Update from Albert Creek - Week 5 (May 20th to 26th)

May 20th to the 26th was a spectacular week of migration monitoring at Albert Creek Bird Observatory. Witnessing the number of birds and diversity of species was awesome during this week. While staff still struggled with not so friendly weather we all got to see some of the much anticipated  peak of neotropical songbird migration. At the same time we witnessed a lingering of sparrows and shorebird species due to the mid May snow,sleet, wind and rain events.

It was not until May 25th that it actually started to feel like spring warm weather and showed "leafing out of trees" at the study site.  Newcomers weather in the nets or by observation included American Redstart,  Alder Flycatcher, Tennessee Warbler, Western Tanager  and Magnolia Warbler. Orange-crowned Warbler was a constant as Myrtle Warbler surged again on the 21st and 22nd and then dropped drastically. Blackpoll Warbler peaked on May 22nd.Yellow Warblers showed their presence at the very end of the week with 89 banded on May 26th. This could be the beginning of more to come.  We also had good numbers of Swainson's and Gray-cheeked Thrush this week and Wilson's Warbler was on the upswing on the 26th.

This week also had a number of the 'southeast Yukon specialties' show up at the station.  An Ovenbird, the observatory's third was banded on the 25th and the observatory's 6th ever Black-and-white Warbler was banded on the following day.  Both of these species are extremely rare elsewhere in the Yukon and are at the extreme northwest of their breeding range in the Watson Lake area.

Thanks to Manda Maggs, Susan Drury, Barry Drury and Jean Legare for volunteering and providing logistical help. 

Birds Banded During Week 5 (# in brackets is the season total)

Sora - 0 (1)

Spotted Sandpiper - 1 (2)

Solitary Sandpiper - 1 (5)

Wilson's Snipe - 0 (1)

Belted Kingfisher - 0 (1)

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 3 (13)

Northern Flicker - 0 (1)

Olive-sided Flycatcher - 0 (1)

Alder Flycatcher - 30 (30)

Hammond's Flycatcher - 1 (12)

Say's Phoebe - 2 (4)

Gray Jay - 0 (2)

Tree Swallow - 5 (7)

Boreal Chickadee - 0 (4)

Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 4 (94)

Gray-cheeked Thrush - 9 (13)

Swainson's Thrush - 29 (67)

Hermit Thrush - 6 (20)

American Robin - 6 (21)

Varied Thrush - 1 (10)

American Pipit - 0 (1)

Bohemian Waxwing - 0 (1)

Orange-crowned Warbler - 52 (255)

Tennessee Warbler - 25 (25)

Yellow Warbler - 154 (156)

Magnolia Warbler - 1 (1)

Myrtle Warbler - 173 (531)

Blackpoll Warbler - 52 (56)

Common Yellowthroat - 54 (65)

Northern Waterthrush - 77 (158)

Ovenbird - 1 (1)

American Redstart - 5 (5)
Black-and-white Warbler - 1 (1)

Wilson's Warbler - 129 (168)

Western Tanager - 1 (1)

Lapland Longspur - 0 (1)

American Tree Sparrow - 7 (536)

Savannah Sparrow - 10 (30)

Fox Sparrow - 0 (181)

Lincoln's Sparrow -  29 (183)

Swamp Sparrow - 2 (5)

White-crowned Sparrow - 13 (257)

White-throated Sparrow - 4 (4)

Golden-crowned Sparrow - 4 (5)

Slate-colored Junco - 8 (251)

Red-winged Blackbird - 0 (1)

Rusty Blackbird - 1 (80)

Purple Finch - 0 (2)

Common Redpoll - 2 (57)

TOTAL =  902 (3,327)

ADULT MALE AMERICAN REDSTART

MALE MAGNOLIA WARBLER

FEMALE YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER

MALE BLACKPOLL WARBLER

FEMALE BLACKPOLL WARBLER

OVENBIRD

OVENBIRD

MALE BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER

VOLUNTEER MANDA MAGGS BANDS THE BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER