Fall 2005 Notes and Highlights for October 25-30

• All things considered, it was a phenomenal week of banding at Powdermill.  The more than 1,200 birds banded this week gives us a season total thus far of 8,283, the highest fall season total in ten years (discounting the record setting season in 2001 when 10,637 birds were banded).  And, we've still got the entire month of November to go.  (The long term fall banding total average is 6,297).

• Thursday, October 27 proved to be a red letter day, in particular, with 446 birds banded; the eighth highest daily total ever in the 45 year history of the Bird Banding Program at Powdermill Nature Reserve.  All of this amidst a total loss of power for two of the five banding days and a loss of one entire banding day to adverse weather conditions caused by an early snow storm that dumped five inches of heavy, wet snow on the Ligonier Valley where Powdermill is located.

• Typical of the advancing season, the total number of birds banded, again, increased this week compared to the last two (from 985 to 1,057 to 1,289), as did our capture rate (from 42.6 to 75 to 98.4birds/100 net-hours), while the number of species banded declined (from 50 to 41 to 34).   For the second straight week, White-throated Sparrow (244 banded) topped this week's list of most commonly banded species, followed this week by Dark-eyed Junco (213), American Goldfinch (196), Purple Finch (181), Song Sparrow (90), and Black-capped Chickadee (89).  The only wood warblers represented in this week's banding totals were Nashville and Yellow-rumped (Myrtle)--recall that nine species were listed last week and twelve the week before.

• .The morning of Tuesday, October 25, greeted us with the first snow storm of the season in the Ligonier Valley (the earliest such snow storm that anyone around here can remember!) and prevented banding for the entire day.

With much of our eastern deciduous forest still in fall foliage, we had more photo ops of the
odd juxtaposition of seasons at Powdermill early this week than of birds.

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A storm like this was particularly devastating because this early in the season with leaves still on the majority of the trees and shrubs, the vegetation just could not withstand the five inches of heavy, packed snow that accumulated in less than 12 hours.  Broken limbs and downed trees toppled power lines and poles in the area for the better part of three days and made many of our nets inoperable and net lanes impassable.

• Wednesday, October 26, we made attempts to band (by lamplight!) and despite being limited to only a few nets and 50 total net hours, we managed to band 198 birds.

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• Following such a storm, particularly during a week where fall migrant numbers typically peak at Powdermill, we undoubtedly felt we were missing opportunities at catching large numbers of birds because of the condition our nets and net lanes were in.  Thanks to Mike Lanzone's (assistant field ornithology projects coordinator) recruited net lane clearing team of Cokie Lindsay (Assistant to the Director) and even the Director of Powdermill himself, Dave Smith (in the photo below), we managed nearly a full scale operation on Thursday, October 27 and banded 446 birds.

• Still without power two days after the snowstorm, we moved the banding operation outside, where the natural light is always best for examining molt limits anyway, popped a new battery in our scale, and started what would be the eighth biggest banding day in the history of the program.  In the photo below, Adrienne Leppold (Powdermill Bander-in-Charge) releases a recently processed Dark-eyed Junco while visiting friend and avian research assistant Kristin Sesser, from Alaska, happily records.

• The White-throated Sparrow below was just one of 118 banded on Thursday, which set the new single day record for the species.  The previous high total was 105 banded on October 23, 2001.  Also a highlight on October 27 was our second latest original banding of a White-eyed Vireo.  The latest date for banding of this species at Powdermill is November 8, 1967, which for a long time, constituted the latest date of occurrence for the species in Pennsylvania.

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• In the photo below, Bob Leberman (Senior Bird Bander Emeritus) looks on after a long days work, as what he began 45 years ago at Powdermill, and has passed on to those of us fortunate enough to work with and learn from him, is still alive and flourishing.  Clockwise around the table from Bob's left: Mike Lanzone, Kristin Sesser, Felicity Newell, Adrienne Leppold, Pam Ferkett, and Cokie Lindsay process the last few birds of a day that will certainly be one to remember.  Not pictured - Bob Mulvihill, Field Ornithology Projects Coordinator at Powdermill, behind the camera.

• By the week's end, things returned to more seasonable temperatures (and more normal seasonal appearance!), with only patchy reminders of the weird winter preview from earlier in the week.

Crisp Pond at Powdermill

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• On Saturday, October 29, we banded our first American Tree Sparrow for the season, this beautiful adult pictured below.

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Lastly, a few interesting highlights to round out what certainly proved to be an exceptional week.

• We banded an adult female Purple Finch that showed extensive partial albinism in her head, nape, and breast.  Because darker feathers (black, brown, and gray) tend to wear better, it would be interesting to recapture this bird later in the winter, or even next spring, and assess the impact that the lack of pigmentation will have on these feathers.

• We have had scattered individual Pine Siskins present in the banding area this fall (possibly local breeding birds), and two have been banded before this week (one in August and one in September), but on Thurdsay a flock of 20 or more swirled in, and five were banded, including this hatching year (HY) bird showing clear molt limits between its retained juvenal outer greater and median coverts and the fresher ones (with broad, buffy tips) molted during the partial first prebasic molt earlier in the fall.

• The principal banding staff at Powdermill (Adrienne Leppold, Bob Mulvihill, Bob Leberman, Mike Lanzone, and Felicity Newell) appreciate help received from the following regular volunteers and visitors whom we pressed into service this week, especially on our 'Red Letter' Thursday:  Kristin Sesser, Pam Ferkett, and Matt Clement.  In addition, these other Powdermill staff and interns always take time out from their work projects to help out with banding when they can: Dave Smith, Annie and Cokie Lindsay, and Jessica Maggio.  Our thanks to everyone!

Last Updated on 11/01/05
By Adrienne J. Leppold and
Robert S. Mulvihill