We had a great time and sighted and photographed many birds we had not seen before. Also, at the bird observatory we were able to watch all the different phases of bird banding. This was really fascinating.
Here are the birds in the wild we sighted and photographed:
- Indigo Bunting
- Baltimorr Oriole
- Yellow Warbler
- Killdeer
- Brown-Headed Cowbird
- Cliff Swallow
- Turkey Vulture
- Herring Gull
- Ring-billed Gull
- Canada Goose
- White-crowned Sparrow
- American Redstart
- Rose-breasted Grosbeak
- Downy Woodpecker
- Common Grackle
- Song Sparrow
- Gray Catbird
- Long-tailed Duck
- Caspian Tern
- Bonaparte's Gull
We also sighted and photographed a beaver swimming.
The bird banding process is fascinating. First the birds must be captured. The main method used at the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory is the "mist net". A fine nylon net is stretched between poles where birds are likely to fly. When a bird flies into the net it becomes entangled; it is unharmed but cannot escape. The bird observatory had qute a few nets strung up. About every 20 minutes volunteers from the bird obervatory check each net and disentangle the birds caught. They are brought back to the bird observatory where they are measured, weighed, sex determined, age estimated and banded. A record is kept of all this. The bird is then freed.
The following birds were photographed caught in the net, being banded or after banding:
- Lincoln Sparrow
- Downy Woodpecker
- Magnolia Warbler
- American Redstart
- Great Crested Flycatcher
Here are the photos we took.
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| MALE INDIGO BUNTING |
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| ABOVE 2 PHOTOS: FEMALE BALTIMORE ORIOLE |
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| YELLOW WARBLER |
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| ABOVE 3 PHOTOS: KILLDEER FIRST TWO PHOTOS: IT FLATTENS ITSELF ON GROUND & SPREADS ITS WINGS SHOWING OFF IT BEAUTIFUL COLOR; BELIEVED TO BE A SEXUAL DISPLAY TO ATTRACT A MATE. 3rd PHOTO: KILDEER WALKING AFTER DISPLAY |
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| MALE BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD |
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| CLIFF SWALLOW IN MUD NEST BUILT IN EAVES OF A BUILDING |
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| TURKEY VULTURES |
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| TURKEY VULTURES & HERRING GULL |
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| RING-BILLED GULL & CANADA GOOSE |
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| ABOVE 2 PHOTOS: WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW |
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| ABOVE 2 PHOTOS: MALE AMERICAN REDSTART |
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| ABOVE 2 PHOTOS: MALE ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK IN BREEDING PLUMAGE |
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| DOWNY WOODPECKER |
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| COMMON GRACKLE |
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| SONG SPARROW |
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| GRAY CATBIRD |
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| ABOVE 2 PHOTOS: LONG-TAILED DUCK MALE IS HAS LONG TAIL, FEMALE HAS SHORT TAIL |
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| MOSTLY CASPIAN TERNS; SMALLER BIRD IN CENTER IS PROBABLY A BONAPARTE'S GULL; SAME SIZE BIRD TO RIGHT OF IT CAN'T IDENTIFY |
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| VARIOUS GULLS & TERNS; BLACK BIRD FLYING IS PROBABLY A DOUBLE - CRESTED CORMORANT |
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| BEAVER BIRD BANDING AT PRINCE EDWARD POINT BIRD OBSERVATORY |

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| MIST NET |
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| LINCOLN SPARROW CAUGHT IN NET |


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| DOWNY WOODPECKER CAUGHT IN NET |
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| MAGNOLIA WARBLER CAUGHT IN NET |
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| ABOVE 3 PHOTOS: VOLUNTEERS REMOVING BIRDS FROM NET |
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| BIRDS ARE BROUGHT TO BIRD OBSERVATORY FOR BANDING SHARON IN FRONT OF BUILDING |
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| ABOVE 3 PHOTOS: FEMALE AMERICAN REDSTART BEING BANDED |
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| ABOVE 3 PHOTOS: MAGNOLIA WARBLER BEING BANDED |
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| ABOVE 2 PHOTOS: LINCOLN SPARROW AFTER BANDING |
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| GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER AFTER BANDING VIEWS AT PRINCE EDWARD POINT   VIEWS AT PRESQUE'ILE PROVINCIAL PARK     |
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