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The BULA News - Spring 2018

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The BULA News - Spring 2018 The BULA News - Spring 2018 - A publication of Burke Lake Banding Station A non-profit organization dedicated to research of avian health and migration, education of current and future ornithological professionals, and outreach for our community at a unique place to learn about, connect with, and appreciate a diverse bird community Newsletter Content Director's Note Ongoing Research at BULA Student Intern Experience eBirding at BULA 2017 Banding Summary Education & Outreach Top 10 Species KIDZ Corner Interesting Species 2017 Donors Join us June 13th to support BULA! We are hosting our first fund-raising event. Wednesday, June 13th at 5:30 - 7:00 pm at Reno's East in East Lansing, MI. Please come and mingle with many other bird enthusiasts, bid on unique silent auction items, learn about our plans for the future, and show your support for BULA! Suggested donations are $15/person or $25/family. Pizza included. Director's Note Thank you all for another great migration season of bird banding! Each season we are amazed at the abundance and diversity of the species we capture at BULA – it is truly a hotspot for migratory birds in the fall. And, each year we are humbled by the enthusiasm and support we receive from the mid-Michigan community and beyond. The number of visitors increases each year and since we opened to the public in 2013 we have hosted thousands of people at BULA. We continually see new faces each season along with our regular BULA visitors. One of the most common statements we hear from new visitors is “I wish I knew about this sooner!” Well, we wish they did too, so what we would like to ask of our BULA community is to help us spread the word about the station and the opportunities we offer to connect people with the outdoors and nature through birds. Please help us reach as many people as possible so we can share the important research, outreach, and education work we do at the Burke Lake Banding Station. Jen Owen, Director of BULA and Associate Professor at Michigan State University My Experience as a Student Intern By Hannah Landwelen—2017 BULA intern MSU Fisheries and Wildlife, Class of 2020 As an intern at Burke Lake Banding Station I was fortunate to have experiences unlike any that I’ve had before. This internship was my first experience working a wildlife field job, and since has led me to change my major to Fisheries and Wildlife. While working at BULA, I met a group of people who not only have a vast knowledge of birds, but were also wonderful to work alongside. I gained valuable skills that will help me build on my experiences and help me continue down the path of wildlife biology. At Burke Lake I learned and excelled at properly extracting birds from mist nets. I also learned proper mist nets set up, take down, and how to properly furl (close) them at the end of the day, which was quite a challenge for me at first! The most exciting experience for me was all the new species I saw and learned how to identify. Soon enough, I was quickly able to recognize many of the species that migrate through Michigan, stopping and refueling at our BULA field site before continuing on their journey south. I also learned a lot through recording the data; it was especially interesting to me to see how different an individual bird can be from others of the same species. One unforgettable memory I have from BULA was the day we caught a young male Sharped- shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus). I learned how to extract the hawk and handle it in a way that is both safe for the hawk and for the handler. One of the most valuable skills I learned is the ability to communicate with the public about birds and science. Before this experience I was quiet and shy; but my excitement about birds has made it easy for me to share my knowledge and passion with others. Overall I could not have asked for a better internship this past fall; it was an absolute blast! I must thank all the wonderful people that I worked with, especially Callie, our 2017 bander who taught me so much, and Dr. Owen, who allowed me this amazing opportunity, and of course all my amazing coworkers who made this experience so special. BULA has inspired my passion for birds and will continue to shape my future for years to come. 2017 Banding Totals Gray Catbird 495 Blue-winged Warbler 15 Common Yellowthroat 447 Traill's Flycatcher 14 Swainson's Thrush 409 Blue Jay 12 American Redstart 335 Blue-headed Vireo 11 Magnolia Warbler 260 Canada Warbler 11 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 207 Blackburnian Warbler 9 White-throated Sparrow 200 Yellow-shafted Flicker 9 American Robin 168 Great-crested Flycatcher 8 American Goldfinch 135 Lincoln's Sparrow 8 Rose-breasted Grosbeak 126 Common Grackle 7 Swamp Sparrow 101 Scarlet Tanager 7 Song Sparrow 84 Yellow-throated Vireo 7 Red-eyed Vireo 80 American Woodcock 6 Hermit Thrush 77 Brown Thrasher 6 Black-capped Chickadee 76 Hairy Woodpecker 6 Golden-crowned Kinglet 67 Red-bellied Woodpecker 6 Blackpoll Warbler 60 Rusty Blackbird 6 Nashville Warbler 55 White-breasted Nuthatch 6 Gray-cheeked Thrush 54 Brown Creeper 5 Ovenbird 54 Cape May Warbler 5 Wood Thrush 52 Mouring Warbler 5 Veery 39 Northern Parula 5 Cedar Waxwing 37 Connecticut Warbler 3 Black-throated Blue Eastern White-crowned 36 3 Warbler Sparrow Chestnut-sided Warbler 36 Orange-crowned Warbler 3 Red-winged Blackbird 36 Western Palm Warbler 3 Black-throated Green Hooded Warbler 2 32 Warbler Marsh Wren 2 Eastern Wood-Pewee 32 Olive-sided Flycatcher 2 Black-and-white Warbler 30 American Tree Sparrow 1 Northern Cardinal 28 Black-billed Cuckoo 1 Downy Woodpecker 27 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1 Tennessee Warbler 27 Brown-headed Cowbird 1 House Wren 24 Chipping Sparrow 1 Bay-breasted Warbler 23 Eastern Bluebird 1 Winter Wren 22 Eastern Kingbird 1 Philadelphia Vireo 21 Eastern Towhee 1 Indigo Bunting 20 Purple Finch 1 Myrtle's Warbler 20 Sedge Wren 1 Wilson's Warbler 20 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 Yellow Warbler 20 Yellow-breasted Chat 1 Least Flycatcher 18 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1 Tufted Titmouse 18 Eastern Phoebe 17 Total Species 88 Slate-colored Junco 17 Total Individuals Yellow-bellied Flycatcher 17 4380 Northern Waterthrush 16 *This is a summary of all banded birds at Burke Lake Banding Station in 2017. 221 individuals were banded from spring through summer, 2017. 4,159 individuals were banded during our fall migration season, August 16th - October 16th, 2017. Top 10 Species Captured Over the Years 2017 1. Gray Catbird 2. Common Yellowthroat 3. Swainson’s Thrush 4. American Redstart 5. Magnolia Warbler 6. Ruby-crowned Kinglet 7. White-throated Sparrow 8. American Robin 9. American Goldfinch 10. Rose-breasted Grosbeak 2016 1. American Redstart 2. Common Yellowthroat 3. Gray Catbird 4. Rose-breasted Grosbeak 5. Swainson’s Thrush 6. Ruby-throated Hummingbird 7. American Goldfinch 8. Magnolia Warbler 9. White-throated Sparrow 10. Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2015 1. Gray Catbird 2. Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3. American Redstart 4. White-throated Sparrow 5. Common Yellowthroat 6. Magnolia Warbler 7. Rose-breasted Grosbeak 8. Swainson’s Thrush 9. Mrytle Warbler 10. Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2014 1. American Robin 2. Magnolia Warbler 3. Gray Catbird 4. American Redstart 5. Common Yellowthroat 6. Swainson’s Thrush 7. White-throated Sparrow 8. Rose-breasted Grosbeak 9. Ruby-crowned Kinglet 10. Hermit Thrush 2013 1. Swainson’s Thrush 2. Gray Catbird 3. American Redstart 4. Common Yellowthroat 5. Magnolia Warbler 6. Red-eyed Vireo 7. American Robin 8. Wood Thrush 9. Ovenbird 10. Nashville Warbler Interesting Species of 2017 Black-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus erythropthalmus This Black-billed Cuckoo was the first ever caught at BULA! This individual was caught during spring banding on May 22, 2017. There are two species of Cuckoos in North America, Black-billed and Yellow- billed, both more commonly heard than seen. Yellow-breasted Chat Icteria virens A very special record for BULA! This individual is a first record for the banding station, and only the 5th record for Clinton County! Yellow-breasted Chat is a unique species; they are the only species in the family, Icteriidae—not to be confused with the family Icteridae, comprising of blackbirds, orioles and their allies. Eastern Kingbird Tyrannus tyrannus Another first for BULA! Kingbirds get their common English name from the concealed orange crown on the top of their head, which they flare up in displays of aggression towards predators. They are known to be very aggressive toward each other and other species, which is the origin of its latin name, tyrannus, meaning “tyrant, despot, or king”. Sedge Wren Cistothorus platensis The addition of Sedge Wren to our species list leaves us at 102 total species, with this being the 5th and final wren species banded at BULA! The Sedge Wren looks similar to the Marsh Wren, with the most obvious differences being the heavily streaked flight feathers, less distinct eye line, and overall paler appearance. Research A Look at the Distribution and Abundance of Native and Invasive Woody, Fruit-bearing Shrubs at the Burke Lake Banding Station By Brittney Beavers Brittney Beavers is an undergraduate student earning her B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife at Michigan State University. She conducted her undergraduate research under the direction of Dr. Jen Owen from April to November 2017. Brittney studied the abundance and distribution of both native and invasive woody, fruit-bearing shrubs in the area that are used by migrant landbirds at Burke Lake Banding Station, and mapped the distribution of the species especially nutritiously important to migrant landbirds.
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