Presque Isle State Park Bird Banding

Regional Rarities

When birding or banding in a new region it's often necessary to recalibrate your expectations and appreciate that what might be dirt common in one area is a great find in another. As an example, Palm Warblers are an uncommon bird in Southern California, but on Wednesday I counted a dozen of them on a small section of lawn at Presque Isle State Park. So the Worm-eating Warbler (WEWA) we netted yesterday wouldn't be unexpected farther south, but is a big deal here on the shores of Lake Erie.

This was a southern overshoot, probably one of many considering the large number and variety of species that were present in the park yesterday. Southerly winds and warm temperatures made it almost feel like summer.

Apart from the excitement of the WEWA, we had several other new arrivals.

This Veery was the first one I've seen this spring, perhaps I'll get to hear one sing at Erie Bluffs on Monday. It's a descending flute-like spiral of tones that echoes within the forest.

Unlike the Hermit Thrush, the Veery's back and tail are pretty much the same color.

Another new migrant was this Northern Waterthrush. The yellowish tone to its underparts separate it from its southern congener the Louisiana Waterthrush.

Another first of the year in the nets was this Magnolia Warbler, a nice male.

Magnolia Warblers are the only ones with this distinctive under tail pattern, a nice field mark when they're directly overhead.

This second male had an even darker back than the first one.

We had a lot of nice birds, and they kept finding the nets, so we kept banding until 2 PM. The most common warbler around us must have been the Yellow, so I'll end with this one. I never get tired of looking at them, even when they're everywhere.