Banding One Millions Birds

A Gambel's White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii) and an Eastern White-crowned Sparrow (Z. l. leucophrys).

Photo: Long Point Bird Observatory

Here is a recent article I wrote for BirdWatch Canada, a publication of Bird Studies Canada. This spring, Long Point Bird Observatory, for which I am the Program Coordinator, banded its one millionth bird, an milestone that no other Western Hemisphere bird observatory has yet reached. This article was part of a lead up to that event.

Long Point Bird Observatory 2016 Year End Report

The first Barred Owl (Strix varia) ever banded at Long Point Bird Observatory was captured in 2016.

Photo: Terren (Wikimedia Commons)

In 2016 Long Point Bird Observatory (LPBO), the oldest bird observatory in the western hemisphere, completed its 58th migration monitoring season. LBPO banded 44,612 birds last year. Additionally 5,419 recaptures of previously banded birds were processed. The first Barred Owl ever banded at LPBO was captured during the fall season. Other notable banding records included the eighth ever Broad-winged Hawk (the first since 2006), the fourth ever Painted Bunting and record high banding totals for:

· Cliff Swallow, 22 (previous record was 13 in 1982);
· Oregon Junco, three (single birds banded in six previous years)
· Red-eyed Vireo, 496 (previous record was 490 in 2012);
· Summer Tanager, four (tied with 2009);
· Tufted Titmouse, five (previous record was four in 2005);
· Warbling Vireo, 162 (previous record was 143 in 2014); and
· Yellow Palm Warbler, six (tied with 2005).

Despite these highlights, LPBO banded the fewest birds since 2004. Last year, LPBO banded 15.5% (4,498 individuals) fewer birds than the previous 10-year average. The story was no better for the number of species and forms, with 2016 again being the lowest total since 2004. The 141 species and forms captured in 2016 was about 10% (16 species) below the previous 10-year average.

The complete 2016 Year End Report can be found here.

BioBrevia: Around the World in 6,042 Birds

ʻIʻiwi (Drepanis coccinea)

Photo: Philina English

Last year was a record-breaking one in competitive birding. In late December, I reported on the new Big Day record set in Ecuador, but another, even more monumental record was broken in 2015. An astounding 6,042 species of birds were seen by Noah Strycker between January 1 and December 31 last year! That shattered the previous record by more than 1,500 species. You can read all about the year-long chase here.

BioBrevia: New Birding Record

Rufous Motmot (Baryphthengus martii)

Photo: Philina English

A team of birders in Ecuador has established a new world record: they've seen 431 species of birds in 24 hours, that's more than any other team has managed in a single day! George Paul has put together a nice article about this record (with more to come) and the history of the Global Big Day on the American Birding Association blog.

BioBrevia: The Furthest South a Bird Can Go

South Polar Skua (Stercorarius maccormicki)

Illustration: Joseph Smit (Wikimedia Commons)

Here's an interesting meditation of sorts, from Frontiers in Ecology, on the only bird species that's ever been recorded at the South Pole: the aptly named and intrepid South Polar Skua (Stercorarius maccormicki).