Teslin Lake update - August 20

Always a crowd pleaser - an adult male American Redstart (also known as Halloween bird)

During the period of August 16^th to 20^th, the weather was somewhat unsettled but mostly nice. The morning of the 19^th with start temperature of +2 was the coolest one of the fall so far.  The Alder Flycatcher movement slowed down and as there was no real push from warblers yet the daily banding totals went down significantly. A total of 284 birds (0.437 birds/net hr) were banded. The period top five was Alder Flycatcher 152, Yellow Warbler 30, Wilson’s Warbler 20, Yellow-rumped Warbler 19 and Blackpoll Warbler 17. This brought the season total to 1214 birds (0.357 birds/net hr) banded of 37 species. The current season top five is Alder Flycatcher 665, Yellow Warbler 115, Blackpoll Warbler 66, Dark-eyed Junco 52 and Wilson’s Warbler 47. The only new species for the season was Townsend’s Warbler on the 17th. Other banding highlights included two Least and one Dusky Flycatcher among all the Alders and yet another Belted Kingfisher.

 

Young male Townsend's Warbler

The period was rather quiet outside the nets and real highlights were hard to come by. There was increasing bird activity on the lake and some of the higher counts included 26 Common Loons on the 18^th and possibly a station record 103 Red-necked Grebes on the 20^th, 52 fly-by Surf Scoters and 20 adult Thayer’s Gulls on the 19^th. An adult Glaucous Gull was another somewhat unexpected arctic bird far south this early on the 18^th. On the 20^th the season first American Pipits and Say’s Phoebe were seen as well as the season 2^nd Peregrine Falcon.

 

 

Raft of Common Loons on the lake

Mew Gull watershake

 

Wood Frog by net #9

The complete list of birds banded at TLBO this season by Aug 20^th (last five days in brackets):

 

Sharp-shinned Hawk – 7 (1)

Merlin – 1

Solitary Sandpiper – 3

Belted Kingfisher – 3 (1)

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 1

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher –8

Alder Flycatcher – 665 (152)

Least Flycatcher – 3 (2)

Hammond’s Flycatcher – 2

Dusky Flycatcher – 2 (1)

Warbling Vireo – 13

Black-capped Chickadee – 14 (4)

Boreal Chickadee – 5 (1)

Red-breasted Nuthatch – 4

Ruby-crowned Kinglet – 5

Swainson’s Thrush – 16 (1)

Varied Thrush – 1

Tennessee Warbler – 1

Orange-crowned Warbler – 16 (5)

Yellow Warbler – 115 (30)

Magnolia Warbler – 1

Yellow-rumped Warbler – 45 (19)

Townsend’s Warbler – 3 (3)

Blackpoll Warbler – 66 (17)

American Redstart – 16 (1)

Northern Waterthrush – 42 (7)

Common Yellowthroat – 14 (7)

Wilson’s Warbler – 47 (20)

Chipping Sparrow – 15 (2)

Savannah Sparrow – 10 (4)

Lincoln’s Sparrow – 3 (1)

White-crowned Sparrow – 5 (4)

Dark-eyed Junco – 52 (1)

Purple Finch – 2

White-winged Crossbill – 2

Common Redpoll – 3

Pine Siskin – 3

= 1214 birds - 37 species - 0.357 birds/net hr (284 birds - 22 species – 0.437 birds/net hr)