Migration monitoring at Cabot Head Research Station is up and running!

Finally, a post from the absentee blogger! I am afraid it’s been already 4 weeks that migration monitoring has resumed at Cabot Head on the beautiful Bruce Peninsula, 4 weeks without any reporting in the virtual world… My apologies but the real world is always more appealing and it’s hard to resist the urge to go out kayaking on Georgian Bay in the afternoons.

We opened the nets again for the first time in fall in August 16 and it started quite well, with lots of American Redstarts. The first week was indeed very productive with this species, Red-eyed Vireo, and Cedar Waxwing among others. As the weeks passed, more warblers were added to the mix: Black&White, Black-throated Green, Nashville, Magnolia, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush were captured relatively frequently toward the end of August and early September. Lots of Pine Warblers were also regularly observed in Jack Pines. The first Palm Warblers were detected on September 11 and the first Blackpoll Warblers on September 13, later than usual.

A Great Egret was seen on the basin shore on September 7, the same day than the first ever Red Crossbill was observed on census by BPBO president, Ted Cheskey. Small flocks of White-winged Crossbills have been seen during the fall, but the real highlight was on Saturday, September 13, when 3 White-winged Crossbills were captured and banded, a first for Cabot Head!

Another great moment happened on September 9: while paddling on the Bay, I watched in awe a waterspout on the North horizon! At the same time, an adult Bald Eagle was flying towards the Bruce Peninsula shore! What are the odds of that, he?

What's a waterspout, you might ask? here's the Wikipedia definition:
"A waterspout is an intense columnar vortex (usually appearing as a
funnel-shaped cloud) that occurs over a body of water and is connected
to a cumuliform cloud. In the common form, it is a nonsupercell
tornado over water, and brings the water upward. It is weaker than
most of its land counterparts." but just google it and look at
pictures...

I saw it when it was probably already weakening or maybe i was too far
away (which is not a bad thing): i didn't really see any contact with
the water and the column seemed to be lighter and broken at the end
near the water... nonetheless, it was quite impressive to see this
thin, columnar cloud, like a finger pointing down the earth!!

so, on my right, a bald eagle effortlessly riding updrafts, and on my
left, under a white cloud, a dark funnel of a cloud! what a spectacle!

Cabot Head is an amazing place, with always something "new" to
discover and enjoy, even after 6 years! (like the rattlesnake on top
of Middle Bluff, just a few steps from the edge!)