lost at sea...

with May coming to a close, migration is slowing down. however, the late migrants are just begining to move through, like the Willow and Alder Flycatchers (lumped into Traill's Flycatcher when in hand as it is impossible to tell the 2 species apart if they don't call), the Cedar Waxwings (in noisy flocks) and the late warblers (Wilson's, Canada, Mourning). Big flocks of Canada Goose have also starting to fly over, heading north (and more will come in June). Even for the harsh Arctic, it is already late for them to attempt to breed; it is more likely that these Geese are non- or failed breeders going north in search of a safer place to moult, in what is called a moult migration. Like ducks and swans, geese loose all their flight feathers at once, making them vulnerable to predation: better find a place with as few toothed beasts as possible...

numerous perils await birds in migration, natural and - increasingly - man-made. Imagine finding your favorite patch of dogwoods turned into a manicured lawn, because cottage owners think it is such a great way to spend time in the country mowing their infinite expanse of green desert... That's bad news when you need to replenish your fat reserve after many night-long flights...

Huge bodies of water like Georgian Bay are also a hazard to cross, especially for soaring raptors. Yesterday, while walking on the cobbled beach, we found the carcass of a young Red-tailed Hawk! With all the wing and tail feathers still attached and the skeleton complete, evidence pointed toward a death at "sea" instead of by predator (that would have plucked the bird and reaped the body apart)... the bird then was washed on the shore. It reminded me of a dead Broad-winged Hawk I found floating on the Bay while I was kayaking a few springs ago.

Soaring raptors use thermals or updrafts to do most of their migration, conditions rarely occuring above large bodies of water; thus, they avoid crossing water as much as they can (as unbelievable massive concentrations of raptors like at Vera Cruz, Mexico, attest). It is possible that these two young (still relatively unexperienced) where blown of course by strong south wind just like the one that is blowing today and found themselves in the middle of Georgian Bay. Already exhausted by their long migration, they couldn't stay aloft long enough to reach the other shore...

the chance to find a carcass, either on the shore or on the water, given the vastness of the bay, the depth of the water column, and all the scavengers around, is very small. So these 2 birds are certainly the proverbial tip of the iceberg.

however, not all is grim in the migration world: this spring, we recaptured an adult male American Redstart that was banded in spring 2001 (as a second-year, which means it was born in 2000). Not only it is a testimony to its strength and survival, this specific individual has been recaptured every spring here since its initial banding! Ever so faithful, it is also lucky to like the nature reserve where the station sits in, as it will always have its neck of the wood ready to welcome him in spring!

i am looking forward to catch him in the springs to come! (the oldest known American Redstart is 10 years and a month - see http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/BBL/homepage/longvrec.htm)