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Monday, May 18, 2015

BIRDING IN PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY & PRESQU'ILE PROVINCIAL PARK

   This past weekend Sharon and I went to the birding festivals at Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory (on Saturday) and at Presqu'ile Provincial Park (on Sunday).
We had a great time and sighted and photographed many birds we had not seen before.  Also, at the bird observatory we were able to watch all the different phases of bird banding.  This was really fascinating. 

   Here are the birds in the wild we sighted and photographed:
  • Indigo Bunting
  • Baltimorr Oriole
  • Yellow Warbler
  • Killdeer
  • Brown-Headed Cowbird
  • Cliff Swallow
  • Turkey Vulture
  • Herring Gull
  • Ring-billed Gull
  • Canada Goose
  • White-crowned Sparrow
  • American Redstart
  • Rose-breasted Grosbeak
  • Downy Woodpecker
  • Common Grackle
  • Song Sparrow
  • Gray Catbird
  • Long-tailed Duck
  • Caspian Tern
  • Bonaparte's Gull
We also sighted and photographed a beaver swimming. 

   The bird banding process is fascinating.  First the birds must be captured.  The main method used at the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory is the "mist net".  A fine nylon net is stretched between poles where birds are likely to fly.  When a bird flies into the net it becomes entangled; it is unharmed but cannot escape.  The bird observatory had qute a few nets strung up.  About every 20 minutes volunteers from the bird obervatory check each net and disentangle the birds caught.  They are brought back to the bird observatory where they are measured, weighed, sex determined, age estimated and banded.  A record is kept of all this.  The bird is then freed.

   The following birds were photographed caught in the net, being banded or after banding:
  • Lincoln Sparrow
  • Downy Woodpecker
  • Magnolia Warbler
  • American Redstart
  • Great Crested Flycatcher
   Here are the photos we took.
   


MALE INDIGO BUNTING


ABOVE 2 PHOTOS: FEMALE
 BALTIMORE ORIOLE

YELLOW WARBLER



ABOVE 3 PHOTOS: KILLDEER
FIRST TWO PHOTOS: IT FLATTENS ITSELF
ON GROUND & SPREADS ITS WINGS SHOWING
OFF IT BEAUTIFUL COLOR; BELIEVED TO BE
A SEXUAL DISPLAY TO ATTRACT A MATE.
3rd PHOTO: KILDEER WALKING AFTER DISPLAY

MALE BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD

CLIFF SWALLOW IN MUD NEST BUILT
IN EAVES OF A BUILDING

TURKEY VULTURES

TURKEY VULTURES & HERRING GULL

RING-BILLED GULL & CANADA GOOSE


ABOVE 2 PHOTOS: WHITE-CROWNED
SPARROW


ABOVE 2 PHOTOS: MALE AMERICAN
REDSTART



ABOVE 2 PHOTOS: MALE ROSE-BREASTED
GROSBEAK IN BREEDING PLUMAGE

DOWNY WOODPECKER

COMMON GRACKLE

SONG SPARROW
GRAY CATBIRD


ABOVE 2 PHOTOS: LONG-TAILED DUCK
MALE IS HAS LONG TAIL, FEMALE HAS
SHORT TAIL

MOSTLY CASPIAN TERNS; SMALLER BIRD
IN CENTER IS PROBABLY A BONAPARTE'S
GULL; SAME SIZE BIRD TO RIGHT OF IT
CAN'T IDENTIFY
VARIOUS GULLS & TERNS; BLACK BIRD
FLYING IS PROBABLY A DOUBLE - CRESTED
CORMORANT


BEAVER


BIRD BANDING AT PRINCE EDWARD
POINT BIRD OBSERVATORY
MIST NET

LINCOLN SPARROW CAUGHT IN NET 

DOWNY WOODPECKER CAUGHT
IN NET

MAGNOLIA WARBLER CAUGHT IN NET




ABOVE 3 PHOTOS: VOLUNTEERS
REMOVING BIRDS FROM NET

BIRDS ARE BROUGHT TO BIRD
OBSERVATORY FOR BANDING
SHARON IN FRONT OF BUILDING



ABOVE 3 PHOTOS: FEMALE AMERICAN
REDSTART BEING BANDED




ABOVE 3 PHOTOS: MAGNOLIA
WARBLER BEING BANDED


ABOVE 2 PHOTOS: LINCOLN SPARROW
AFTER BANDING




GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER
AFTER BANDING

VIEWS AT PRINCE EDWARD POINT






VIEWS AT PRESQUE'ILE PROVINCIAL PARK