Teslin Lake update - September 20

Gray-cheeked Thrush is known to make birders who encounter them happy!

From Sept 16th through Sept 20th (excluding the 20th when no banding took place due to strong south wind) Teslin Lake averaged 27 birds/day and 0.213 birds/net-hour for a total of 108 birds banded. A Gray-cheeked Thrush banded on the 18th was a 1st for the season. Other banding highlights included a late Townsend's Warbler on the 16th and on the same day a Common Redpoll was the first one of it's kind for a month. The top five species banded during the period were Dark-eyed Junco (31), Boreal Chickadee (20), Wilson's Warbler (15), Ruby-crowned Kinglet (11), Black-capped Chickadee (7). The current season top five species banded are Alder Flycatcher (636), Yellow Warbler (302), Dark-eyed Junco (251), Boreal Chickadee (220), and Yellow-rumped "Myrtle" Warbler (110).

The 18th was a fairly good day at TLBO. Besides it having been a decent banding day there was also some bird migration to watch. During the morning about 250 ducks, mostly American Wigeons and Lesser Scaup, and over 50 raptors, mostly Northern Harriers, Sharp-shinned and Red-tailed Hawks, were seen flying by. The season 1st Glaucous Gull was seen on the 16th.


Thayer's Gull


Gray-cheeked Thrush


Townsend's Warbler


Not every bird wants a good luck kiss

Photos ©Jukka Jantunen, TOWA Abril Heredia

The complete list of bird banded at Teslin Lake Bird Observatory this season as of September 20th (the last 5 days in brackets).

Sharp-shinned Hawk - 5 (2)
Merlin - 2
Spotted Sandpiper - 2
Solitary Sandpiper - 3
Boreal Owl - 4
Belted Kingfisher - 6
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 3
Downy Woodpecker - 7
Northern Flicker - 1
Olive-sided Flycatcher - 1
Western Wood-Pewee - 10
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher - 7
Alder Flycatcher - 636 (1)
Least Flycatcher - 10
Hammond's Flycatcher - 28
Dusky Flycatcher - 6
Northern Shrike - 1
Warbling Vireo - 17
Black-capped Chickadee - 71 (7)
Mountain Chickadee - 1
Boreal Chickadee - 220 (20)
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 5
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 48 (11)
Townsend's Solitaire - 1
Gray-cheeked Thrush - 1 (1)
Swainson's Thrush - 85
Hermit Thrush - 6 (1)
American Robin - 11
Varied Thrush - 1
Bohemian Waxwing - 1
Tennessee Warbler - 4
Orange-crowned Warbler - 49 (2)
Yellow Warbler - 302 (3)
Yellow-rumped "Myrtle" Warbler - 110 (3)
Yellow-rumped "Audubon's" Warbler -1
Townsend's Warbler - 5 (1)
Blackpoll Warbler - 57
American Redstart - 39 (2)
Northern Waterthrush - 42
Common Yellowthroat - 65 (4)
Wilson's Warbler - 86 (15)
American Tree Sparrow - 12
Chipping Sparrow - 28
Brewer's Sparrow - 2
Savannah Sparrow - 19 (2)
Fox Sparrow - 12 (1)
Lincoln's Sparrow - 16
White-crowned Sparrow - 33
Slate-colored Junco - 251 (31)
Rusty Blackbird - 9
Brown-headed Cowbird - 1
Purple Finch - 1
White-winged Crossbill - 1
Common Redpoll - 5 (1)
Pine Siskin - 10
= 2357 (108) birds of 55 species
0.341 (0.196) birds/net-hour
Please note that the Boreal Owls are included in the total but not in the birds/net hr