For whatever reason, feather lice are especially commonly observed in this species at Powdermill (or maybe they're just easily observed against the species' plain white throat!).

This AHY female Brown-headed Cowbird banded on 5/3 was one of just two cowbirds banded this spring, a new record low (previous record low was four in 2005). The long-term spring average at Powdermill is 94 (range, 4 -458!), but cowbird numbers have dropped substantially since the early 1990's. This trend is common throughout the Eastern U.S., where forest maturation and urban development have reduced the amount of agricultural habitat preferred by this formerly (long, long ago!) prairie-adapted species.

We caught this striking SY male Orchard Oriole on 5/6. This species (like American Redstart) has delayed plumage maturation, a term used to describe the situation when young males do not acquire the full appearance of an adult male until after their first breeding season. In the case of OROR, that means an entirely black head, back and chest and dark chestnut underparts.

An ASY female (top) and ASY male (bottom) Chestnut-sided Warbler netted on 5/8 and 5/17, respectively, were two of 19 CSWA banded this spring.

We banded our second Orange-crowned Warbler of the season, an ASY male, on 5/8.

A storm on May 11th caused many downed trees and produced a lengthy (ca. 36-hr.) power outage at Powdermill. In general, wind and rain hampered banding efforts throughout this week and into the third week of May. The next four photos were taken by Powdermill Research Associate, Prof. David Norman.

The unseasonably cool, extended rainy weather undoubtedly was a hardship for many migrants, especially aerial insectivores like Tree, Barn, and N. Rough-winged Swallows, which huddled near the edge of Powdermill Run enjoying the comparative warmth of the air just above the stream and waiting, no doubt, for the chance to make a quick meal of an emergent mayfly or crane fly.

Although capture rates for many Neotropical migrants were below average this spring, the Magnolia Warbler migration was reliable, as usual, with this spring's total (97) slightly above the long-term spring average of 82. About 40% of our spring MAWA total was banded in the first half of the month. Pictured below are an unusually brightly plumaged SY male and an unusually dully plumaged ASY female, two age-sex classes in the wood warblers that typically approach each other quite closely in plumage appearance in both spring and fall. The unusually strong contrast in the plumage of these two birds was the result of a very extensive prealternate molt in the young male and little or no prealternate molt in the adult female.

On 5/14 we banded our high total for the season: 90 birds. Four female Baltimore Orioles were banded on this day including this SY female.

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Last Updated on 06/18/08
By Molly E. McDermott and Robert Mulvihill