There cannot be a better class to TA your first time than Field Ornithology at Shoals. At the bottom of the syllabus, in size 10 font, it says, “Please be prepared to be flexible. We may change the schedule depending upon the weather, availability of boats, the whims of the instructor, etc.” So, presumably, the students were prepared when, yesterday, we decided to cancel all lectures and go birding all morning.
What can I say, there was no resisting the moving bushes. Apparently all the warblers had decided to descend upon the island the night before and it was impossible to look at a bush without spotting a bird.
It was also the first day of the class. The students were in for a treat.
We started before breakfast at the banding station. Bird upon bird was handed out to us and the students’ eyes widened with each new species. Even Common Yellowthroats, the most abundant warbler on the island, drew expressions of delight.
I got to present a Gray Catbird and a Red-eyed Vireo to the class about which I was hopelessly excited. Sarah told the female Black-throated Blue Warbler story.
Me with a Red-eyed Vireo
Sarah with a Canada Warbler
Ashley listening to the heart beat of a Black-and-White Warbler
It was such a busy day at the banding station that Dave decided to postpone the morning lecture and go birding for an hour. Which turned into two hours. Which turned into barely had time to fit in half a lecture before lunch.
Gray Catbird
Male and Female Common Eider
A couple of male Black-throated Blue Warblers
Wilson’s Warbler
Wilson’s Warbler, again
Northern Parula
Mallard ducklings
Least Sandpiper sheltering from the rain under an appropriately sized branch
It was glorious. Like taking the class all over again minus all the not-so-fun homework parts.
After lunch and second-half of lecture, we set off into the gull colony to assign the students Herring Gull nests that they will be monitoring for their two weeks on the island. As always, it was nice to go back to the familiar rocks of Norwegian, but yesterday a surprise awaited us at Pebble Beach.
I was taking in the view and the gusty weather, looking up at gulls soaring above us like a swarm of awfully large insects – awfully large awesome insects – when Eric goes, “Do you guys have gulls with wing tags?”
“What? No we don’t… that’s just its feathers in the wind. Oh. Wait. No. Dave! Sarah!”
Trying to contain our excitement, we crept up to it stealthily, managing to get some good looks. It had 147 on its wing tags and 22 on the orange band on its left leg. At one point it flew in so close to where I was crouching that I could even get a decent photo with my crappy phone.
Mysterious gull!
I was over the moon. I can’t wait to know where that bird is from. In my limited experience (which is mostly only with banded gulls), there are so many birds going to so many places and meeting so many different fates that most of the banded ones might never be seen again unless they come back to breed on the island. Seeing a non-Appledore bird out here comes pretty close to being a once-in-a-lifetime event.
And as if that wasn’t enough, our lucky streak continued all through the wet, cold day that was today.
Today was Star Island trip day. In the morning, as Dave was teaching the class how to do point-counts, a couple of flocks of over a hundred Short-billed Dowitchers flew over, coming tantalizingly close to landing on the island before changing their minds and continuing to fly towards their arctic breeding grounds. I hadn’t realized how beautiful shorebird sounds were until I heard the fluting call of Whimbrels in California this March, and the dowitcher flocks’ flight calls made me appreciate them even more.
But Appledore wasn’t done yet. A Belted Kingfisher flew in and landed on the rocks by the tide-pool, a bird that no one could remember ever having seen on the island before! And then there was the flock of – a whole flock as opposed to the occasional – Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. Dave made Laura go hold up the hummingbird feeder. I’ve never seen anyone smile as wide as she did when the birds buzzed back in to take nervous sips of sugar water a foot away from her.
Additionally, the first garden chicks had hatched! Some great quotes were added to the class quote-list as an adorable, peeping, day-old Great Black-backed Gull chick was passed around, the best being Jason’s emotional “I can’t… I can’t handle this. This is too much for me!” I must admit I felt a twinge of jealousy towards Michelle and Taylor as I realized I wouldn’t be around to see these chicks day after day as I did last summer.
So many feelings!
It was already a good day by the time we got to breakfast.
As we sat there eating our oatmeal and describing the morning’s events to Michelle and Cassie, a beautiful male Blackburnian Warbler flew up and started gleaning for insects along the deck of Kiggins. No one in the dining hall was left wondering who the birders were as we all crowded by the windows, binoculars and cameras glued to our eyes.
And as if Appledore weren’t enough, Star Island was also hopping. A lot of yesterday’s abundant species like American Redstarts and Northern Parulas were definitely seen less today, but there was more than enough to keep us occupied for over a half hour later than our scheduled departure time.
The Blackburnian Warbler
We had all three scoters (White-winged, Surf and Black), a Blue-headed and lots of singing Red-eyed Vireos, a ton of warblers (Wilson’s, Tennessee, Yellow, Magnolia, Northern Waterthrush, Ovenbird, Black-throated Blue and Green, Black and White, Common Yellowthroat), sparrows of the Chipping, White-crowned, White-throated, Savannah, Swamp and Song varieties, Cedar Waxwings, R2D2 Bobolinks… the day’s list was well over 60 species.
Well over 60 species of birds, and nine well over happy, if exhausted, students. A well over good day to be a TA.
Stellar TAs
Summer Migrations 