10-14-14 Bird Field Note

10-14-14 Bird Field Note

October 14, 2014

Debbie Leick's Bird Field Note shows the results from banding efforts, nocturnal flight call data analysis, and shrubby draw surveys.

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Bird Field Note Nocturnal Flight Calls, Curlew Tracking, Raptor Counts, Songbird and Raptor Banding 10/12/14 Debbie Leick

Fall Migration Nocturnal Flight Calls September 2013 vs. September 2014

We used data from the Sanfoin Bench weather station to explore trends between barometric pressure, precipitation, and the number of nocturnal flights call (Figures 2 and 3). When we compared the dips and rises in pressure to the number of nocturnal flight calls, we could not find consistent patterns.

Large increases in nocturnal flight calls also did not coincide with precipitation events (Figures 4 and 5). This surprised us because we saw patterns in the August 2013 and August 2014 data. We plan to explore other weather variables such as wind speed, wind direction, and cloud ceiling height.

Long-billed Curlew Satellite Tracking Project Our Long-billed Curlew transmitters have sent few locations, suggesting the batteries are not charging well. A recent signal from one of our female curlews showed her wintering in northwestern Mexico, about 1,000 miles from the ranch.

Shrubby Draw Surveys 10/3/14 A shift in species composition occurred this week, with a marked increase in White-crowned Sparrows, American Robins, and Dark-eyed Juncos. We also saw a flock of Mountain Bluebirds in Tongue Creek.

Partridge Alley’s debris piles continued to provide shelter for a group of Rock Wrens. Kerr watched this Merlin hunt the White-crowned Sparrows, Horned Larks, and American Pipits foraging in Partridge Alley.

Avian Science Center: Fall Migration Highlights 9/29-10/3/14

We counted 914 raptors this week, including the season’s daily high of 338 birds from October 1. Turkey Vultures and Red-tailed Hawks dominated the count, though we also saw more Sharp-shinned Hawks than in previous weeks. Eagle numbers also increased. We counted more raptors in September 2014 than in any of our previous fall surveys.