Re: [nfc-l] [nysbirds-l] Fwd: Minimal Migration or Population Decline?
All, I had been having similar thoughts to Chris: can we quantify the impact of individual fallouts (or a series of fallouts) at a population level. *However*, I worry quite a lot about using NFC or banding station counts to quantify this. Banding stations catch more migrating birds in inclement weather which forces them to the ground; NFC stations record more birds in low ceiling and overcast nights when birds are forced lower. Trying to account for these major weather effects will be a challenge. I have been thinking that BBS data may be a better course, at least for species like Scarlet Tanager, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting and Baltimore Oriole--all of which were hit hard in Texas. Best, Marshall On Wed, Jun 5, 2013 at 2:23 PM, Laura C. Gooch wrote: > I checked with Julie Shieldcastle from Black Swamp Bird Observatory > (south shore of Lake Erie about 30 km east of Toledo). The numbers for > their Navarre banding station were actually above average for the spring, > contrary to my impression that they were low to moderate. Bill Evans > pointed out that the higher numbers this year are supported by his > listening station there: http://www.oldbird.org/Data/2013/ONWR/ONWR.htm > > Bill also pointed out that my call counts in Cleveland Heights are higher > than the detections at the listening station at Black Swamp this year. His > thought is that my station may get a concentration of birds attempting to > fly around Lake Erie, and also that artificial light at my suburban station > may be a factor. > > > Laura Gooch > Cleveland Heights, Ohio > > On 6/5/2013 8:38 AM, Laura Gooch wrote: > > I don't have enough years of data to say anything very > useful about night calls during migration here (east side of Cleveland, > Ohio). However, I do know that we had a very light spring banding season. > I believe that the banding season at Black Swamp Bird Observatory, on the > south shore of Lake Erie about 30 km east of Toledo (a few km east of > Magee Marsh), was also light to moderate. They have over 20 years of > banding data at BSBO, and I believe that they do note light years in > which winds seem to favor migrants staying farther west as they move > north. On the other hand, I know Mark Shieldcastle (research director at > BSBO) was concerned about mortality from the repeated periods of > unseasonably cold weather in the south central part of the country. > > I'm still analyzing my data for this spring. Most of what I've counted and > ID'd > so far is posted here: > > http://listeningup.wordpress.com/summary-of-night-flight-calls-detected/ > > > If some of you more experienced folks have a chance to take a look, I'm > curious how these numbers compare to what other stations detect. I'm > counting from 1/2 hours after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunset, which > will mean that I have few more hits than the 1 hour after/before > protocol, but this won't have much impact since I generally don't get > many hits in these periods. In addition, some of these nights still need > a second pass that will result in some adjustment of the numbers. I don't > expect the change to be more than 5% or so, mostly in the downward > direction as I eliminate a few possible hits that I previously flagged > for further examination. Unfortunately, I my ID efforts haven't caught up > to the days when significant warbler migration might be expected to begin. > > Laura Gooch > Cleveland Heights, Ohio > > --- On *Tue, 6/4/13, birde...@yahoo.com > > * wrote: > > > From: birde...@yahoo.com > Subject: Re: [nfc-l] [nysbirds-l] Fwd: Minimal Migration or Population > Decline? > To: "Joan E. Collins" > Cc: "Christopher T. Tessaglia-Hymes" , > "NYSBIRDS-L" , > " " > > Date: Tuesday, June 4, 2013, 6:36 PM > > All, > > My delayed, or lack there of, sightings of many > migratory-Adirondack-breeding-species would fall in the same vein as what > everyone else is seeing. However, watching the Doppler radar patterns(which > I did over much of May) of spring migration species, show just what Chris > has mentioned...there were many nights when birds came up along the > Mississippi corridor due to that long lasting, and blocking weather pattern > through much of early May(or somewhere around that time!). And also as > Chris mentions, birds may have flown to the Great Lakes region(on favorable > winds)and finally found some westerlies to get them to eastern breeding > grounds. This could(?) explain why we missed so much in May. > Did we see higher (easterly) migration patterns around the Great > Lakes(Chicago, Cleveland, Buffalo?) > I hope we can get some more birder-input on this fascinating topic! > > Brian McAllister > Saranac Lake > > > On Jun 4, 2013, at 4:11 PM, "Joan E. Collins" > http://mc/compose?to=joan.coll...@frontier.com>> > wrote: > > Thank you for this interesting post Chris. This has been a dominate > topic of discussion among many birders in the Adirondacks. Sean O’Brien > and I have been talking
Re: [nfc-l] [nysbirds-l] Fwd: Minimal Migration or Population Decline?
I checked with Julie Shieldcastle from Black Swamp Bird Observatory (south shore of Lake Erie about 30 km east of Toledo). The numbers for their Navarre banding station were actually above average for the spring, contrary to my impression that they were low to moderate. Bill Evans pointed out that the higher numbers this year are supported by his listening station there: http://www.oldbird.org/Data/2013/ONWR/ONWR.htm Bill also pointed out that my call counts in Cleveland Heights are higher than the detections at the listening station at Black Swamp this year. His thought is that my station may get a concentration of birds attempting to fly around Lake Erie, and also that artificial light at my suburban station may be a factor. Laura Gooch Cleveland Heights, Ohio On 6/5/2013 8:38 AM, Laura Gooch wrote: > I don't have enough years of data to say anything very > useful about night calls during migration here (east side of > Cleveland, Ohio). However, I do know that we had a very light spring > banding season. I believe that the banding season at Black Swamp Bird > Observatory, on the south shore of Lake Erie about 30 km east of > Toledo (a few km east of Magee Marsh), was also light to moderate. > They have over 20 years of banding data at BSBO, and I believe that > they do note light years in which winds seem to favor migrants staying > farther west as they move north. On the other hand, I know Mark > Shieldcastle (research director at BSBO) was concerned about mortality > from the repeated periods of unseasonably cold weather in the south > central part of the country. > > I'm still analyzing my data for this spring. Most of what I've counted > and ID'd so far is posted here: > > http://listeningup.wordpress.com/summary-of-night-flight-calls-detected/ > > > If some of you more experienced folks have a chance to take a look, > I'm curious how these numbers compare to what other stations detect. > I'm counting from 1/2 hours after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunset, > which will mean that I have few more hits than the 1 hour after/before > protocol, but this won't have much impact since I generally don't get > many hits in these periods. In addition, some of these nights still > need a second pass that will result in some adjustment of the numbers. > I don't expect the change to be more than 5% or so, mostly in the > downward direction as I eliminate a few possible hits that I > previously flagged for further examination. Unfortunately, I my ID > efforts haven't caught up to the days when significant warbler > migration might be expected to begin. > > Laura Gooch > Cleveland Heights, Ohio > > --- On *Tue, 6/4/13, birde...@yahoo.com //*wrote: > > > From: birde...@yahoo.com > Subject: Re: [nfc-l] [nysbirds-l] Fwd: Minimal Migration or > Population Decline? > To: "Joan E. Collins" > Cc: "Christopher T. Tessaglia-Hymes" , > "NYSBIRDS-L" , "" > > Date: Tuesday, June 4, 2013, 6:36 PM > > All, > > My delayed, or lack there of, sightings of many > migratory-Adirondack-breeding-species would fall in the same vein > as what everyone else is seeing. However, watching the Doppler > radar patterns(which I did over much of May) of spring migration > species, show just what Chris has mentioned...there were many > nights when birds came up along the Mississippi corridor due to > that long lasting, and blocking weather pattern through much of > early May(or somewhere around that time!). And also as Chris > mentions, birds may have flown to the Great Lakes region(on > favorable winds)and finally found some westerlies to get them to > eastern breeding grounds. This could(?) explain why we missed so > much in May. > Did we see higher (easterly) migration patterns around the Great > Lakes(Chicago, Cleveland, Buffalo?) > I hope we can get some more birder-input on this fascinating topic! > > Brian McAllister > Saranac Lake > > > On Jun 4, 2013, at 4:11 PM, "Joan E. Collins" > > wrote: > >> Thank you for this interesting post Chris. This has been a >> dominate topic of discussion among many birders in the >> Adirondacks. Sean O’Brien and I have been talking every few days >> wondering what has happened to many neotropical migrants this >> year. I mentioned the low numbers of Blackpoll Warblers and >> Yellow-bellied Flycatchers on Whiteface Mountain in my earlier >> post today, but numbers of most neotropical migrants appear way >> down. Sean keeps remarking that there is no dawn chorus this >> year. Even my non-birder husband has been noting the lack of >> birds this spring. Normally, you can’t sleep past 4:30 a.m. in >> our house at this time of year because of the remarkable dawn >> sounds outside our bedroom window, but it feels more like late >> summer every morning with the lack of songs. I was aware of the >>
[nfc-l] 2012 Cuckoo Migration
Thought I'd share the attached chart with anyone interested in these data. It would make sense that the first peak in migration are returning adults, while the latter hump in migration (in June) are first-year birds. I imagine, if this is the case, it can be supported by banding data. Please note that these numbers are total calls recorded over the time-span of the 2012 migration season and do include minimal repetition of some individual Black-billed Cuckoos; in rare cases, individual Black-billed Cuckoos can audibly be heard (or seen via spectrogram) repeat their call frequently enough to be heard twice and, with extreme rarity, thrice. This year's numbers which I have posted to the eList do not include repetition of presumed "same" individuals; however, I am still keeping those audio data as examples. So far, I am not aware of Yellow-billed Cuckoos audibly being heard repeating singing bouts frequent enough to be heard twice in a short time-span, thus duplication is not evident for Yellow-billed Cuckoos. Enjoy! Sincerely, Chris T-H -- Christopher T. Tessaglia-Hymes Field Applications Engineer Bioacoustics Research Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, New York 14850 W: 607-254-2418 M: 607-351-5740 F: 607-254-1132 http://www.birds.cornell.edu/brp -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC-L_SubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NFC-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NFCL.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ -- 2012 Cuckoo Migration.pdf Description: 2012 Cuckoo Migration.pdf
Re: [nfc-l] [nysbirds-l] Fwd: Minimal Migration or Population Decline?
I don't have enough years of data to say anything veryuseful about night calls during migration here (east side of Cleveland, Ohio). However, I do know that we had a very light spring banding season. I believe that the banding season at Black Swamp Bird Observatory, on the south shore of Lake Erie about 30 km east of Toledo (a few km east of Magee Marsh), was also light to moderate. They have over 20 years of banding data at BSBO, and I believe that they do note light years in which winds seem to favor migrants staying farther west as they move north. On the other hand, I know Mark Shieldcastle (research director at BSBO) was concerned about mortality from the repeated periods of unseasonably cold weather in the south central part of the country. I'm still analyzing my data for this spring. Most of what I've counted and ID'd so far is posted here: http://listeningup.wordpress.com/summary-of-night-flight-calls-detected/ If some of you more experienced folks have a chance to take a look, I'm curious how these numbers compare to what other stations detect. I'm counting from 1/2 hours after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunset, which will mean that I have few more hits than the 1 hour after/before protocol, but this won't have much impact since I generally don't get many hits in these periods. In addition, some of these nights still need a second pass that will result in some adjustment of the numbers. I don't expect the change to be more than 5% or so, mostly in the downward direction as I eliminate a few possible hits that I previously flagged for further examination. Unfortunately, I my ID efforts haven't caught up to the days when significant warbler migration might be expected to begin. Laura GoochCleveland Heights, Ohio --- On Tue, 6/4/13, birde...@yahoo.com wrote: From: birde...@yahoo.com Subject: Re: [nfc-l] [nysbirds-l] Fwd: Minimal Migration or Population Decline? To: "Joan E. Collins" Cc: "Christopher T. Tessaglia-Hymes" , "NYSBIRDS-L" , "" Date: Tuesday, June 4, 2013, 6:36 PM All, My delayed, or lack there of, sightings of many migratory-Adirondack-breeding-species would fall in the same vein as what everyone else is seeing. However, watching the Doppler radar patterns(which I did over much of May) of spring migration species, show just what Chris has mentioned...there were many nights when birds came up along the Mississippi corridor due to that long lasting, and blocking weather pattern through much of early May(or somewhere around that time!). And also as Chris mentions, birds may have flown to the Great Lakes region(on favorable winds)and finally found some westerlies to get them to eastern breeding grounds. This could(?) explain why we missed so much in May.Did we see higher (easterly) migration patterns around the Great Lakes(Chicago, Cleveland, Buffalo?)I hope we can get some more birder-input on this fascinating topic! Brian McAllisterSaranac Lake On Jun 4, 2013, at 4:11 PM, "Joan E. Collins" wrote: Thank you for this interesting post Chris. This has been a dominate topic of discussion among many birders in the Adirondacks. Sean O’Brien and I have been talking every few days wondering what has happened to many neotropical migrants this year. I mentioned the low numbers of Blackpoll Warblers and Yellow-bellied Flycatchers on Whiteface Mountain in my earlier post today, but numbers of most neotropical migrants appear way down. Sean keeps remarking that there is no dawn chorus this year. Even my non-birder husband has been noting the lack of birds this spring. Normally, you can’t sleep past 4:30 a.m. in our house at this time of year because of the remarkable dawn sounds outside our bedroom window, but it feels more like late summer every morning with the lack of songs. I was aware of the weather-related fallout on the Gulf Coast of Texas in April, and I had to wonder, with so many birds too exhausted to be afraid of humans, how many may have perished unseen over the Gulf? Migration seemed highly unusual this year. Normally, species like Blue-headed Vireo would suddenly fill the forests overnight. This year, I found ONE, and then a week went by and I found a second one, then several days went by and they began to arrive in a trickle. Species were, for the most part, late arriving and they trickled in. We have been waiting for the forests to fill, but it hasn’t happened and it is now June 4th. In a section of Massawepie Mire that is normally filled with breeding Canada Warblers, we heard one on Saturday. It is definitely worrisome. As you mentioned, BBS surveys may help document the apparent population declines. Thanks again for your thoughts about possible reasons for such worrisome declines. I too, would be interested to hear the thoughts of other birders on this topic. Joan CollinsLong Lake, NY From: bounce-98052797-13418...@list.cornell.edu [mailto:bounce-98052797-13418...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of
[nfc-l] Cuckoo Migration - 4-5 June 2013
Just a quick note to say that last night was very quiet, migration-wise. Only two Black-billed Cuckoos were heard in migration. The only other bird of note was a single Swainson's Thrush. Good night-listening! Sincerely, Chris T-H -- Christopher T. Tessaglia-Hymes Field Applications Engineer Bioacoustics Research Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, New York 14850 W: 607-254-2418 M: 607-351-5740 F: 607-254-1132 http://www.birds.cornell.edu/brp -- NFC-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_WELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC_RULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NFC-L_SubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nfc-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NFC-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NFCL.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
