Rouge River Bird Observatory Latest Bird Sightings

Latest Dearborn Birds

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October 1998:

BANDING SUMMARY : 25 to 29 October:
121 NEW BIRDS, 23 RECAPS , 15 SPECIES IN 22 HOURS. Highlights were an old chickadee and the first tree sparrow.

28 Oct: An Eastern Phoebe was in the organic garden.

27 Oct: An adult Bald Eagle was seen on Greenfield Village property along the channelized portion of the Rouge River near Michigan Avenue. It was later seen across the river at the TPC Golf Course. It is along this stretch of the river that migrating Bald Eagles are becoming an annual event.

26 Oct: Today we banded the season's first American Tree Sparrow, likely the last new species of the year. Yesterday we recaptured a chickadee banded on the very first day RRBO began banding -- August 12, 1992. This bird was recaptured in 1993 and 1994, but has avoided the nets since then...until now.

BANDING SUMMARY : 18 to 24 October:
141 NEW BIRDS, 19 RECAPS , 19 SPECIES IN 25.5 HOURS. Highlights were a Field Sparrow, Purple FInch, and surpassing our records for new and total birds banded.

Oct 23: A Purple Finch was banded today. As with every Purple Finch we've ever banded (not a lot, a few a year), it was a female-plumaged bird. I don't know why we never see adult males around. An immature Red-shouldered Hawk also passed by, aided by an escort of crows.

Oct 20: Today we banded a Dark-eyed Junco with white wing bars. There is a race of Dark-eyed Juncos breeding in the Dakotas known as the "White-winged" Junco. However, measurements and coloration proved our bird was just a variation on our usual "Slate-colored" Junco ("White-winged" Juncos are larger and paler). It was easy to see that in the field, this bird would have been pegged as a "White-winged."

BANDING SUMMARY : 11 to 15 October:
98 NEW BIRDS, 23 RECAPS , 18 SPECIES IN 16.75 HOURS. Highlights were a second Winter Wren, and a late Wood Thrush on 14 October.

15 Oct: Another Winter Wren was banded, and an unbanded individual was seen.

BANDING SUMMARY : 4 to 10 October:
179 NEW BIRDS, 26 RECAPS , 26 SPECIES IN 26.5 HOURS. Highlights were Winter Wren, Indigo Bunting, Blue-headed Vireo, our 4th Brown Thrasher of the season.

10 Oct: A Fox Sparrow arrived in my yard this afternoon. Among the birds banded today were two Black-throated Blue Warblers. They beat the late date.

9 Oct: Several species are hitting their peak of migration -- White-throated and White-crowned Sparrows, Hermit Thrushes, and Orange-crowned Warblers (2 more banded today). We also had a Winter Wren today, only the 4th we've banded. These little ping-pong balls with tails tend to slip through our nets, and are greased lightning in the hand, too. But they sure are cute! An Indigo Bunting was banded today as well. It's rather unusual to have them this late. The Osprey that has been seen since late last month was at the lake again today. It was calling, but I was unable to check the rest of the lake to see if another bird was present.

6 Oct: The season's first Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was in the Craves yard today, along with one of the pair of Black-throated Blue Warblers that have been around for quite awhile...this ties the late fall date for that species. A Blue-headed Vireo was on campus today.

BANDING SUMMARY : 27 September to 3 October:
106 NEW BIRDS, 27 RECAPS , 28 SPECIES IN 21.5 HOURS. Highlights were Rusty Blackbird, Orange-crowned Warbler, and Brown Creeper.

3 Oct: Finally caught our first Swamp Sparrows today. A late report had an American Golden-Plover along the Rouge River channel on 19 Sep. Putting together all of our Osprey reports, we have had sightings from Greenfield Village, the Rouge channel and UM-D from 20 to 30 Sept. These may have involved more than one bird, since two were seen along the channel on 26 Sept.

Last month's sightings. More Archived sightings are listed below