Drumrolll please....

The 1,300th bird that was extracted from the nets here at Presque Isle State Park and processed this season was a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak. He was caught with his lady friend and they will now forever also be tied together with matching bands bearing sequential numbers.
 

 

Did you know? The male Rose-breasted Grosbeak takes a turn incubating the eggs for several hours during the day, while the female incubates the rest of the day and all night long. Both sexes sing quietly to each other when they exchange places. Pretty sweet, huh ladies? 

 

The 1,200th bird to be banded this season was this lovely little lady pictured below: a female Blackpoll Warbler. 

 

Unlike the grosbeaks pictured above, this pretty lady is still on her way up to her breeding grounds in the Canadian boreal forest. Did you know, not only does the male Blackpoll Warbler have one of the highest pitched songs of all birds but they also have one of the most fascinating (and amazing!) migratory routes? Part of their fall migratory route is over the Atlantic Ocean. This route averages 3,000 km (1,864 mi) over open water, requiring a potentially nonstop flight of up to 88 hours. To accomplish this flight, these amazing little warblers nearly double their body mass and take advantage of a shift in prevailing wind direction to direct them to their destination.  Impressive!