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February 04, 1962 - Bird Banding At Tiana Beach, L I'Nor N is % L;4 mot VA Ik Mist Netting Exclusive Sunday Review Sketch by Dennis Puleston of Brookba IFocus on Nature by Paul Stoutenburgh Tiana Beach, L I By Walter Terry Last week's column described' the Japanese mist nets used for trapping over four thousand mi- gratory birds annually at Tiana Beach, Long Island and the con- ditions under which these birds are banded with the cooperation of the Fish and Wildlife Service of the United States Department of the Interior. This week's concluding article reviews some interesting results of the banding operation. The presence of some of the more elusive rarely seen birds feeding on or near the ground would not be suspected except for the fact that they are occasionally trapped in the nets. One of these is the chat, a large warbler with a bright yellow breast. Another is the grasshopper sparrow, one of the smallest and most retiring of the sparrows. Four winter wrens, rather s h y tiny birds were netted in October, At Tiana more slate -c o 16 r ed Juncos and Myrtle warblers are banded than any other species. Other species of which over one hundred were banded in the two month period in 1961, are yel- low- shafted flicker, both golden and ruby - crowned kinglets, palm warbler, American goldfinch, Sa- vannah and white - throated spar- rows. Some other not too common birds banded were, 1 yellow - billed cuckoo, 1 mockingbird, 1 northern) shrike, 1 yellow- throated and 5 blue- headed vireos, l o r a n g e- crowned, 2 Blackburnian, 1 bay breasted, 1 Connecticut, 1 hooded and 2 Wilson's warblers, 2 dick - sissels, 13 indigo buntings, 2 sea- side, 6 vesper, and 4 Lincoln's sparrows. Preceding years have also pro- duced some birds considered rare on Long Island. These include a sage thrasher, common in the southwestern part of the United States, with only one previous record east of the Mississippi River. In 1959 a Bell's vireo was banded. According to Peterson this bird occurs chiefly west of the Mississippi River to North- western Indiana. Some of our commonest birds not frequently found in the low vegetation on the barrier beach were banded as follows; I* blue jay, 1 black- capped chickadee, 2 starlings, 1 red - winged blackbird, 1 cowbird and 3 English sparrows. The northern shrike mentioned) above was determined to get a dragon fly enmeshed in the net. It perched on the net and net poles and dove into the net sev- eral times before actually being trapped. Many birds striking the windy weather. I n c l u d e d in the 155 flickers banded in 1961 was a hybrid with red - shafted tail feathers and four red - shafted primary feathers in each wing. The eastern flicker is yellow- shafted and the red - shafted flicker is found west of the Great Plains. Hybrids in the overlapping area are not uncommon. Birds just banded are o f t e n retrapped the same day and a few are retrapped several days later. When an appreciable num- ber of newly banded birds is recovered the following day, in- dications are that many of the migrants did not leave the area for the south during the inter- vening night. Six song sparrows and a catbird banded in 1958 were recovered at Tiana in the fail of 1959. Occasionally birds banded at Tiana are recovered by other banders and each year a few banded at other locations are re- covered at Tiana. Band number 61 -67303 placed on the left leg of a northern water t h r u s h at Tiana on September 27, 1958 was recovered and released at Cara- cas, Venezuela, on November 29, 1958. A slate- colored junco banded at Tiana October 30, 1958 was re- covered and released at Hunt- ington, L I, February 27, 1959 A flicker banded at T i a n a October 14, 1959 flew into a plate glass window at the county seat at Riverhead two days later. A myrtle warbler banded at Algonquin -Park, Ontario, Canada, September 19, 1959 and one band- ed in Maine were both recovered !, and released at Tiana on October 15, 1959. A white- throated sparrow band- ed at Artmore, Pennsylvania No- vember 27, 1957 was recovered at Tiana October 30, 1958. One interesting point f u r t h er developed from Operation Re- covery is the reverse n o r t h, northeastward movement of a few banded migratory birds. An eastern towhee banded August 17, 1957 at Middletown, R 1, w as recovered at Halifax, N S Octo- ber 17, 1957 far to the northeast of its breeding range. Other recoveries include a bay - breasted warbler banded August 28, 1957 at Nantucket, Mass which traveled north, recovered at Bos- ton September 29, 1957 and also a myrtle warbler b a n d e d at Middletown, R I September 27, 1957 traveling easterly and re- covered at Nantucket October 13, 1957 . Authorities studying this situa- tion conclude "This direct evi- dence of reverse migration, cou- pled with the numerous records of Stragglers from the s o u t h, indicates that northbound move- ment under certain weather con- ditions in the fall may eta reg- ular phenomenon. It is certainly Qne that is poorly understood at the present time and one on which Operation Recovery can throw a great deal of light in the future ". FIELD OBSERVATIONS Dennis Puleston reports: Brookhaven — January 18 King Rail Brookhaven — January 19 Virginia Rail Mecox — January 28 Snow Goose Snowy Owl Wilson's Snipe (6) Westhampton — January 28 Wood Duck L. R. Ernest reports: Shinnecock — January 28 Black- bellied Plover Shinnecock — January 29 Double- crested Cormorant Pacific Loon Gilbert Raynor reports: Manorviile — January 19 Great Horned Owl (2) Mecox — January 21 Snowy Owl Short -eared Owl Sag"nack — January 21 American Widgeon (800) European Widgeon esthampton — January 23 Wood Duck Hooded Merganser (40) Shinnecock — January 23 anada Goose (280) anderling (10) unlin (10) anorville — daily at feeder ermit Thrush Raynor, D Puleston and Halama report: January 20 Patchogue Green - winged Teal (26) Ring - necked Duck (45) Gadwall — (about 40) Oakdale Redhead Ring-necked Duck (3) Dickcissel (2) at feeder Babylon Fish Crow (9) Gadwall (76) Oakdale — Arboretum Evening Grosbeak (7) House Finch (50) Brookhaven Rough - legged Hawk Short -eared Owl (2) Long -eared Owl (2) Manorville Red - tailed Hawk Please send all comments and observations to P a u 1 Stouten- burgh, Bay Avenue, RD No 1, Box 105, Cutchogue, New York.