Welcome!

Welcome to our blog about Neotropical migrants in NE Belize. Below and in ajoining pages you will find details of observations and acitivies carried out under a one year project examining Neotropical migrants in north-east Belize that has now come to an end. The blog, for which any date can accessed using the calendar, largely details daily capture totals from mist-netting carried out during ‘autumn’ and ’spring’ migration in 2007 and 2008. In the other pages you will find more details about the project.

We hope you find this of interest!

Yellowthroat recovered in Texas!

This week we received the exciting news that a Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas banded by ourselves in March 2008 was retrapped over 1400 km to the north in Texas in April of this year. This is the first migrant that we banded in Belize to be found elsewhere, lets hope there are more to come. The map below shows the two capture locations.

Errata!

The density estimates for overwintering migrants in NE Belize presented in the Final Report (available for download from the Reports and Results page) were calculated incorrectly and consequently greatly overestimate true estimates. To obtain the correct density estimates please download the following document: Errata 17.12.08 – Final report Bayly & Gomez 2008

Final report available for download

The final report resulting from the activities of this project and submitted to the Belizean Forestry Department is now available for download – see the Results & Reports page. The same page will be updated with further results and publications as they are produced.

On the move in Belmopan

Activities under our Neotropical migrant project have ceased now but we continue to monitor migration during our last week in Belize. With the impact of Ike over, birds are on the move again now and yesterday saw a large movement of both Cliff and Barn Swallows, with the former apparently outnumbering the latter. Today in a small block of secondary scrub on the outskirts of Belmopan an excellent selection of migrants were on view, including a Blackburnian Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler and many Red-eyed Vireos.

End of Course

Today was the last day of the course and a disappointing one, as Ike continued to block the flow of migrants and threrefore captures were few. The same was true yesterday, although a couple of interesting migrants were trapped such as Veery and the first Least Flycatcher for the course. The totals below refer to birds trapped both on the 13th and 14th.

Willow Flycatcher

Empidonax traillii

1

Trails Flycatcher

Empidonax traillii/alnorum

1

Least Flycatcher

Empidonax minimus

1

Veery

Catharus fuscescens

1

Kentucky Warbler

Oporornis formosus

1

Yellow-breasted Chat

Icteria virens

3

Total

8

The brand new University of Belize banding group!

Ike stops the flow

After two days with lots of movement, the migrants dried up and just six new birds were trapped. This is most likely the affect of Hurricane Ike as it moves from east to west across the Gulf of Mexico and the winds over the Gulf change from northerly to southerly. Winds are expected to be strong and from the south over the Gulf again tonight, so migrants are likely to be thin on the ground again tomorrow, with just those birds that have already made it to the Yucatan on the move.

Ovenbird

Seiurus aurocapillus

1

Hooded Warbler

Wilsonia citrina

1

Yellow-breasted Chat

Icteria virens

4

Total

6

More Chats

Another busy morning produced 18 migrants of which 12 were Yellow-breasted Chats. The only Empidonax trapped had an unusual set of measurements and could not even be narrowed down to two species. We were joined today by William from BFREE in southern Belize, who is assisting with the training over the next three days.

Empidonax sp.

Empidonax sp.

1

Ovenbird

Seiurus aurocapillus

1

Kentucky Warbler

Oporornis formosus

2

Hooded Warbler

Wilsonia citrina

2

Yellow-breasted Chat

Icteria virens

12

Total

18

 

Chats and Empidonax

After a quiet day yesterday (just 4 migrants), there were many more migrants today and captures were dominated by Yellow-breasted Chats and Empidonax flycatchers. The students on the banding course dilligently took measurements on the near inseparable Empidonax flycathers and after running them through a formula it appears that the majority of birds involved in today’s movement were Willow Flycatchers. This movement is probably assoaciated with the northerly winds Hurricane Ike is currently producing over the Gulf of Mexico.

Willow Flycatcher

Empidonax traillii

4

Trail’s Flycatcher

Empidonax traillii/alnorum

3

Red-eyed Vireo

Vireo olivaceus

1

Ovenbird

Seiurus aurocapillus

1

Northern Waterthrush

Seiurus noveboracensis

3

Yellow-breasted Chat

Icteria virens

8

Orchard Oriole

Icterus spurius

1

Total

Total

21

More Variety

Numbers of migrants captured today were similar to previous days but there was more variety. Amongst the new species recorded for the course were typical early arriving migrants such as Black-and-White Warbler, Ovenbird and Yellow Warbler. The Kentucky Warbler was out of habitat, usually this species perfers mature forest, and is likely be a passage bird brought down by the overnight rain.

Alder Flycatcher

Empidonax alnorum

2

Red-eyed Vireo

Vireo olivaceus

1

Yellow Warbler

Dendroica petechia

1

Hooded Warbler

Wilsonia citrina

2

Black-and-White Warbler

Mniotilta varia

1

Ovenbird

Seiurus aurocapillus

1

Kentucky Warbler

Oporornis formosus

1

Yellow-breasted Chat

Icteria virens

1

Total

10