4 October 2023
Joe, Sam and Jared joined me the previous day morning on an journey to look Hen Lab at Hays Woods. The elements used to be absolute best as we walked greater than half of 1 mile to the banding station. There we discovered Nick Liadis and his assistants about to do the second one net-check of the day.
The mist nets that seize songbirds are arrange in “alleys” of crops the place birds may fly throughout. If a chook doesn’t see the web and tries to fly via, it falls into the pocket of additional netting subject matter the place it waits to be retrieved. Banders examine the nets each and every part hour.
Captured birds are introduced again to the banding desk in material luggage to stay them calm. Our workforce watched as Nick ready to band 3 birds from the new web examine.
Each and every bag incorporates a marvel. The primary used to be a recaptured Cape Would possibly warbler (Setophaga tigrina), in the beginning banded on 20 Sep when it weighed 10.9g. The day prior to this it weighed 13.8g for a achieve identical to the load of a ruby-throated hummingbird. The sort of small chook in Nick’s hand, underneath.
It used to be the second one Cape Would possibly warbler recapture this autumn. The primary one greater its weight via 50% in two weeks. In regards to the first one, Nick wrote:
A fab recapture from my Hays Woods banding station! This Cape Would possibly Warbler used to be banded on 9/13 and we captured her once more two weeks later. She in the beginning weighed 11.6g and these days weighs 15.4g. Attention-grabbing to look how lengthy a few of these birds hang out. I’d consider she’ll be on her approach very quickly.
— Nick Liadis message, 27 Sep 2023
Subsequent at the time table used to be a hatch 12 months (that means “hatched this 12 months”) male black-throated blue warbler (Setophaga caerulescens). His colour used to be blue, however no longer vibrantly so, and his throat had tiny white flecks on it. I had noticed a lifeless chook like this in Frick Park remaining week and didn’t understand that intended he used to be younger.
At each and every successive web examine new species confirmed up.
The hatch 12 months hermit thrush (Catharus guttatus) proven at best used to be an indication that the combination of migrant species is converting. The insect eaters are just about long gone whilst the fruit and nuts migrants have arrived (*see be aware).
The hatch 12 months feminine space finch, underneath, used to be more than likely born at Hays Woods. Many space finches within the japanese U.S. are everlasting citizens. In all probability she can be, too.
An ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) is all the time great to look up shut and I had no hassle figuring out it as it confirmed its striped crown. I noticed one within the hand at Hen Lab remaining 12 months.
By way of 10:00am we’d been there an hour, it used to be getting scorching (the prime the previous day used to be 85°F!) and the birds have been much less energetic. 3 folks hiked to the put out of your mind and returned for another net-check. This time just one chook used to be captured, a hatch 12 months space wren (Troglodytes aedon) that Nick had banded on 9 August. This chook has spent the remaining two months foraging at Hays Woods and shortly it is going to migrate to Central or South The us.
We left Hen Lab and headed again to the car parking zone the place the fleet of huge unload vans, noticed at 8:30am, have been nonetheless shuttling grime to/from Duquesne Gentle’s grime highway. Duquesne Gentle is construction an get entry to trail to the cliff edge the place two transmission towers wish to get replaced and moved clear of the landslide zone.
Because of Jared Miller for sharing his footage, proven above.
Bonus Hen: After the banding, a unprecedented chook at Duck Hole:
At 10:30am I won an alert {that a} migrating American avocet (Recurvirostra americana) used to be putting out at Duck Hole. Avocets in Allegheny County are One Day Wonders. I had by no means noticed one right here as a result of I waited an afternoon to head see them. So I made the quick commute from Hays Woods to Duck Hole and digiscoped this awful image. The sunshine used to be too vivid to look its faint orange colour however you get the speculation.
p.s. (*) Two of the levels of fall migration: ** Insect eaters reminiscent of warblers, flycatchers, swifts and swallows migrate via in September for the reason that worm inhabitants goes to die when chilly climate hits. ** Fruit and nut eaters, together with thrushes and sparrows, move via in October.
(footage via Jared Miller and Kate St. John)