Teslin Lake update - August 10

Adult female Merlin - the star capture of the week

During the period of August 6^th to 10^th, the weather was quite unsettled. Wind and rain were common place but we only lost one full morning, the 10^th, for the weather. A total of 113 birds (0.226 birds/net hr) were banded and the top three for the period was Alder Flycatcher 38, Yellow Warbler 16 and Blackpoll Warbler 15. This brought the season total to 365 birds (0.175 birds/net hr) banded of 32 species. The current season top five is Alder Flycatcher 103, Dark-eyed Junco 44, Yellow Warbler 34, Blackpoll Warbler 32 and Yellow-rumped Warbler 18. New species for the season this period were Tennessee Warbler on the 6^th, Merlin and Belted Kingfisher on the 7^th, and Dusky Flycatcher on the 8^th. The banding highlights besides the new species for the season included three Sharp-shinned Hawks and two Yellow-bellied Flycatchers, one of them a second-year female, on the 8^th.

Dusky Flycatcher

Each day, except for the 10^th, the field observations had a few minor highlights too. On the 6^th most of the action was on the lake where there were quite a few gulls of all the regular species, including a fun-to-sort-out mixed flock of 7 Thayer’s and 22 Mew Gulls, and 44 Red-necked Grebes were tallied in the lake count. On the 8^th the season 1^st Parasitic Jaeger was seen while Sharp-shinned Hawks zipped in and out of the bushes and a couple of them were even spotted flying south quite high. The next day we were surprised to see well over 20 raptors head south including 14 Northern Harriers and 2 Swainson’s Hawks, one of which was the first light-morph Swainson’s ever seen at TLBO! Other southbound goodies that day were 3 Olive-sided Flycatchers, over 200 swallows, a Red-breasted Nuthatch and a Red-necked Phalarope.

Abril photographing Sharp-shinned Hawk

The complete list of birds banded at TLBO this season by Aug 10^th (last five days in brackets):

Sharp-shinned Hawk – 4 (3)

Merlin – 1 (1)

Solitary Sandpiper – 3

Belted Kingfisher – 1 (1)

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 1

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher – 4 (3)

Alder Flycatcher – 103 (38)

Hammond’s Flycatcher – 2

Dusky Flycatcher – 1 (1)

Warbling Vireo – 13

Black-capped Chickadee – 8

Boreal Chickadee – 2

Red-breasted Nuthatch – 2 (1)

Ruby-crowned Kinglet – 4 (1)

Swainson’s Thrush – 11 (5)

Tennessee Warbler – 1 (1)

Orange-crowned Warbler – 6 (4)

Yellow Warbler – 34 (16)

Yellow-rumped Warbler – 18 (1)

Blackpoll Warbler – 32 (15)

American Redstart – 15 (1)

Northern Waterthrush – 17 (6)

Common Yellowthroat – 3

Wilson’s Warbler – 10 (4)

Chipping Sparrow – 10 (5)

Savannah Sparrow – 3

Lincoln’s Sparrow – 2

Dark-eyed Junco – 44 (5)

Purple Finch – 2

White-winged Crossbill – 2

Common Redpoll – 3 (1)

Pine Siskin – 3

= 365 birds - 32 species - 0.175 birds/net hr (113 birds -  20 species – 0.226 birds/net hr)

Spiderweb on a foggy morning

Bear track on the beach