Fall migration is about to begin!

I have happily returned to the Cabot Head Research Station for a new season. As much as some of you might not like to hear the term “fall” in mid-August, we are gearing up to monitor the fall migration, when birds leave their breeding grounds and head south (generally speaking) to their wintering places.

Nets are now up, set up in the same locations as they have been every spring and fall for the last 15 years. My first volunteers are arriving tonight: Nathalie and Anna from the Ottawa area. And tomorrow, August 16^th, will be the first official day of monitoring. However, we might not open the nets: there is a weather warning for intense rain all day on the Bruce Peninsula. We do need the rain, as it looks very dry here. But it would mean that the nets will stay furled, as it is not safe for birds to do banding in the rain. We will do the daily census, when one records all birds seen and heard over a one-hour period, following a set route. And we will do as much casual observations as the weather allows.

I will keep you all posted through the blog!

Stéphane