Blackpoll warblers!

Wed Sept 24 was an interesting day both weather-wise and bird-wise. Forty-eight new birds were banded of 15 species, with no pattern to species arrival or condition of the birds. Their fat and muscle scores went from excellent (fat and healthy) to moderately good condition with no fat. Probably some of the birds flew through rain squalls to reach Cape Florida and used up their fat reserves in the process. The real head-scratcher of the day was seeing Blackpoll Warblers in the trees and then finding 4 birds in the nets on different net runs. This species is usually well offshore during fall migration, launching from the Outer Banks, Cape May, NJ or even Cape Cod, then flying nonstop to Venezuela and other spots along northern South America. When we do net Blackpolls, they are usually young birds in very poor condition, needing to land for food and rest. The Blackpolls today were adult birds in excellent health with lots of fat reserves.

Many other birds were around the site, though not caught in the nets: Hooded, Blackburnian and Chestnut-sided Warblers, Blue Grosbeaks, Eastern Wood-Pewees and Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Mangrove Cuckoo is usually seen 1-2 times each fall within the banding area and one was seen well on Tuesday. We keep hoping to mistnet one of these birds!

There are also plenty of Swainson’s warblers migrating through south Florida right now; here Miriam holds two of them.