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Breeding Season 2004
Hannah Suthers
The 2004 breeding season at Featherbed Lane, Hopewell, had
record-breaking rain but was comparatively mild so that the permanent
residents and early migrants had an early start and fledglings appeared
two weeks earlier than ususal. Ground cover was lush, favoring
Ovenbirds (27 pairs) and Towhees (32 pairs), however a new feral cat
was present and only 14 Ovenbird fledglings were banded compared with
27 last year. On 20 June two crows raided a Towhee nest and carried
off a nestling. Insect food and berries were abundant so Gray Catbirds
had three waves of fledglings appearing in June, July and August.
Cardinals also multibrooded. Woodthrushes and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks
double-brooded. Great-horned Owls, Screech Owls, Red-tailed Hawks and
Pileated Woodpeckers persisted. The widower Red-tail of last fall
found a new mate. Both cuckoo species, Blue Jays and Common Grackles
increased in numbers, presumably in response to the periodic cicadas. A
Cedar Waxwing was observed catching a cicada on the wing. There were 62
species of territorial males, of which 25 were Neotropical species, 11
temperate species and 23 resident species. Census numbers were down on
several species. Notes and proofs of breeding are as follows:
Turkey Vulture | 3 pair |
Ruffed Grouse | sadly absent |
Red-tailed Hawk | fledgling on 2 July, mobbed by Blue Jays on 8 Aug |
Wild Turkey | hen with poults |
Mourning Dove | census down from 17 pairs last year to 9 |
Ruby-throated Hummingbird | female netted twice, once with fledgling |
Downy Woodpecker down | from 7 pairs to 4, fledglings banded 27 June, 11 July, 3, 22 & 29 Aug |
Hairy Woodpecker | 2 pairs, fledglings banded 22 July, 3 Aug |
Common Flicker | down from 6 pairs to 3 |
Great-crested Flycatcher | 10 territories |
Eastern Kingbird | 1 pair |
Barn Swallow | 8 pairs, feeding fledglings on powerline 20 June |
Black-capped Chickadee | down from 10 pairs to 4 |
Hybrid Chickadee | fledgling banded 22 Aug |
Carolina Chickadee | down from 10 pairs to 6, fledgling banded 22 July |
Tufted Titmouse | down from 31 pairs to 23, fledglings banded 2 & 25 July |
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | 2 pairs, fledgling banded on 25 July |
Veery | down from 20 pairs to 14, fledgling banded 29 Aug |
American Robin | down from 46 pairs to 29, fledglings banded 30 May, 20 June, 2 July |
White-eyed Vireo | pair, fledglings banded 11 July and 15 Aug |
Red-eyed Vireo | down from 25 pairs to 15, a male and a female banded |
Yellow-throated Vireo | 2 pairs |
Blue-winged Warbler | down from 11 pairs to 5, 2 males and a female banded June 6 and July 2 |
Yellow Warbler | down from 7 pairs to 4, a male banded 20 June |
Black-and-white Warbler | 3 pairs |
Common Yellowthroat | down from 36 to 26 pairs, fledglings banded 20 June and throughout |
Scarlet Tanager | 10 pairs, female banded 30 May, two young banded 22 Aug |
Northern Cardinal | down from 38 to 26 pairs, fledglings banded 20 June and throughout |
Rose-breasted Grosbeak | 17 pairs, female & fledgling banded 25 July, fledgling banded 15 Aug |
Indigo Bunting | 3 pairs, a male banded 30 May, female banded 11 July |
Chipping Sparrow | down from 6 pairs to 4 |
Field Sparrow | down from 3 pairs to 1, fledgling banded 22 August |
Baltimore Oriole | 14 pairs, fledgling calling |
The first fall migrant, a Northern Waterthrush, was banded on 3
August. By 8 August adult birds were gone except for multibrooded
Catbirds and Robins. Migrant Chestnut-sided Warbler and American
Redstarts were banded. A Hooded Warbler was banded on 15 August and an
accipiter sighted. On August 22, in addition to the above mentioned
species, Alder Flycatcher, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green,
and Canada Warblers were banded. On August 29 the first Magnolia
Warbler was banded.
Hannah Suthers and the Featherbed Lane Banding Station Crew
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