We have only one more week to track these songbird migrations and luckily the birds are cooperating! As you'll see today, they've now returned to most places across their entire breeding range.
Air Traffic Control
As you learned in the last few updates, weather plays a major role in the
migration of Neotropical songbirds. These frequent fliers face many
obstacles in the air, ranging from cold fronts and north winds to
rainstorms, so we hope that the next time you listen to a weather report,
you will think about all the ways that weather can affect us and our winged
friends too.
Ground Traffic Control
In addition to having to contend with all the obstacles in the air,
Neotropical migrants also need to be careful when they are on the ground,
especially during the breeding season. Can you think of any natural
predators that might be a threat to these birds on their breeding grounds?
Natural predators such as snakes, raccoons and even other birds would love to feed on a nestful of eggs or even very young birds during the nesting season. There is also another major threat to these birds when they're on their breeding grounds, but this one isn't so "natural". In fact, you may not have even have thought about this animal as a danger to songbirds. You might even have one of these at your home. This threat is the common, ordinary, everyday cat.
Meow...Danger!
That's right, many people don't know it, but studies show that cats that
run loose outside kill millions of songbirds each year in the United States
alone! A recent article by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union mentioned
that in Virginia it is estimated that each domestic cat kills at least 26
birds each year in urban areas, and 83 birds each year for rural cats.
That's 26 million songbirds killed in Virginia by cats each year. Another
study in Wisconsin estimated that cats kill at least 19 million songbirds
there each year, and 140,000 game birds too.
Some people disagree though, and say that cats should still be able to run free outside.
What Do You Think?
We want you to think and talk about this problem of Neotropical songbirds
being preyed upon by cats. Remember to examine both sides of this
controversial issue. Then we want you to answer the Challenge Question
below. To get you thinking, here are a few arguments from both sides of
this debate. Also try to come up arguments of your own for both sides.
Points for Keeping Cats Inside:
Points for Letting Cats Outside:
Let's Take A Vote!
Now that you've thought and talked about this issue, imagine that you have
a cat that you care about very much. Also imagine that you love to watch
Neotropical migrants and you feed them when they come through your
backyard. The City where you live wants to make a new law that requires
that cats not be let outside to run free in the spring during songbird
breeding season. But some people want to be able to let their cats go
outside, so they don't like this law. What do you think the City should do?
Challenge Question #121:
" Do you think cats should be kept indoors during the nesting season? Send
in your vote of "yes" or "no" and be sure to tell us why you voted this
way."
(To respond to this Challenge Question, please follow the instructions at the end of this report.)
(Remember: Before you place your vote, be sure to explore BOTH sides of this issue.)
***********************************************************************
The Following Migration Sightings Collected by the Volunteers of the National Birding Hotline Cooperative and Journey North:
NORTHERN ORIOLES
May 6 Wolf Gap, North Mountain, VA
May 8 Haverhill, MA
May 11 Nantucket Island, MA
May 11 Amherst Woods,MA
May 11 Kittery & Kennebunk, ME
May 13 Colfax , IL
May 13 Chicago, IL
May 13 Greene, ME
May 13 St. John, New Brunswick
May 15 Ancaster, Ontario
May 15 Madison, WI
May 16 Rib Lake, WI
May 16 Buffalo, NY
May 16 Youngstown, OH
May 17 Tiverton, RI
May 18 St-Augustin (near Quebec City), Ontario
May 18 Pequot Lakes, MN
May 21 Haverhill, MA
RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS
May 7 Mount Desert Island, ME
May 11 Brier Island, Nova Scotia
May 11 Nantucket Island, MA
May 13 Chicago, IL
May 14 Cape Elizabeth and Westbrook, ME
May 15 Dundas, Ontario
May 15 Chalco, NE
May 15 Madison, WI
May 16 Rib Lake, WI
May 16 Buffalo, NY
May 17 DuPage County, IL
May 17 Greenville, RI
May 18 Pequot Lakes, MN
*************************************************************
Comments From Observers
(WARNING: This report contains many pages of sightings! Print with caution!)
From VIRGINIA:
May 6, 1996
Baltimore Oriole 5/6/96
Shenandoah Co., VA
Wolf Gap, North Mountain(NW OF FREDRICKSBURG)
From MASSACHUSETTS
May 8 & 21
Greg Corthell reporting from Consentino School, Haverhill, Mass. I saw 2
Baltimore orioles in my front yardand also Mr.Carven sawone to on May 8,
1996 by the river.
pbrown@IDEA.uml.edu
From MAINE:
May 7,11,12,13 & 14,16 & 21, 1996
Downeast and Central Maine
Other local sightings include a male RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD at Southwest
Harbor(SW of Bar Harbor) on 05/07 and Compass Harbor on 5/14, Seal Cove(SW
of Bar Harbor ) on 05/13 had 3 male BALTIMORE ORIOLES were there.
Other sightings include 1 male RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD in Sargentville on the evening of 05/11
ON MOUNT DESERT ISLAND(South of Bar Harbor) 4-5 male BALTIMORE ORIOLES,was found at the Fabbri Picnic Area on 05/12.
2 NORTHERN ORIOLES were at a Southwest Harbor(SW of Bar Harbor) feeder area on 05/13.
At least 2 BALTIMORE ORIOLES at Bennoch Rd. in Orono(North of Bangor) on 05/14
A report from the Wesley Elementary School in Wesley mentioned numerous PURPLE FINCHES, AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES, and 2 male ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS. 2 pairs of AMERICAN TREE SWALLOWS have taken up residence in nest boxes on school property, and 3 female BALTIMORE ORIOLES have been attracted to feeding stations there. 5 male and 4 female BALTIMORE ORIOLES were recently attracted to a feeder area 10 miles from the school.
12 BALTIMORE ORIOLES were reported from Beal's Island(East of Bar Harbor)
on 05/14 while 10 birds were at the NAVCOM Base in Cutler
York County
In Kennebunk(SW of Portland) on the 11th a flock estimated to be composed
of 700 birds arrived between the hours of 8 and 10 AM. A total of 92
species were logged in five hours. Highlights included: 6 NORTHERN ORIOLES.
Central Maine
Greater Portland
May 16 & 21, 1996
Birds which were present for most of the week included RUBY-THROATED
HUMMINGBIRDS around the island.
TO THE EAST the woods were full of birds at Petit Manan Point(East of Bar
Harbor) on 05/21 with all species moving south down the peninsula including
1 BALTIMORE ORIOLE, and several on 05/16
From NOVA SCOTIA:
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) - 2 on Brier Island (North
of Yarmouth) May 11. First report(s) for the spring.
From MASSACHUSETTS:
The timing of this fallout couldn't have been better because Saturday the
11th was the date of the spring migratory bird census. Several groups
fanned out Saturday morning over Nantucket to tally any and all birds
encountered and on this particular day they got an eyeful.
Just to let you know, for the most part locations won't be given in this
report as most of these birds were just passing through.
Also seen were NORTHERN ORIOLE and at least 3 [RUBY-THROATED] HUMMINGBIRDS
were also tallied.
From MASSACHUSETTS:
From ILLINOIS:
From ILLINOIS:
From NEW BRUNSWICK
From NEBRASKA:
From ONTARIO:
From WISCONSIN:
From WISCONSIN:
From PENNSYLVANIA:
Moving back east and north into the mountains and valleys
of northern Dauphin County( North of Harrisburg) provides sightings of most
of the common warbler species and other birds of note from this region
include a Clark's Valley also produced a RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD
From MICHIGAN:
From NEW JERSEY:
From NEW YORK:
From OHIO:
From ILLINOIS:
From RHODE ISLAND:
FROM SOUTHEASTERN RHODE ISLAND
In Tiverton(SE of Bristol), there were 13 BALTIMORE ORIOLES.
From ONTARIO:
From MINNESOTA:
How to Respond to Challenge Questions # 121:
"Do you think cats should be kept indoors during the nesting season? Send
in your vote of "yes" or "no" and be sure to tell us why you voted this
way."
The FINAL Northern Oriole and Hummingbird Migration Update Will be
Posted on May 30, 1996.
Seen at Fort Foster in Kittery(SW of Portland) on the 11th: 24 NORTHERN ORIOLES.
Six to eight pair of NORTHERN ORIOLES were at a feeder in Greene (North of
Lewiston) on the 13th.
May 14
On Hannaford Cove Road in Cape Elizabeth(South of Portland) there was a
RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD and A RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD was in Westbrook
(West of Portland).
Downeast and Central
ON MOUNT DESERT ISLAND(South of Bar Harbor), 45 species were found on the
College of Atlantic Campus in just under 2 hours on 05/20. Highlights
include BALTIMORE ORIOLE.
May 11, 1996
Synopsis - The on-set of NE winds in the southern Bay of Fundy early
in the afternoon of May 11 caused a spectacular, and completely
unexpected, fall-out of birds on southern off-shore islands in Nova
Scotia. We have reports from three islands: Brier, Cape Sable, and
Bon Portage. Birds have lingered at the fall-out sites, and small
numbers have spread to other localities in the province.
Nantucket Island
May 11, 1996
Reports as of 5/13 include fabulous sightings from warbler fallout of
Saturday 5/11. Birders in the Boston area and Cape were thrilled to wake
up Saturday morning and find that mother nature and a combination of
weather fronts had forced down thousands of northward bound migrants.
These tired, cold, and hungry birds were busily refueling Saturday morning
while waiting for the storm systems to clear before resuming their
northward flight.
May 11, 1996
This region experienced a major fallout beginning Friday. A number of
observers throughout the weekend and the week have confirmed that people
have not experienced this kind of birding in years. Over 30 species of
warblers were reported over the weekend.
20 BALTIMORE ORIOLEs were seen at a feeder at Amherst Woods(Amherst).
May 13, 1996
Because of the cool, rainy weather a lot of migrants are feeding near the
ground. Many Warblers, Thrushes, Vireos, Flycatchers, Orioles and Grosbeaks
are present in central Illinois. Without many insects available for food
these birds are searching on the ground for food. Some seem to be showing
signs of starvation and some others are being hit by cars.
Many spring migrants are apparently going to feeders. In Germantown Hills
(East of Belleville ) ten BALTIMORE ORIOLES were at a feeder.
May 13, 1996
Chicago area
There are still few birds being seen along the lakefront, but the
inland wooded areas contain many warblers, most of which are still
very tame allowing close approach. Many are still even on the
ground. A few warblers are finally starting to feed in the trees,
though. Many warblers are still taking food handouts of suet,
fruit, seeds, and mealworms at feeders. One feeder in Palatine had
19 ORIOLES, including three ORCHARDS, and four HUMMINGBIRDS on
Monday.
May 13
Greeting from Southern New Brunswick, Canada
We saw our first baltimore oriole and the first to ever visit our feeder on
May 13. Usually we stop feeding birds in April but this year we have a new
feeder close to the window by the kitchen table so we have continued
feeding into the spring - what a variety. The one oriole (male) has
stayed more than a
week now. We wonder if he traveled alone or with another species. What
happens to these isolated individuals. He is beautiful but quite a seed hog.
jwaugh@nbnet.nb.ca
May 15, 1995
At Chalco Hills Recreation Area (West of Papillion) on the 15th were
RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD
May 15, 1996
Ancaster, Ontario, Canada
7 RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS were at the Garden Gallery in Dundas (SW of
Toronto).
On the home front, a BALTIMORE ORIOLE came to a yard on Mineral Springs Rd in
Ancaster(SW of Toronto).
The warm weather this weekend promises lots of birds.
May 15, 1996
Madison, WI including Dane and Columbia Counties
Olbrich Gardens (In Madison ) recently produced among others NORTHERN ORIOLE.
Backyard sightings include RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD(near Euclid Ave in Madison)
May 16
Hello, We still have not spotted a monarch butterfly. Students have spotted the
Northern Oriole and the hummingbird since late last week. Thursday, the
16th was the first official spotting of both the oriole and the
hummingbird. We are located in Rib Lake, WI. Our latitude is 45' North
and longitude is 90' West. Temperatures have finally reached the 70's and
80's and we are still watching for the monarch.
John Adams, Rib Lake, Wisconsin
rlms@newnorth.net
May 16, 1996
It is the peak of the spring migration season. Warblers
and shore birds dominate this weeks report from Central Pennsylvania.
From different sites in York, Dauphin, Lebanon, and Perry counties,
commonly viewed birds include the BALTIMORE ORIOLE.
May 16, 1996
First of all, a quick general note.... Observers in the some parts of the
southern Lower Peninsula noted a spectacular fallout of migrants in the past
week. Many warblers and other species -- apparently stressed by the
continued cold temperatures -- were noted feeding at or near ground level in
sheltered areas. (Unfortunately, what we consider good birding is not always
a good situation for the birds....) Feeder watchers have also been reporting
incredible numbers of orioles, grosbeaks, buntings and other species at
backyard feeding stations.
May 16, 1996
RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS are back and are already on
nests. CMBO has several males and at least one female in
the area. If you want Hummers to stay and nest in your
hard, you may want to hang feeders now, especially since
gardens are sparse this time of year. Realize the task you
are taking on; feeders need thorough cleaning once a week
and frequent refilling; in spring, only put one or two
inches of solution in your feeder.
(Credit: Cape May Bird Observatory staff)
May 16, 1996
Buffalo area:
At several locations, NORTHERN ORIOLES were seen and Multiple reports this
week of RUBY-T. HUMMINGBIRD
May 16, 1996
Youngstown area
Spring migration is now at it's peak, with reports pouring in to the hotline.
Many reports were recieved this week of NORTHERN ORIOLES and many
other species.
May 17, 1996
DuPage County
Reported from several locations:RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS.
May 17, 1996
FROM CENTRAL AND NORTHERN RHODE ISLAND
In Greenville(NW of Providence), at a private residence: 1 RUBY-THROATED
HUMMINGBIRD.
May 18
Bonjour !
Today was a gorgeous day ! I went outside in the morning, and I saw
my first Northern oriole of the year ! The nice bird was on a branche
of a Sugar maple in my garden. Here at St-Augustin (near Quebec city)
trees and dandelions are opening out.
DUBUC@cfl.forestry.ca
May 18
The hummingbirds are here! Saturday the 18th of May was the arrival date of
the rubythroated hummingbirds to our area. Orioles showed up on Sat. with
the hummers. Many of my students have seen them over the weekend. Must of
been a major migration due to the strong southern winds. J.M.
Jim Minerich, Pequot Lakes School
Pequot Lakes, MN
jmineric@informns.k12.mn.us
1. Send an e-mail message to: jn-challenge@learner.org
2. In the Subject Line write: Challenge Question #121
3. In the Body of your message, this question:
© Journey North 1996