Fall Migration Starting to Pick Up

With the days getting shorter and the temperatures getting cooler, it just stands to reason that we should be seeing more migration movement in the area. Reports from just north of Minneapolis and St. Paul are reporting lots of migrants with lots of diversity. I had the chance to band last weekend and did catch some southbound birds. Of course, I also caught a family group of Black-capped Chickadees that spent most of their time trying to peck me to death.



Of the birds I banded Sunday, the one that most excited me was this beautiful Black and White Warbler, Mniotilta varia. We'll get a few each year but they aren't a species that we can be confident of seeing all the time.



The other bird that made the day exciting was this Ovenbird, Seiurus aurocapilla. Both of these birds are only seen around here as they pass through.

I also got word that one of our Purple Martins, Progne subis, that was banded this spring as a nestling has been spotted far away from it's natal colony. We banded this bird at Eagle Creek Park in a northwest suburb of Minneapolis in July and it was spotted recently near Wilmar, Minnesota way over in the central part of the state. The bird is with lots of other martins at a pre-migratory roost. Now if only we can find some of those birds that have radios on them!

Watch the radar and the weather this week. We should see a real increase in birds moving through.