[va-richmond-general] Dutch Gap prothonotary warbler project
- From: Bob Reilly <rjreilly@xxxxxxx>
- To: va-richmond-general@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 18 Oct 2003 21:39:28 -0400
The last prothonotary was banded on 8/26 at Dutch Gap, bringing the total
prothonotaries banded there this season to 291. That is about triple the
total for last year when the project was initiated. 68 nest boxes, mounted
on 10-foot conduit poles just off shore, were available this season, and all
but a couple had either active nests or nesting material in them. I plan to
expand the project again early next spring by adding another 20-30 boxes.
The breakdown of the 291 birds banded is:
207 nestlings
33 HY birds ("hatching year" birds: born this season and captured during
post-breeding dispersal)
13 SY birds ("second year"birds: born last year..this is their 1st year as
potential parents)
32 ASY birds ("after second year" birds: born at least two years
ago...experienced
parents and migrants)
6 AHY birds ("after hatching year" birds: adults that could not be by
plumage to the narrower SY or ASY categories)
In addition, 10 ASY birds banded last year were recaptured this year, and a
remarkable 26 nestlings from this season were recaptured between 1 and 2
months post-fledging as they dispersed about the area in small groups prior
to migration. The small groups typically consisted of youngsters from
several different clutches in the company of one or two adults.
3 birds were captured that had originally been banded by a graduate student
of Charlie Blem's at the Deep Bottom site, approximately 5 miles from Dutch
Gap. One was an SY female raising a family of 4 in a Dutch Gap box, and the
other 2 were HY birds that had been banded at Deep Bottom just over a month
earlier...terrific dispersal data which suggest that a more concentrated
mistnetting effort in July and August is important. Dispersal data of this
type is rarely available.
The hottest spot for late season prothonotary concentrations was at a point
near the water's edge a bit beyond the 1 mile marker. Making use of a tape
recording of prothonotary songs and chip notes, I captured 66 prothonotaries
at this location using just one net!
Bob Mulvihill and Mike Lanzone of the Carnegie Museum's Powdermill Banding
Station in Pennsylvania were successful in getting many high quality photos
of prothonotary plumages during their visit in mid-July. They plan to
returnin May to complete the series on this species for their Princeton
University Press Photographic Guide to Aging and Sexing North American
Birds. The 1st volume will cover the 52 species of wood warblers that nest
in the U.S., and it is scheduled for completion in 2005.
Finally, a note on the hurricane. The storm surge up the James topped the
Dutch Gap loop road in many places, leaving several inches of flotsam on the
road as well as numerous logs, some old ship timbers, and a stray bench from
who-knows-where! The road was blocked all along its length by numerous
concentrations of downed trees, of course, as well as downed power lines
between the 1.5 mile marker and the equpment shed. Incredibly, although the
water was so high as to submerge most of the nest boxes, those that are
visible from shore appear undamaged. I plan to conduct an examination by
canoe and to make any necessary repairs before winter sets in..
Once we pass the turn of the year you can bet that my thoughts will be on to
the return of those beautiful birds in April. Among them I hope to find a
number of old friends from these past two years.
Bob Reilly
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