Black-and-white Warblers
Here we have both the male and female Black-and-white Warblers (Mniotilta varia), friendly birds who are coming back to our backyards as we speak. The male is darker and more heavily streaked with more black than white. A few are being seen here and there in the Northeast, though our migratory conditions for all avian species have been less than helpful thus far in late April. Continuing northerly winds or unsettled conditions should plague us for most of the week, with a few calm moments or westerly winds helping move birds at times. Nevertheless, I think a major surge of new arrivals and...
Read MorePalm Warblers Arriving
After the Pines come the Palms, and we now have some tail-wagging Palm Warbler friends filling up our farm fields, grasslands, and other open areas. It is only a week or two until the avian migrant floodgates open! Hard to believe it is that time already…what species are you most looking forward to seeing or adding to your life list? I have said it before, but I mean it this time – crack open those Peterson Field Guides and get your study on now! Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreRadar Migration Overnight April 3, 2015
Here’s a radar grab from the overnight period of April 2 into April 3, 2015. As you can see precipitation is moving across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic with heavier waves to the west and lighter showers to the east. Midwestern areas had strong and severe thunderstorms while the Atlantic Coast especially had moderate avian migration occurring – see the diffuse and circular areas of blue centered around radar stations contrasting with the green rain. Birds avoiding this wet weather included a lot of sparrows like the White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Song Sparrow and Swamp...
Read MoreThe Four MoSI Warblers
The 2014-15 MoSI, or Monitoreo de Sobrevivencia Invernal (Monitoring of Winter Survivorship), protocol banding season for the Nicoya Peninsula Avian Research Station is now in the books. Here we have four species, in the form of Neotropical migratory warblers, that were banded and recaptured over the years at the station: the Tennessee Warbler (Oreothlypis peregrina), Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia), Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea), and Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracen). Banding research is critical to gain an understanding of where and why they return to...
Read MoreRed-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)
Have you seen any more Red-breasted Nuthatches than usual at your feeders or in your area? I have not seen many as of yet this fall, and this photo is from a previous winter. It seems unlikely that we will have more than average in many places in the Northeast this autumn and winter, and we will be without an irruption. During some of their major movements there are often birds heading south middle of the summer, even July, with the returning earliest warblers. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read More
