Sunday morning we banded at thrush that had the appearance of a Gray-cheeked Thrush. Gray-cheeked Thrushes are virtually identical to Bicknell's Thrushes. To tell them apart there are various measurements that have to be taken. Bicknell's are the smaller of the two species (and this one seemed small) but there is some overlap in size. As it turns out, the measurements were in the overlap range of these two species so we still cannot tell which species it is. It was recorded as a GCBT; a banding code for birds in the overlap zone.
Gray-cheeked/Bicknell's Thrush
Photo by Nancy Price
Gray-cheeked/Bicknell's Thrush - studying the wing and taking measurements
Photo by Nancy Price
We managed to catch a few birds over the three days but most migrants that were around were quite high in the trees. We are hoping to get a canopy net to use by next spring.
We banded the thrush, a Red-bellied Woodpecker (hatch-year male), 2 Gray Catbirds, and had 2 recaptured Ovenbirds and a recaptured Northern Cardinal.
Gray Catbird
Photo by Nancy LaFramboise
Northern Cardinal - recapture
Photo by Jane Wiewora
One exciting addition to the Possum Long property was a flyover Northern Harrier. It is now the peak of raptor migration so it was great to see a new bird for the property.
Next regularly scheduled banding: Tuesday, October 13. Nets go up at 6:30 am.
Do you have any evidence of Ovenbirds actually wintering on the property? My quick look at a few range maps suggests it's possible...
ReplyDeleteChad Merkley
If you look at the eBird graphs for this hotspot, there are virtually no winter records of Ovenbird. There was one bird noted in November but it would be hard to determine if it was a late migrant or overwintering. Since there are not other sightings I would say there is not overwintering on Possum Long but it would not be shocking to see it happen in the future for an individual bird.
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