Rare palm warbler flies to Idaho on its way to the Caribbean

HAMER — Scientists from nan Intermountain Bird Observatory are banding, measuring and past releasing chaotic birds for migration investigation astatine Camas National Wildlife Refuge. Wednesday, I ran retired to watch them, and they were very busy.

I asked Erica McMinn, a personnel of nan team, what nan astir communal vertebrate was during nan autumn study, and she replied, “Wilson’s warbler.”

My adjacent mobility was, “What is nan astir uncommon vertebrate that you person seen this fall?”

All nan scientists replied successful unison, “A thenar warbler.”

Then they explained that it was trapped a fewer weeks agone and should person been connected nan East Coast.

About an hr later, I was informed that different thenar warbler had been recovered successful 1 of nan 10 mist nets connected a regular checking of nan nets. It was a lifer for me, arsenic I had ne'er seen 1 before.

Lucian Davis, nan leader of nan study group, did nan study of nan vertebrate earlier releasing it aft pictures and measurements were taken.

“It is simply a agelong measurement from wherever it should be,” Davis said. “They usually wintertime successful nan Caribbean area, and it is overseas that it showed up present astatine this clip of nan year.”

A uncommon thenar warbler is banded and being examined by squad leader, Lucian Davis. | Bill Schiess, EastIdahoNews.com

The 2nd uncommon drawback of nan time was an American robin. They usually don’t get caught successful nan nets, arsenic they typically alert higher than nan nests are set.

Species that were caught while I was watching were grey catbirds, Wilson’s warblers, dusky flycatchers, orange-crowned warblers, American goldfinch, MacGillivray’s warblers, opus sparrows and 2 subspecies of white-crowned sparrows (mountain and Gambels).

Scientist Erica McMinn places a Wilson’s warbler successful a container aft removing it from nan mist net. | Bill Schiess, EastIdahoNews.com

The autumn migration study began connected July 1 and will tally until October 15 — starting each greeting 10 minutes earlier sunrise and ending successful 5 hours, 7 days each week. The only alteration successful this schedule will beryllium upwind related, specified arsenic dense rain.

The 10 mist nets are group up astatine locations astir nan Camas office each greeting and tended each 20 to 30 minutes, pinch each captured vertebrate cautiously removed and placed successful a soft cloth bag. Each container is numbered according to nan nett wherever nan vertebrate was captured, past taken backmost to nan shelter wherever nan birds are studied.

“Each vertebrate is banded pinch a limb band, weighed, aged, checked for fat reserves, musculus tone, formation feathers are measured, parasites and molting are recorded,” said McMinn. “Aging is done by studying nan skull, arsenic birds only person 1 furniture of bony connected their skull erstwhile they are hatched, and by nan adjacent year, they person grown different layer.”

A worker blows connected nan belly of a Wilson’s warbler to cheque retired it fat reserves and wide information of nan bird. | Bill Schiess, EastIdahoNews.com

Each personnel of nan squad is trained to behaviour these examinations, and if location is simply a question, different squad personnel will beryllium consulted. It is simply a very engaged place, but astir of nan birds are calm erstwhile they are placed into nan bag. The only objection was nan robin, arsenic it was very vocal and fought each facet of nan examination.

There were respective absorbing facts that I learned: each nan birds captured connected Wednesday were migrants arsenic almost each nan section songbirds person migrated on. Second, erstwhile nan autumn study began, nan astir galore birds were nan MacGillivray’s warbler. As autumn progressed, nan Wilson’s warblers person replaced them. Recently, 93 Wilson’s were captured successful 1 day.

A beautiful antheral MacGillivray’s warbler fresh to beryllium released aft being banded and studied astatine Camas NWR. | Bill Schiess, EastIdahoNews.com

Visitors are invited to observe and are often fixed nan opportunity to merchandise nan birds aft nan process. Children are encouraged to thief pinch nan releasing, and it is simply a bully measurement to get them progressive pinch wildlife.

The h2o astatine Camas has been unopen down, but location is still a batch of h2o wherever location are shorebirds, ducks, geese and sandhill cranes gathering. If you watch nan banding, return nan car way done nan refuge and locomotion nan trails adjacent nan office to bask nan migrating birds.

A white-crowned sparrow, 1 of nan astir galore birds migrating done Camas National Wildlife Refuge, is getting banded. | Bill Schiess, EastIdahoNews.com