FreeLists / va-richmond-general / [va-richmond-general] Dutch Gap Prothonotary Project Update

["Bob Reilly" <rjreilly@xxxxxxx>]

As of 7/19/04 we have banded 446 new prothonotary warblers at Dutch Gap this
season. That's an increase of 149 over the 295 end-of-season total last
year, and we are not done yet!

The 446 newly banded consist of:

13 adult male in the 2nd or later breeding season
19 adult females in the 2nd or later breeding season
18 adult males in theirt 1st breeding season
17 adult females in theirt 1st breeding season
13 juvenile males born this season and caught while engaged in post-fledging
dispersal
11 juvenile females born this season and caught while engaged in
post-fledging dispersal
1   juvenile of indeterminate sex born this season and caught while engaged
in post-fledging
     dispersal
354 nestlings banded at their natal boxes

In addition, we had the following 47 birds that had been banded in previous
years return to us:

 25 adult females returning for their 2nd breeding season in the boxes
 11 adult males returning for their 2nd breeding season
  8 adult females that were banded as nestlings last year
  3 adult males that were banded as nestlings last year

18 of the nestlings banded this season have been recaptured between a month
and a month and a half after fledging at distances of up to 1.5 miles from
their natal boxes.  These young birds would be essentially indistinguishable
from adults when seen through binoculars!

There were also three recoveries of adults that were banded at Charlie
Blem's Deep Bottom site.

50 of the adult males caught were color-banded as well and most of those
were matched to known females.  Charlie Clarkson, a graduate student of
Charlie Blem's at VCU color-banded most of those, made extensive recordings
of their song, and carefully mapped out the boundaries of the territories
that they were defending.

We had 100 nest boxes out this year (up from about 66 last year) and all but
a couple saw use by prothonotaries, tree swallows or one family of
chickadees.  We had one female successfully raise a seven chick clutch, a
very unusual accomplishment! The strangest item was the raising of a
prothonotary chick by a pair of tree swallows.  The prothonotaries had built
the nest in one of the boxes and deposited 2 eggs, when a female tree
swallow came along and took over, depositing 3 of her own eggs!  One
prothonotary eggs eventually disappeared, but the other one hatched well
ahead of the tree swallow eggs and she fed it well. It fledged well ahead of
the 3 tree swallow chicks who were behind it in development.  They
eventually fledged too.  Hopefully the parents looked after their golden
baby after it left the nest.  I sure would like to recapture that
prothonotary!

The prothonotary warbler is on the national watch list, with declines in
many areas and facing widespread threats to its habitat. Dutch Gap is
certainly doing its part to help this wonderful species.

A great season all around.  Might have to go to 125 boxes next year!


Bob Reilly

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