After I close the banding station at
the Muskegon Lake Nature Preserve (usually in late November), I
switch to
netting in my Norton Shores backyard as acceptable weather
and free time allow. Over the last five winters, the most common
species have been
Dark-eyed Junco (468),
American Goldfinch (195),
Northern Cardinal (59),
Black-capped Chickadee (49), and
House Finch
(33). A few surprises sometimes occur (such as a
Chipping Sparrow
captured during February 2014), and overall, winter banding has
yielded 19 species. This compares favorably to my average annual
contribution of
16 species to the
Great Backyard Bird Count.
Six species of neighborhood raptors
(Sharp-shinned, Cooper's, Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks,
Merlin, and Great Horned Owls) put some pressure on the local birds,
but mammalian predators, including cats, are fortunately much less
common. However, this coyote examining the feeders on January 9
demonstrates that surprises are not limited to birds.
The smallest, but the most cold-hardy
of the spotted thrushes in Michigan, the Hermit Thrush occurs chiefly
during migration in Muskegon County. Based on captures from the fall
banding station, the first birds appear during the last week of September,
peak passage averages October 11, and most stragglers depart during
the first week of November. However, some Hermit Thrushes breed in
Muskegon County on conifer-dominated tracts within the Manistee
National Forest. Moreover, while the species is not a regular winter
resident, individuals may be found during even the worst winters, as long
as sufficient stocks of berries persist (both native and exotic
species are consumed). I have encountered solitary birds for the last
three years, but this individual (on January 6) was the first for
Black Lake Park. Its retained greater coverts indicate that it
hatched last summer.
- Brian Johnson
