Pictorial Highlights, Fall 2008
November 2008
 |
Frosty Morning! |
  |
In early November Boy Scout Troop 311 came
to the Powdermill Bird Banding Lab to complete their Bird Study
Merit Badge. During the day they learned about bird banding at the lab and by the end of the day were able to identify many of the common birds by both sight and sound. That night we were fortunate to capture several Northern Saw-whet Owls with the troop. Pictured to the left are a couple of the scouts releasing these docile owls. |
 |
We also hosted a group of students from the
Valley School of Ligonier who were working on a climate change
project and came to Powdermill to learn a little bit about how these
changes may be affecting bird populations. Here, several of the students are checking out a White-throated Sparrow that had just been banded. |
 |
White-throated sparrows are easily
identified by birders by the yellow coloration in their lores.
Previously, on this website, the different morphs (white
striped and tan striped) of White-throated Sparrows has been
discussed. This fall, one of the White-throated Sparrows captured at Powdermill had orange lores instead of the typical yellow lores. The coloration of the lores is the result of pigments known as carotenoids, which produce reds, oranges, and yellows in birds. Carotenoids are only synthesized by plants, and birds must acquire them from their diet. The replacement of yellow with orange coloration is well known in the tail band of the Cedar Waxwing. For the waxwing the orange coloration is the result of consumption of rhodoxanthin, a pigment found in the fruits of exotic honeysuckles. |
 |
Some Eastern Bluebirds will spend the
winter in the Powdermill area, and we captured and banded 2
bluebirds in November. Shown is the outstretched wing of an after-hatch-year male bluebird. Notice the sharp blue edging on the feathers and the lack of a molt limit. |
 |
To the left is the outstretched wing of a
hatch-year bluebird. Here you can see the dusky gray edging on the
primary coverts and the outer greater coverts. Also, note the molt limit among the greater coverts (outer ones with gray edging are juvenile feathers). |
 |
This Song Sparrow had an interesting
pattern of feather wear. In the photograph you can see that the
fifth primary shows extreme wear with the barbs/barbules worn away
and only a portion of the rachis remaining. Interestingly, not only did the surrounding primaries show very little wear, but this exact pattern was symmetrical (found on both wings). |
  |
Throughout the Fall we were grateful for
the help from many people including Bob Mulvihill, Bob Leberman,
Andy Mack, Mike Lanzone, Dave Smith, Cokie Lindsay, Emma Deleon,
Lewis Grove, David Norman, Eugene Hood, Alice Van Zoeren, Alex
Shidel, Bob and Margaret Vitz, Anna Marie Bakermans, Rob Slebodnik,
Richard Joos, Jennifer Wang, Kristi Bowersox, Jeff Territo, and
Carol Lebarthe. We were especially grateful to Marja Bakermans and Mary Shidel who both dedicated many hours to the banding effort. Not only was their help essential in operating the banding operation, but their positive attitudes and enthusiasm for the birds was equally important. Here are two very different pictures of Marja holding a Mourning Dove. Marja’s interest in birds was developed during her childhood when she spent countless hours in the woods with her father. |
 |
Mary began volunteering at Powdermill’s
Bird Banding Lab during the winter of 2006-2007.
When she began she had no experience with the techniques of bird
banding. Through dedication and hard work, Mary has gained proficiency at extracting and banding birds. Still, every morning that she comes to Powdermill she remains enthusiastic and passionate about the birds. We are absolutely thrilled to have Mary as a volunteer of the Banding lab! To the left Mary is photographed with an American Woodcock that flew into the net right in front of her. |
 |
Finally, we wanted to thank Gerardo
Rodriguez, our bird banding intern from Mexico. When Gerardo
arrived at Powdermill he already had experience with bird banding.
While he was here, Gerardo worked very hard at improving his banding skills, and by the time he returned to Mexico (in November) he had become a superb bird bander. All of us here at Powder hope to see Gerardo return in the future. Gerardo is shown processing a Blue Jay on his last day at the banding lab. |