September 29th, 2017 – Season Finale

After two months of banding we are done for the season here at TLBO. We had an excellent last day of banding as you can see from Anna’s post yesterday and I felt a little sad taking down the nets knowing there would be no more censuses this year, no bags of birds lined up in the lab waiting to be processed, and no more beautiful sunrises that cover the Niuts in a reddish glow each morning. Since arriving at the start of August the Tatlayoko Valley has found its way into my heart and I hope it will not be too long before I visit again.

This season has been a very low volume season with 1087 birds banded, the lowest number banded at this station. We have speculated that this may be due to the intense fire season in British Columbia and this data could be very valuable in helping to determine the effect that forest fires may have on bird populations.

Graph depicting total numbers of birds banded for each year TLBO has been in operation

While the volume of song birds was very low this season we had a record high capture rate of Northern Saw-whet Owls (NSWO) with 59 individuals banded. The previous high was in 2012 with 31 individuals banded. One of the NSWO’s banded on Sept. 18th was recaptured at Rocky Point Bird observatory on the 27th.

Graph depicting NSWO banding totals showing total banded each year (in blue) as well as the number of nights spend banding (in red).

We have had a few first records this year including the first Black-headed Grosbeak observed and the first Chestnut-backed Chickadee banded. We also banded the first Merlin caught in standard mistnets. This was a also a first banding tick for me. Previously I had only banded in Ontario so I have been lucky enough to have many banding “ticks” at the station this year. My personal favourite was being able to band not one but two Northern Harriers (four were banded here this season). Other personal banding highlights were Varied Thrush, Steller’s Jay, Mountain Chickadee and a myriad of western empidomax flycatchers. The empids are a notoriously hard group of species to identify in the field (or in the hand for that matter) and it was nice to get a close look and confirm with measurements to help improve my field ID.

Overall I have had a fantastic time at TLBO and have many people to thank and hope I do not miss anyone. BC Spaces for Nature, NCC, Joerg Fischer for his charitable donations, Avery Bartels for finding time to answer my multitude of questions while running RPBO, Candice Ford for allowing us to invade her space and the amazing residents of Tatlayoko who made us feel very welcome. I want to thank Anna who has been an excellent assistant bander and a great well of knowledge to tap into. Lastly, and certainly not least I want to thank the volunteers who have donated their time and energy into making this season work.

I will leave you with a photo I have posted before. this is one of the first photos I took of the mountains here on a calm day which only captures a hint of the true beauty of this valley.

The Niuts reflecting off the calm lagoon. Once again the photo is flipped upside down!

Happy birding!

-Kyle Cameron

–

Total Banded	1105
Species Banded	56
Total Recapped	144
Species Recapped	21
Species Recorded	132

–

Species	Banded	Recapped
Lincoln’s Sparrow	189	26
Song Sparrow	156	34
Common Yellowthroat	112	36
Swainson’s Thrush	90	12
Northern Saw-whet Owl	59	0
Warbling Vireo	52	1
Savannah Sparrow	44	1
Orange-crowned Warbler	40	0
Yellow Warbler	35	2
White-crowned Sparrow	33	5
Wilson’s Warbler	32	0
Oregon Junco	29	0
American Redstart	28	2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	22	0
Northern Waterthrush	21	1
MacGillivray’s Warbler	20	3
Black-capped Chickadee	15	9
Hermit Thrush	13	1
Yellow-rumped Warbler	11	0
Chipping Sparrow	10	0
Cedar Waxwing	9	5
Dusky Flycatcher	8	0
Fox Sparrow	6	1
Townsend’s Warbler	5	0
Vesper Sparrow	5	0
Varied Thrush	5	0
Pacific-slope Flycatcher	4	0
Northern Harrier	4	0
Willow Flycatcher	3	1
Spotted Towhee	3	1
Downy Woodpecker	3	1
Cassin’s Vireo	3	0
Sharp-shinned Hawk	3	0
Red-eyed Vireo	3	0
Brown Creeper	3	0
Hammond’s Flycatcher	2	0
Red-breasted Nuthatch	2	0
American Robin	2	0
Steller’s Jay	2	0
Evening Grosbeak	2	0
Pileated Woodpecker	2	0
Golden-crowned Kinglet	1	0
Western Tanager	1	0
Indigo Bunting	1	0
Cooper’s Hawk	1	0
Least Flycatcher	1	0
Mountain Chickadee	1	0
Pacific Wren	1	0
Marsh Wren	1	0
Clay-colored Sparrow	1	0
Lazuli Bunting	1	0
Red-winged Blackbird	1	0
Purple Finch	1	0
Merlin	1	0
Western Wood-pewee	1	0
Chestnut-backed Chickadee	1	0
Red-naped Sapsucker	0	1
Hairy Woodpecker	0	1

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September 28th – A Woodpecking Day

This is it, the last monitoring day of the season. For the first time during the season, we banded Song Sparrows and Song Sparrows, and…Song Sparrows. Mostly just them in the nets, wherever we went. A total of 16 Song Sparrows out of 24 birds banded. But then near the last net round, I heard Kyle say on the radio: “…come to net 14!”. This is the “jackpot net 14” that constantly captures the highest number of birds. I ran there, not sure what to expect, and then found myself facing two Pileated Woodpeckers. The rest is history. Kyle told us about the first and last Pileated Woodpecker he banded, also on the last monitoring day, at Innis Point Bird Observatory (Ottawa, ON). Strange? There’s more.

Pileated Woodpecker, male. Females do not have red on the forecrown, nor on the malar stripe, both of which would instead be black.

Last night, the last owling night of the season, we closed with six owls–and the northern lights. It was our first time seeing them in the valley. We all agreed that we had never seen such exceptional, colourful northern lights before, dancing and pulsing. They were covering about half of the sky.

Northern lights after the peak. Photo by Kyle.

Stay tuned for the recap of the season (!); Kyle will write it tomorrow. We took down all the nets this afternoon, packed up all monitoring equipment and organized the station. All that is left is to submit data in the monitoring database and pack up our personal belongings, and we’re good to go.

My last two months had been a remarkable experience. I thank everyone involved in making this experience possible, including Avery, without whom I would not be here; Kyle; Candice; Hana; Sally; the exceptional volunteers, Constanza, Gwyn, Laurel and Sachi; Peter; the visiting students and their relatives; and many other great and generous people.

Take care, everyone,

Anna.

—

Total Banded	1089
Species Banded	56
Total Recapped	144
Species Recapped	21
Species Recorded	132

—

Species	Banded	Recapped
Lincoln’s Sparrow	189	26
Song Sparrow	156	34
Common Yellowthroat	112	36
Swainson’s Thrush	90	12
Warbling Vireo	52	1
Savannah Sparrow	44	1
Northern Saw-whet Owl	43	0
Orange-crowned Warbler	40	0
Yellow Warbler	35	2
White-crowned Sparrow	33	5
Wilson’s Warbler	32	0
Oregon Junco	29	0
American Redstart	28	2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	22	0
Northern Waterthrush	21	1
MacGillivray’s Warbler	20	3
Black-capped Chickadee	15	9
Hermit Thrush	13	1
Yellow-rumped Warbler	11	0
Chipping Sparrow	10	0
Cedar Waxwing	9	5
Dusky Flycatcher	8	0
Fox Sparrow	6	1
Townsend’s Warbler	5	0
Vesper Sparrow	5	0
Varied Thrush	5	0
Pacific-slope Flycatcher	4	0
Northern Harrier	4	0
Willow Flycatcher	3	1
Spotted Towhee	3	1
Downy Woodpecker	3	1
Cassin’s Vireo	3	0
Sharp-shinned Hawk	3	0
Red-eyed Vireo	3	0
Brown Creeper	3	0
Hammond’s Flycatcher	2	0
Red-breasted Nuthatch	2	0
American Robin	2	0
Steller’s Jay	2	0
Evening Grosbeak	2	0
Pileated Woodpecker	2	0
Golden-crowned Kinglet	1	0
Western Tanager	1	0
Indigo Bunting	1	0
Cooper’s Hawk	1	0
Least Flycatcher	1	0
Mountain Chickadee	1	0
Pacific Wren	1	0
Marsh Wren	1	0
Clay-colored Sparrow	1	0
Lazuli Bunting	1	0
Red-winged Blackbird	1	0
Purple Finch	1	0
Merlin	1	0
Western Wood-pewee	1	0
Chestnut-backed Chickadee	1	0
Red-naped Sapsucker	0	1
Hairy Woodpecker	0	1

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September 27, 2017 – Post by Sachi

Today we all woke up in a fog. No, literally a thick valley bottom fog that took its sweet time dissipating. When the sun finally burned it off we were treated to a bluebird day filled with all the golden, orange and red hues of the fall.

With respect to banding today was a bit more active than yesterday seeing 14 birds banded of 8 species and 4 recaptures comprised of 4 species. The highlight of the day was our first Mountain Chickadee of the season! This little bird inspired some pretty inventive puns from Kyle as it was his first time banding a Mountain Chickadee. The Mountain Chickadee (Poecile gambeli) is one of the 4 species of chickadees that can be seen in this valley. This tiny bird can be best differentiated from its cousins by a distinctive white stripe over the eye which always makes me think of a backwoods outlaw or a bandit. If you use the Black-capped Chickadee’s call as a reference point the Mountain’s call is harsh – often described as “scolding” while the Chestnut-backed sounds more like a squeaky toy and the Boreal is nasal and scratchy.

Our Mountain Chickadee, note the white stripe above the eye – photo credit Anna

A closeup of his deformed bill due to a possible lack of nutrients while in the nest. Poor guy – photo credit Anna

Today we observed multiple large groups of Black-capped Chickadees and Oregon Dark-eyed Juncos foraging in the fall light. Whenever I turned my head, there was a Golden-crowned kinglet vocalizing as it fluttered from branch to branch.  Raptors were absent with a Cooper’s Hawk as our only sighting. The 2 Chestnut-Backed Chickadees were sighted again along with a single Brewer’s Blackbird. The highlight of the day for me was seeing my first Swamp Sparrow. This is the 9th recorded sighting at the station (according to eBird) of this rare migrant to the valley. They are very striking with bright rufus wings and crown with solid grey on the sides of their necks giving the appearance (to me that is) of wearing a fancy hood.

Come sunset we will embark on our last night of owling. Fingers crossed that we get some owls as it would be nice to end the owling season much like it began. Also, this will be my final TLBO blog post for the season. Thank you for reading along and bearing with my rambling posts.

Happy birding!

Cheers,

-Sachi

—

Total Banded	1065
Species Banded	55
Total Recapped	143
Species Recapped	21
Species Recorded	132

—

Species	Banded	Recapped
Lincoln’s Sparrow	188	26
Song Sparrow	140	33
Common Yellowthroat	112	36
Swainson’s Thrush	90	12
Warbling Vireo	52	1
Savannah Sparrow	44	1
Northern Saw-whet Owl	43	0
Orange-crowned Warbler	40	0
Yellow Warbler	35	2
White-crowned Sparrow	33	5
Wilson’s Warbler	32	0
Oregon Junco	29	0
American Redstart	28	2
Northern Waterthrush	21	1
MacGillivray’s Warbler	20	3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	20	0
Black-capped Chickadee	15	9
Hermit Thrush	11	1
Yellow-rumped Warbler	11	0
Chipping Sparrow	10	0
Cedar Waxwing	9	5
Dusky Flycatcher	8	0
Fox Sparrow	5	1
Townsend’s Warbler	5	0
Vesper Sparrow	5	0
Varied Thrush	5	0
Pacific-slope Flycatcher	4	0
Northern Harrier	4	0
Willow Flycatcher	3	1
Spotted Towhee	3	1
Downy Woodpecker	3	1
Cassin’s Vireo	3	0
Sharp-shinned Hawk	3	0
Red-eyed Vireo	3	0
Brown Creeper	3	0
Hammond’s Flycatcher	2	0
Red-breasted Nuthatch	2	0
American Robin	2	0
Steller’s Jay	2	0
Evening Grosbeak	2	0
Golden-crowned Kinglet	1	0
Western Tanager	1	0
Indigo Bunting	1	0
Cooper’s Hawk	1	0
Least Flycatcher	1	0
Mountain Chickadee	1	0
Pacific Wren	1	0
Marsh Wren	1	0
Clay-colored Sparrow	1	0
Lazuli Bunting	1	0
Red-winged Blackbird	1	0
Purple Finch	1	0
Merlin	1	0
Western Wood-pewee	1	0
Chestnut-backed Chickadee	1	0
Red-naped Sapsucker	0	1
Hairy Woodpecker	0	1

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Sept.26, Picidae Day. Post by Laurel

Opened nets at 8:30 this morning because of juuust enough raindrops to be of concern. I went on census walk with Kyle. It was a quiet morning with 22 species censused.  A funny highlight: As we were nearing the lake, as part of the census route, I was thinking about Bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), particularly how I have not seen any since I left Washington, then, a perfect representative of the species exited a tree very close to us. It felt like I materialized it with my reverent thoughts.

Picidae is the family of birds that includes Woodpeckers. We banded three today! One Hairy woodpecker and two Downy woodpeckers (double-down). These two species look nearly identical in the field high up above spectators’ heads, so a quick trick to determine Hairy vs. Downy is by the length of bill in relation to head length. Hairys’ bills are roughly the same length as the head while Downys’ bills are about 1/3 of the head length. I think Anna’s hand can attest to the larger size of a Hairy’s bill! Anyway, we banded three but there were two more in close vicinity.  Kyle trotted back with the two Downys and told us that while he was extracting them there were 2 Hairys watching him do so from a nearby tree.

Hairy Woodpecker gently yet firmly grasped by Anna’s right hand.

Additionally, today was a day of RECAPS (recaptured birds).  When we get these, unless we banded them earlier that same day, we take measurements as usual and let them go. We had 6 recaps and only 6 newly banded individuals. Kyle banded 5 owls. No owl recaps yet.

Us.

Welp, thats all I got for today.  Also, seeing as we are done for the season on the 28th, this is my final blog entry. Bye friends!

-Laurelllll

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September 25th, 2017

In direct contrast to the start of the season it seems like we have had more rain than sunshine in the past few days. We were unable to open nets until 9:30 this morning due to rain. Once the nets were open we were treated to two Varied Thrush and a first for the season – a Steller’s Jay. Sachi enjoys the enthusiasm and excitement that Anna and I get from seeing these birds that he has seen many times. I am sure we would also enjoy his excitement at seeing Blue Jays in Ontario.

The temperature has risen from our previous week of freezing conditions in the morning  but the trees sense fall is here and have begun turning glorious colours. The sparse aspen trees in the mountains are splashes of gold among the deep green pine and fir. Around the station the Gooseberry leaves are turning red producing another beautiful contrast.

Happy Birding!

-Kyle

–

Total Banded	1020
Species Banded	57
Total Recapped	132
Species Recapped	17
Species Recorded	147

–

 

 

 

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September 24th, 2017

We had the honour of having Candice at the station. In her presence, we banded a second Varied Thrush and saw two Ruffed Grouse fall through the net and make holes, one at least the size of a medium pizza (Sachi’s words). It was a slow day today, with ten birds banded and five recaps. Other than the Varied Thrush, the MacGillivray’s Warbler was a nice bird in the net after a hiatus of weeks.

The TLBO Potluck event was held yesterday evening. We went “owling”, but did not get any owl when everyone was there, unfortunately. The round after most left, there was one owl–and a total of four owls for the night. Thanks to everyone for coming, and to Hana and Candice for organizing. We thought the event was fun and educational, and I hope those who attended think so too. Come again, weather permitting; our last owl day should be the 27th!

Kyle’s presentation at the potluck.

Until later!

Anna

—

Total Banded	1029
Species Banded	53
Total Recapped	132
Species Recapped	15
Species Recorded	130

—

Species	Banded	Recapped
Lincoln’s Sparrow	185	25
Song Sparrow	135	31
Common Yellowthroat	111	36
Swainson’s Thrush	90	12
Warbling Vireo	52	1
Savannah Sparrow	43	1
Northern Saw-whet Owl	43	0
Orange-crowned Warbler	39	0
Yellow Warbler	35	2
White-crowned Sparrow	33	2
Wilson’s Warbler	32	0
American Redstart	28	2
Oregon Junco	23	0
Northern Waterthrush	21	1
MacGillivray’s Warbler	20	3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	14	0
Black-capped Chickadee	13	9
Yellow-rumped Warbler	11	0
Chipping Sparrow	10	0
Cedar Waxwing	9	5
Hermit Thrush	9	0
Dusky Flycatcher	8	0
Vesper Sparrow	5	0
Townsend’s Warbler	5	0
Pacific-slope Flycatcher	4	0
Northern Harrier	4	0
Fox Sparrow	4	0
Willow Flycatcher	3	1
Red-eyed Vireo	3	0
Cassin’s Vireo	3	0
Sharp-shinned Hawk	3	0
Spotted Towhee	3	0
Brown Creeper	3	0
Hammond’s Flycatcher	2	0
American Robin	2	0
Red-breasted Nuthatch	2	0
Downy Woodpecker	2	0
Varied Thrush	2	0
Lazuli Bunting	1	0
Cooper’s Hawk	1	0
Marsh Wren	1	0
Golden-crowned Kinglet	1	0
Pacific Wren	1	0
Western Tanager	1	0
Least Flycatcher	1	0
Red-winged Blackbird	1	0
Indigo Bunting	1	0
Chestnut-backed Chickadee	1	0
Western Wood-pewee	1	0
Purple Finch	1	0
Merlin	1	0
Evening Grosbeak	1	0
Red-naped Sapsucker	0	1

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September 23, 2017. Post by Sachi

Howdy! Yestereve, Candace arrived home after a two month absence. She is the resident of the Lincoln Creek Ranch who has been so generous this season by allowing all of the volunteers to stay in her beautiful house during the course of the banding season. On behalf of all of the volunteers, thank you!

Later on last night, Kyle and I were joined by Sandra and her two children Simon and Julia for our nightly Owl monitoring. Unfortunately the last time that they had joined us no Saw-whets were caught. We were all hoping that the Saw-whet army would be out in force (as it had been in previous nights) so as to not disappoint our patient guests as well as our selves. It was a balmy (~11°C) and overcast night which was not a good start for Saw-whets who prefer cold and clear. Alas even though the five of us patiently waited for a Saw-whet to grace us with its presence in our nets none obliged. The closest we got was a flying squirrel that glided past as we were waiting for our next net check. We all had to go home without a single bird caught in the nets. Sorry Sandra, Simon and especially Julia, we hope that the third time will be the charm for your first Northern Saw-whet Owl experience.

Today was a slow day for banding as we only banded 18 birds and had 3 recaptures. There were many of the usual suspects like Lincoln’s, Song and Gambel’s White-crowned Sparrows. The notable’s were a Fox Sparrow (3rd of the season), a Northern Harrier (4th of the season) and a VARIED THRUSH (1st of the season)!!!!! We have banded 4 Northern Harriers (2 male and 2 female) this season. They are big birds whose heads swivel when in hand like an owls in order to track your hands in an attempt get a pound of flesh in exchange for their being banded. The Varied Thrush was the major highlight for all of us as they have been heard given observers a precious few glances of this secretive bird over the course of the season. Needless to say they are even more stunning in hand than they are perched up high in the trees. This handsome fellow stole the show from the rather impressive Northern Harrier. Just look at that plumage!

The Varied Thrush, what more needs to be said? – Photo credit Kyle

The highlights as far as species observed are concerned were a MacGillivary’s Warbler, two Golden-crowned Sparrows, a flyover by a Clark’s Nutcracker (the bird depicted on the logo of the station) and two Chestnut-backed Chickadees. These last two are perhaps the self same ones that have visited us on three separate occasions since I arrived in mid September. Today they were very generous giving Anna and I both good views of their plumage while voicing their distinctive squeaky chickadee call.

Our hatch year female Northern Harrier, banded by Anna and briefly held by yours truly – photo credit Kyle

As I write all of us at the Lincoln Creek Ranch are preparing food for a community potluck that we are hosting tonight. Kyle is going to give a presentation on the range of species banded and observed at TLBO this season with reference to past years in order to get a perspective on migration numbers. Afterwards all of us at the Lincoln Creek Ranch and hopefully most of our guests with come along for a night of owing. Fingers crossed that the Saw-whet army is out in full force tonight!

Cheers,

-Sachi

—

Total Banded	1019
Species Banded	53
Total Recapped	127
Species Recapped	15
Species Recorded	130

—

Species	Banded	Recapped
Lincoln’s Sparrow	183	22
Song Sparrow	134	30
Common Yellowthroat	111	36
Swainson’s Thrush	90	12
Warbling Vireo	52	1
Northern Saw-whet Owl	43	0
Savannah Sparrow	42	1
Orange-crowned Warbler	39	0
Yellow Warbler	35	2
Wilson’s Warbler	32	0
White-crowned Sparrow	31	1
American Redstart	28	2
Oregon Junco	23	0
Northern Waterthrush	21	1
MacGillivray’s Warbler	19	3
Black-capped Chickadee	13	9
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	13	0
Yellow-rumped Warbler	11	0
Chipping Sparrow	10	0
Cedar Waxwing	9	5
Hermit Thrush	9	0
Dusky Flycatcher	8	0
Vesper Sparrow	5	0
Townsend’s Warbler	5	0
Pacific-slope Flycatcher	4	0
Northern Harrier	4	0
Willow Flycatcher	3	1
Red-eyed Vireo	3	0
Cassin’s Vireo	3	0
Sharp-shinned Hawk	3	0
Spotted Towhee	3	0
Brown Creeper	3	0
Fox Sparrow	3	0
Hammond’s Flycatcher	2	0
American Robin	2	0
Red-breasted Nuthatch	2	0
Downy Woodpecker	2	0
Lazuli Bunting	1	0
Cooper’s Hawk	1	0
Marsh Wren	1	0
Golden-crowned Kinglet	1	0
Pacific Wren	1	0
Western Tanager	1	0
Least Flycatcher	1	0
Red-winged Blackbird	1	0
Indigo Bunting	1	0
Chestnut-backed Chickadee	1	0
Western Wood-pewee	1	0
Purple Finch	1	0
Merlin	1	0
Evening Grosbeak	1	0
Varied Thrush	1	0
Red-naped Sapsucker	0	1

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September 21/22. Post by Laurel

The morning of the 21st held fits of drizzle and gusts of wind from the north, so we kept a scrutinizing eye on the nets.  And who rode in on the north wind, you wonder? A slew of Gambel’s White-crowned Sparrows! In previous days our observations of this species were very few to 15-ish. But on this day there were 52 in total that we observed. *BAM!* It was neat seeing a sprinkling of them in a nearby bush, both hatch-years(brown head stripes) and after-hatch-years(black head stripes) bouncing, flitting and chirping; their morning dance. We banded 6 of them.  Of all the species that I have had an opportunity to view in-hand this sparrow seems to have the messiest case of berry face. Where are they finding these juicy berries in late September? Kyle and Sachi went owling last night. Shortly after their arrival at the station they realized that they were the ones being observed. A mighty Great Horned Owl towered above them…more like teetered above them on the most spindly of perches.

Great Horned Owl overseeing the station last night.

The daily breakdown was 25 birds banded of 11 species during morning, and 7 Saw-whets banded.

The following day

When we arrived at the station this morning it was a windless, frosty -3 C.  When all was still and glimmering there were some Varied Thrushes calling simultaneously , which added some mystique to my a.m. experience(see Sept. 18th posting for link to their sound).  Anyhow, it warmed up enough for us to open nets at 9:30am. The thrills of the day included another Brown Creeper, a Spotted Towhee …….and……..

Spotted Towhee. Very kicky.     photo by Anna

…….another Northern Harrier!! A hatch-year female.

All in all, 18 banded of 9 species today. 46 species observed total. Not including Saw-whets…which is happening as I type this.

Goodnight! – Laurelllll

---

Total Banded	1000
Species Banded	52
Total Recapped	124
Species Recapped	15
Species Recorded	130

—

Species	Banded	Recapped
Lincoln’s Sparrow	176	20
Song Sparrow	131	30
Common Yellowthroat	111	35
Swainson’s Thrush	90	12
Warbling Vireo	52	1
Northern Saw-whet Owl	43	0
Savannah Sparrow	41	1
Orange-crowned Warbler	39	0
Yellow Warbler	35	2
Wilson’s Warbler	32	0
American Redstart	28	2
White-crowned Sparrow	28	1
Oregon Junco	23	0
Northern Waterthrush	21	1
MacGillivray’s Warbler	19	3
Black-capped Chickadee	13	9
Yellow-rumped Warbler	11	0
Chipping Sparrow	10	0
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	10	0
Cedar Waxwing	9	5
Hermit Thrush	9	0
Dusky Flycatcher	8	0
Vesper Sparrow	5	0
Townsend’s Warbler	5	0
Pacific-slope Flycatcher	4	0
Willow Flycatcher	3	1
Red-eyed Vireo	3	0
Cassin’s Vireo	3	0
Sharp-shinned Hawk	3	0
Spotted Towhee	3	0
Northern Harrier	3	0
Brown Creeper	3	0
Fox Sparrow	3	0
Hammond’s Flycatcher	2	0
American Robin	2	0
Red-breasted Nuthatch	2	0
Downy Woodpecker	2	0
Lazuli Bunting	1	0
Cooper’s Hawk	1	0
Marsh Wren	1	0
Golden-crowned Kinglet	1	0
Pacific Wren	1	0
Western Tanager	1	0
Least Flycatcher	1	0
Red-winged Blackbird	1	0
Indigo Bunting	1	0
Chestnut-backed Chickadee	1	0
Western Wood-pewee	1	0
Purple Finch	1	0
Merlin	1	0
Evening Grosbeak	1	0
Red-naped Sapsucker	0	1

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September 20th, 2017

Soon after we had arrived at the station and opened nets, it started raining and continued on for hours. We closed nets and spent time observing and/or studying birds. During census, Kyle saw 300 migrating Yellow-rumped Warblers and our first Lapland Longspur of the season. A white-tailed deer appeared in the field near the station.

White-tailed Deer. Photo by Kyle.

Yesterday night, Kyle and Laurel went for owl banding, and Laurel banded her first Northern Saw-whet Owl! Way to go, Laurelllll!

Laurel banding a Northern Saw-whet Owl. Photo by Kyle.

We have been balancing morning monitoring, owl nights and other tasks, and therefore we decided to take a nap in the afternoon–like these two:

Until later,

Anna.

—

Total Banded	923
Species Banded	52
Total Recapped	118
Species Recapped	14
Species Recorded	129

—

Species	Banded	Recapped
Lincoln’s Sparrow	163	18
Song Sparrow	124	28
Common Yellowthroat	110	35
Swainson’s Thrush	90	12
Warbling Vireo	51	1
Savannah Sparrow	40	0
Orange-crowned Warbler	36	0
Yellow Warbler	35	2
Wilson’s Warbler	30	0
American Redstart	28	2
Oregon Junco	22	0
Northern Waterthrush	21	1
MacGillivray’s Warbler	19	3
White-crowned Sparrow	17	1
Northern Saw-whet Owl	15	0
Black-capped Chickadee	12	8
Yellow-rumped Warbler	11	0
Chipping Sparrow	10	0
Cedar Waxwing	9	5
Dusky Flycatcher	8	0
Hermit Thrush	8	0
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	7	0
Vesper Sparrow	5	0
Townsend’s Warbler	5	0
Pacific-slope Flycatcher	4	0
Willow Flycatcher	3	1
Red-eyed Vireo	3	0
Cassin’s Vireo	3	0
Sharp-shinned Hawk	3	0
Hammond’s Flycatcher	2	0
Spotted Towhee	2	0
American Robin	2	0
Red-breasted Nuthatch	2	0
Northern Harrier	2	0
Downy Woodpecker	2	0
Brown Creeper	2	0
Fox Sparrow	2	0
Lazuli Bunting	1	0
Cooper’s Hawk	1	0
Marsh Wren	1	0
Golden-crowned Kinglet	1	0
Pacific Wren	1	0
Western Tanager	1	0
Least Flycatcher	1	0
Red-winged Blackbird	1	0
Indigo Bunting	1	0
Chestnut-backed Chickadee	1	0
Western Wood-pewee	1	0
Purple Finch	1	0
Merlin	1	0
Evening Grosbeak	1	0
Red-naped Sapsucker	0	1

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September 19th, 2017 – Post by Sachi

Being from British Columbia and relatively new to birding it is easy to forget that there are many birds that others like our friends Anna and Kyle from Ontario do not get to regularly see. One such bird is the American Dipper which Kyle and I had the pleasure to watch whilst filling up our four 18.92 L jugs of drinking water from Crazy creek. Without digressing too much I would like to state that they are a most impressive song bird. Seeing one of them dive in through a hole in the ice covering a creek in the dead of winter and then suddenly reappearing 20 feet down stream from another such hole with dinner in its bill never gets old and only deepens my respect for this courageous bird that fills such a unique niche.

Early morning shot at the Niuts. Photo credit Laurel.

Last night we braved the elements (cold mainly) and fortified by a stiff pot of coffee went to the station for a night of Northern Saw-whet Owl monitoring. Since the first night of owling we have not been very successful with anywhere from 0 to 3 captures over the 3 hour monitoring span. With the lessening of the strong south winds and clear skies Kyle said that he had a good feeling about the success of our night’s endeavour. In that he was not wrong. On my first night at TLBO which incidentally was our first night of owling I asked what few questions my sleep deprived and road weary brain could come up with. One of the more irrelevant ones was what the column denoted “Status” signified? It seemed like a stupid question at the time as all of the entries for that column were listed as “300”. Kyle replied that “300” was the code used for when a bird was captured in a mist net and that another possible code was “370” – the holy grail of owling as it entailed spotlighting an owl in a tree and hand capturing it. I am sure that you can see where this is going, as our first owl of the night was a “370” – performed by Kyle as he stalked off into the alder after hearing a call and returned with a Northern Saw-whet in hand and a grin from ear to ear. The night continued on as it had started which is to say that it was great! We banded 10 owls, 2 of which were done by yours truly (which were another first for me). I must thank the owls for their patience and at times somewhat pointed remarks as I learned to apply their new jewelry, ouch…

Like last night it was cold this morning. So cold in fact that we had to delay opening the nets until 9:50am which is 3 hours later than usual. Those hours were well spent birding around the property, crunching over frozen grass and peering through thick valley fog in search of our feathered friends. Some observational highlights were; 6 Mountain Bluebirds, 1 Nashville Warbler and a host of chatty and courageous chipmunks. Once the nets were finally unfurled and thawed banding went smoothly with 15 birds netted, 14 new, and 1 recapture. The major highlights were a Fox Sparrow (again banded by yours truly) and a Brown Creeper which was expertly banded by Laurel.

Brown Creeper. Photo credit Laurel.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Photo credit Laurel.

Another fine day in this beautiful valley.

Cheers,

-Sachi

—

Total Banded	923
Species Banded	52
Total Recapped	118
Species Recapped	14
Species Recorded	129

—

Species	Banded	Recapped
Lincoln’s Sparrow	163	18
Song Sparrow	124	28
Common Yellowthroat	110	35
Swainson’s Thrush	90	12
Warbling Vireo	51	1
Savannah Sparrow	40	0
Orange-crowned Warbler	36	0
Yellow Warbler	35	2
Wilson’s Warbler	30	0
American Redstart	28	2
Oregon Junco	22	0
Northern Waterthrush	21	1
MacGillivray’s Warbler	19	3
White-crowned Sparrow	17	1
Northern Saw-whet Owl	15	0
Black-capped Chickadee	12	8
Yellow-rumped Warbler	11	0
Chipping Sparrow	10	0
Cedar Waxwing	9	5
Dusky Flycatcher	8	0
Hermit Thrush	8	0
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	7	0
Vesper Sparrow	5	0
Townsend’s Warbler	5	0
Pacific-slope Flycatcher	4	0
Willow Flycatcher	3	1
Red-eyed Vireo	3	0
Cassin’s Vireo	3	0
Sharp-shinned Hawk	3	0
Hammond’s Flycatcher	2	0
Spotted Towhee	2	0
American Robin	2	0
Red-breasted Nuthatch	2	0
Northern Harrier	2	0
Downy Woodpecker	2	0
Brown Creeper	2	0
Fox Sparrow	2	0
Lazuli Bunting	1	0
Cooper’s Hawk	1	0
Marsh Wren	1	0
Golden-crowned Kinglet	1	0
Pacific Wren	1	0
Western Tanager	1	0
Least Flycatcher	1	0
Red-winged Blackbird	1	0
Indigo Bunting	1	0
Chestnut-backed Chickadee	1	0
Western Wood-pewee	1	0
Purple Finch	1	0
Merlin	1	0
Evening Grosbeak	1	0
Red-naped Sapsucker	0	1

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