St George Island Fallout!

April 15th brought an unusually strong cold front barreling through the Florida Panhandle and northern Gulf of Mexico. Strong winds and heavy rains pounded St. George Island for the first half of the day, before finally clearing to a brisk north wind.

These conditions served as a rude arrival for songbirds crossing the Gulf the following night. The sun rose on the 16th to reveal St. George Island covered in recently arrived trans-Gulf migrants, taking advantage of the first bit of land they could rest on. Flocks of buntings flushed off the grassy shoulders, kites and swallows wheeled through the gusty skies, and streams of electric-colored grosbeaks, tanagers, and orioles crossed from tree to tree.

Over the following day and half, we were able to band roughly 150 migrants at our field site in Unit 4 ANERR, and observed 51 species of trans-Gulf migrants, many in astounding numbers.

We were also very excited to have ECSC colleagues visit from Florida A&M University on the 16th, including Dr. Charles Jagoe, Dr. Daniel Osborne, and Ph.D students Mario Marquez and LaTrisha Allen.

Here are some photos that help sum up what was an amazing few days.

As the front cleared on April 15th, the winds intensified and shifted to the northwest, turning Apalachicola Bay into a roiling cauldron. These are very poor flying conditions for a northbound migrant, and for the next few days St. George Island became a haven for these weary, tropical travelers.  

The Swainson's Warbler is an elusive summer denizen of southern forests with dense understory, whether its rhododendron thickets in the Appalachians or canebrakes on the coastal plain. 

The Prothonotary Warbler spends the breeding season in mature, flooded forests of the south. Their name refers to the Chief Secretary of the Chancery at Rome, who wears a yellow robe. It is also nicknamed the Golden Swamp Warbler, and is, without a doubt, one of the brightest of all songbirds. 

We were lucky enough to band a few Painted Buntings, including this adult male.  Wintering in Central America, these jewels breed in two distinct populations, one on the Gulf Coast and one on the south Atlantic coast.

With a massive, powerful beak, we had to guard our fingers from this male  Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

The Blue Grosbeak is another species with a formidable beak, and is a wide-ranging breeding species in open areas throughout the southern tier of the country. 

Not all is peaceful for the migrants on St. George Island! They must remain forever vigilant against predators, including this Merlin. Merlin's are the medium-sized falcon of North America, smaller than the Peregrine but larger than the kestrel. They maraud along the coastlines during the winter, before retreating to the far north to breed.

Dr. Lori Lester (left) demonstrates the process of handling a Rose-breasted Grosbeak to Dr. Charles Jagoe, Dr. Daniel Osborne, and Ph.D student LaTrisha Allen from Florida A&M University.