Aug. 31: Mid-season Report

We had several locals visit us for a few net rounds!

The last day of August had a decidedly fall-like feel as we had our first really windy day of the season and the first notable smattering of leaf-falling-in-nets action. While strong winds are normal in the valley they got an early start as the south wind picked up around 8:45 and was blowing a beaufort 5 by ~11:00, forcing us to prematurely close several nets.

Female Hairy Woodpecker

Prior to the wind we had a good start to the morning as net 16 caught a nice little flock of mostly Yellow-rumped Warblers. While it undoubtedly contributed to a decrease in activity the wind likely kept birds lower as we caught several more Yellow-rumpeds, a species we tend to catch a very small percentage of compared with what we detect around the nets. Normally they are foraging above net height. So far we have only caught the locally breeding “Audubon’s” subspecies but the boreal “Myrtle” should be arriving soon.

The wind made for a slow census for Sachi as detection rates and activity are much hampered by such conditions. He did have a highlight that pushed us into a record for species recorded in August at TLBO; a roosting Great-horned Owl was species number 119 of the season!

Our final bird banded for August was also a new addition to our banded tally for the season. A hatch-year female Hairy Woodpecker that found its way into net 12 on the last net round was our 45^th species banded this year (including the Belted Kingfisher caught in one of our hawk nets, not part of our standard net setup).

Table 1. Top 10 birds detected

Overall we had an excellent first half of the season! A total of 942 (+5 birds caught in the hawk nets) birds banded was our 3^rd highest August total and if we can maintain this capture rate we could be in for a record season (currently 1871 from 2008). In addition to our species total of 119 being a record we detected a record 11 681 total birds over the course of the month, over 600 higher than the next best August (2015)! The top 10 most abundant species for the month can be found in Table 1. Mallard, Cedar Waxwing, Swainson’s Thrush and Song Sparrows all ended with record numbers for the month.

When we got home we were treated to a beautiful adult Grizzly Bear foraging in the field across the road from our cabins. It hung around for about 20 minutes allowing for some nice views in the spotting scope as it munched on grass and alfalfa. This was a lifer mammal for Kat and the first in many years for Morgan – a very fine way to cap off the month!

—

Species	Band	Recap
Yellow-rumped Warbler	10
Swainson’s Thrush	4
Song Sparrow	2	3
Warbling Vireo	2
Lincoln’s Sparrow	2
Hairy Woodpecker	1
Dusky Flycatcher	1
Orange-crowned Warbler	1
Common Yellowthroat	1
American Redstart	1
Yellow Warbler	1
Oregon Junco	1
White-crowned Sparrow	1

—

Birds Banded	28
Species Banded	13
Birds Recapped	3
Species Recapped	1
Species on Census	29
Species Recorded	43
SEASON TOTAL BANDED	947

—

Season Total Species	Total Banded	Total Recaps
Swainson’s Thrush	193	21
Warbling Vireo	93	5
Common Yellowthroat	73	20
Orange-crowned Warbler	68	5
Song Sparrow	66	41
American Redstart	64	7
Yellow Warbler	56	3
Lincoln’s Sparrow	53	11
Northern Waterthrush	48	8
Yellow-rumped Warbler	26	0
Cedar Waxwing	22	3
MacGillivray’s Warbler	20	2
Wilson’s Warbler	20	0
Black-capped Chickadee	14	9
Savannah Sparrow	11	0
Western Tanager	11	0
Oregon Junco	9	2
Purple Finch	8	2
Red-eyed Vireo	8	1
Sharp-shinned Hawk	7	0
American Robin	7	0
Willow Flycatcher	6	2
Dusky Flycatcher	6	0
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	6	0
Townsend’s Warbler	5	0
Chipping Sparrow	5	0
White-crowned Sparrow	5	0
Vesper Sparrow	4	0
Lazuli Bunting	4	0
Clay-colored Sparrow	3	1
Alder Flycatcher	3	0
Hammond’s Flycatcher	3	0
Red-winged Blackbird	2	1
Downy Woodpecker	2	0
Pacific-slope Flycatcher	2	0
Golden-crowned Kinglet	2	0
Spotted Towhee	2	0
Traill’s Flycatcher	2	0
Belted Kingfisher	1	0
Hairy Woodpecker	1	0
Least Flycatcher	1	0
Mountain Chickadee	1	0
Pacific Wren	1	0
Magnolia Warbler	1	0
Fox Sparrow	1	0
Pine Siskin	1	0

—

AUGUST 2018 TOTALS
Individuals Banded	947
Species Banded	45
Total Recapped	144
Species Recapped	18
Species Recorded	119

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Aug. 30: New Nets!

It was a cold clear morning when we arrived at the station and we encountered our first proper frost on the low parts of the walk across the field to net 18. Luckily it stayed fairly clear meaning that it warmed up to a very pleasant temperature after a couple hours.

The clear skies overnight would have made for good migrating conditions and we suspect that this contributed to the marked decrease in birds around the station today. For a long while it looked like we were destined for the lowest banding day of the season as by 11:00 we had only banded 8 birds! Fortunately the last 1.5 hours really picked up and we ended with a respectable 27 new birds. This was kicked off by a mini-rush of 8 birds on the 10:55 net round that included a late “Traill’s” Flycatcher. For the second day running Swainson’s Thrush were NOT the most banded bird as our mid-season regulars such as Lincoln’s Sparrow, Warbling Vireo, Orange-crowned Warbler and Common Yellowthroat continue to move up the charts.

The slower conditions allowed Kat to band her first few birds after quickly picking up the basics of bird handling the past two days!

Sachi’s census was consistent with our low activity back at the station, however it was improved by a group of dabblers on the north end of the lake that included a season high 20 American Wigeons along with a half-dozen Northern Shovelers and four Green-winged Teals. A Common Merganser was nearby and was seen again by Morgan when she did a

Morgan picked up our only Vesper Sparrow of the day on her walk to the lake

mid-morning walk down to the lake. Back at the station notable sightings were few but Sachi did hear the long-staying Gray Catbird again and a trio of juvenile gulls came over that included one Ring-billed and two probable Californias. Unfortunately I was distracted by the arrival of the 10:55 rush of birds just as I noticed them and didn’t get a chance to get back on them before they departed.

After banding yesterday we were excited to receive an anticipated package from the post office; 7 new nets for the station courtesy of Wendy Easton at Canadian Wildlife Service! After banding we replaced four nets and some time in the next couple days we’ll replace one or two more. We also erected a new hawk net, perpendicular to and about 30m south of net 18. This is an untested location so we are curious to see if it meets with any success.

—

Species	Band	Recap
Lincoln’s Sparrow	6
Swainson’s Thrush	4
Warbling Vireo	3
Orange-crowned Warbler	3
Common Yellowthroat	2
Western Tanager	2
Song Sparrow	1	4
Cedar Waxwing	1	1
Red-eyed Vireo	1
Yellow Warbler	1
Savannah Sparrow	1
White-crowned Sparrow	1
Traill’s Flycatcher	1

—

Birds Banded	27
Species Banded	13
Birds Recapped	5
Species Recapped	2
Species on Census	40
Species Recorded	57
SEASON TOTAL BANDED	919

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Aug. 29: A Vireoful Day

Last night we were invited over for dinner at Charlie and Ruth Travers’ place which is up on the north side of Cochin Lake. Both Ruth and Charlie are life long birders who have been keeping records in the valley for nigh on 35 years. We had a lovely evening and hope to see them again soon.

This morning we awoke to a light drizzle and a thermometer reading of 11°C which was nearly a 10 degree increase on the starting temperatures of the last two days. Due to the rain we had to hold off on opening the nets until 7:05am. By this time the bird activity was near its morning peak as within an hour we had a 12 bird net round! Alas this was only the early morning peak as subsequent rounds yielded a few birds per round until the 10:10am net round. On this round we tallied 20 birds which is only 4 birds shy of our season high of 24. The majority of the birds caught in this round were part of a mixed flock that has been building around the station for the past few days.

Avery and Kat working their way through the 20 birds caught at 10:10am.

Today the flock consisted mainly of Warbling Vireos, Yellow-rumped and Orange-crowned Warblers along with some other warblers mixed in. When we finally arrived back at the station it was time for another net round so Morgan and I headed off to check the nets while Avery and Kat stayed behind to process the birds.

We were in for a surprise as this next net round yielded a further 13 birds which were all in net 6 and based on the species composition likely also belonged to the large mixed flock. Today we recaptured an older lady Orange-crowned Warbler who was first banded as a hatch year in 2013 by Morgan. It is always a treat to have older inter-annual recaptures especially when the original bander is present.

Our gorgeous Orange-crowned lady Warbler who belongs to the coastal subspecies Lutescens.

 

Those three high volume rounds brought us to 56 birds banded for the day and 892 birds for the season. With any luck we will surpass the 900 birds banded mark tomorrow!

I had no new birds to add to the station’s list on census today. I did however get some good views of the lone Barrow’s Goldeneye along with both the Red-necked and Pied-billed Grebes. The Yellow-rumped Warblers continued to build as we estimated their numbers at 75 individuals within our census area which is the highest number yet this season. Currently Audubon’s is the only subspecies present but as the numbers continue to build during the next month we should also be getting some of the later migrant Myrtle’s (the Boreal subspecies) mixed in as well.

The largest surprise of the day came just after noon when Avery announced over the radio that there was a Tern-like bird soaring over the field in front of the station. He quickly added, “Actually it’s a Jaeger and I have the scope trained on it”, that set all three of us into motion as we sprinted across the field towards the station. Fortunately we were just in time to get some views of the bird as it circled over the hills to the north and finally out of sight. This is the station’s second Long-tailed Jaeger record, the first of which dates back to 2011.

The view from our deck looking south towards TLBO.

I will leave you with the view from our deck. As you can see, without the smoke this is one of the many little pieces of paradise that exist across the beautiful province that we call home.

Until Tomorrow.

—

Species	Band	Recap
Warbling Vireo	11
Orange-crowned Warbler	9	1
Yellow Warbler	6
Swainson’s Thrush	5	2
Common Yellowthroat	5
Lincoln’s Sparrow	4	1
Western Tanager	4
American Redstart	2	1
Yellow-rumped Warbler	2
Townsend’s Warbler	2
Wilson’s Warbler	2
Purple Finch	1	1
Red-eyed Vireo	1
MacGillivray’s Warbler	1
Lazuli Bunting	1

 

—

Birds Banded	56
Species Banded	15
Birds Recapped	6
Species Recapped	5
Species on Census	40
Species Recorded	53
SEASON TOTAL BANDED	892

 

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Aug. 28: MOCH ado about nothing

Clear skies overnight made for a brisk 3C at opening with just a hint of smoke on the horizon. This likely provided an opportunity for birds to migrate out of the valley as activity was down on all fronts. By the time we were closing down the smoke was back to “moderate” compared to other days this month.

There was little activity around the station in the first couple hours and this was also reflected in Sachi’s census numbers. A mystery waterfowl a long ways out on the lake provided the only moment of real intrigue for him. Unfortunately it was not too be solved without the aid of a scope. Eventually it warmed up a little and the mixed species flock that has been frequenting the riparian strip along the Homathko built up and we got the usual Yellow-rumped and Orange-crowned Warblers, Warbling Vireos, a couple latish Alder Flycatchers and a family group of four Lazuli Buntings (one of which we later caught). A trip up to the oxbow provided us with a Least Flycatcher, a species we only record maybe a half-dozen times a season and for the second day running we got American Pipit overhead.

Mountain Chickadee

Despite the low numbers the day was not without its excitement. Morgan had a Sharp-shinned Hawk get out of net 12 before she could reach it and a little while later we caught a rather scruffy juvenile Mountain Chickadee, our first of the season! This species prefers the drier coniferous forest in the valley bottom so rarely ventures out into the deciduous and riparian zones were our nets are.

We also welcomed Kat to the station today, she arrived yesterday from Washington State to volunteer with us for the next 3.5 weeks. The slower day was a good way for her to ease into operations here!

—

Species	Band	Recap
Orange-crowned Warbler	5
Swainson’s Thrush	4	2
Yellow-rumped Warbler	4
Common Yellowthroat	3
Northern Waterthrush	2
Song Sparrow	1	3
Lincoln’s Sparrow	1	1
Mountain Chickadee	1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	1
Cedar Waxwing	1
Oregon Junco	1
Lazuli Bunting	1
MacGillivray’s Warbler		1

—

Birds Banded	25
Species Banded	12
Birds Recapped	7
Species Recapped	4
Species on Census	38
Species Recorded	57
SEASON TOTAL BANDED	836

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Aug. 27: 800 Down and Many More to Go

The lovely morning views.

As conveyed by the images above our day began clear and cool (~2°C). The sunrise was magical as it climbed over the Potatoes slowly evaporating the remnants of last night’s rain in wisps of vapour. The birds were in good form as they only needed an hour to get moving. As a result we caught 12 birds during the 7:20am net round! Subsequent rounds were not as abundant yet consistently yielded a handful of birds leaving us with a final tally of 39 birds banded and 5 recaptures. On the banding front our notables included our second Downy Woodpecker of the season and our seventh Sharp-shinned Hawk! We are only one Sharpie away from drawing even with the station record of eight achieved back in 2006. At some point near the end of the day we reached our 800th bird banded for the season.

Today we detected the highest species diversity (66 species) of the season with respect to our daily estimated totals which consists of a combination of both species observed and banded.

Our lone Blackpoll Warbler was back foraging in a large mixed flock of Warblers and Vireos in the alders along the Homathko. It was rather shy and only afforded us with fleeting glimpses as it fluttered from catkin to catkin. Fingers crossed that it is around tomorrow and finds its way into one of our nets. Later on as Avery and Morgan were returning from a trip to the Oxbow we had our first “close” encounter with a Sandhill Crane as it glided over them heading south across the field then banking west just before it reached the station. It was one of those instances where I was so overcome with awe that it was not until later that it occurred to me that I should have tried for a photo. The final surprise of the day was a “scouting party” of two American Pipits. Both Pipits and Horned Larks breed in the alpine after which they tend to follow food as it is available descending in elevation until they reach the valley bottom. Most years there are “throngs” of Pipits with a few Horned Larks mixed in out in the field north of the station. This scouting party bodes well as the throng may even now be on its way assuming that they judged the resources as adequate.

The view south down Tatlayoko Lake.

I will leave you with the view south down Tatlayoko Lake, let us all hope that the rain over the past few days will have quelled and subdued the many major fires that are burning all over our beautiful province.

—

Species	Band	Recap
Swainson’s Thrush	7
Common Yellowthroat	4	1
Warbling Vireo	4
Song Sparrow	3	2
Lincoln’s Sparrow	3	1
Yellow-rumped Warbler	3
Sharp-shinned Hawk	2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	2
Northern Waterthrush	2
White-crowned Sparrow	2
Downy Woodpecker	1
Dusky Flycatcher	1
Orange-crowned Warbler	1
MacGillivray’s Warbler	1
Yellow Warbler	1
Savannah Sparrow	1
Purple Finch	1
Black-capped Chickadee		1

—

Birds Banded	39
Species Banded	17
Birds Recapped	5
Species Recapped	4
Species on Census	48
Species Recorded	66
SEASON TOTAL BANDED	811

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Aug 26: Clay-colored #3

It was drizzling again when we arrived at the station this morning but fortunately it quit by the time we had the nets open. The warmer starting temperature was welcome but this was countered by the fact the mercury rose just two degrees to 11C by closing time. These cool end of August days can often be good as it is incentive for birds to come to lower elevations and/or continue pushing south.

It was a very steady day that at no point felt particularly busy but ended up being one of our better days for birds banded. We finished the day with 45 new birds banded and 7 recaptures. The barrage of Swainson’s Thrushes continued with a season high of 13 banded, bringing us up to a whopping 169 banded to date (already the second highest single season total, only behind the 204 we banded in 2015). We are getting a much higher percentage of adults now, indicating that they are nearing the end of their peak migration period. They will still continue coming through, albeit in ever decreasing numbers, until mid-september at least. Adding a bit of colour to the catch was a beautiful adult male MacGillivray’s Warbler and on the rarer side of things, we caught our 3rd Clay-colored Sparrow of the season. They must be breeding in the valley somewhere as this is quite unprecedented given that prior to this year we had caught just two in 11 years. It was a good day for Flycatchers around the station and we banded two Hammond’s (2nd and 3rd of the season) and a Dusky (4th of the season).

Yet another Clay-colored Sparrow!

Sachi added a couple new species to this season’s list with a Ring-billed Gull and three Common Mergansers on census. The Black Swifts were around again this morning and were joined by a little mixed flock of Northern Rough-winged and Violet-green Swallows. While Sachi has had them on the lagoon during census a few times, it was a pleasant surprise to see a flock of eight Northern Shovelers fly over the station early on.

We were sad to say goodbye to Collin today. After two weeks of volunteering with us he had developed good bird handling and extraction skills. His sense of humour and riddles kept us entertained through the slower periods and will be missed.

The Chilko River, taken on yesterday’s excursion

—

Birds Banded	45
Species Banded	17
Birds Recapped	7
Species Recapped	4
Species on Census	46
Species Recorded	57
SEASON TOTAL BANDED	772

—

Species	Band	Recap
Swainson’s Thrush	13	1
Song Sparrow	4
Common Yellowthroat	3	4
Warbling Vireo	3	1
Lincoln’s Sparrow	3	1
Orange-crowned Warbler	3
American Redstart	3
Hammond’s Flycatcher	2
Northern Waterthrush	2
MacGillivray’s Warbler	2
Dusky Flycatcher	1
Yellow-rumped Warbler	1
Wilson’s Warbler	1
Clay-colored Sparrow	1
Savannah Sparrow	1
Oregon Junco	1
Purple Finch

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Aug. 25: Rain, a Blackpoll and Salmon Running

Today began unlike any other day in the past three weeks, with a delightful downpour. The soothing patter of rain on my metal roof was as welcome and as sweet as the dawn chorus this morning. Besides the obvious benefits with respect to fire suppression efforts the rain gave us some extra time in the morning as we do not open the nets during downpours.

The Niuts enwreathed in clouds and rain, not smoke!

For the safety of the our avian friends we had to leave the nets closed until 8:00am when the rain had lessened enough. Wind, rain and cold are three elements that we have to constantly gauge while the nets are open as the bird’s safety is always the top priority.  Instances like this offer us the opportunity to focus on observations that we record in our daily totals which is an integral component of migration monitoring.

While we were following a small roving flock of songbirds a large flock of Black Swifts flew overhead. These birds do not tend to come down into the valley often except in instances of low cloud or smoke cover like today. They prefer to nest on sea cliffs and behind waterfalls so as you may expect few of their nesting sites are known. Later while on a net round we had our biggest surprise of the day when Avery picked out a juvenile Blackpoll Warbler from a mixed flock of Warblers and Vireos in the alders around net 15. This was extra exciting because the Blackpoll Warbler was Morgan’s study species for her M.Sc. research. She caught and affixed little harnesses with radio transmitters in order to track their migration. These little birds have one of the most impressive known migratory routes. In the fall they migrate East from across the Boreal forest from as far as Alaska.

Our first of many Foxy Sparrows

Once on the East Coast they eat until they have doubled their body mass so that they can make the 3-day nonstop flight to the Caribbean. Later on we had a Turkey Vulture soar over us out of the Niuts moving east. These birds are rarely sighted in the valley and are recent colonists of the Cariboo and Chilcotin.

Banding was slow and steady seeing 21 birds banded and 2 recaps. The highlight was a Fox Sparrow, which is about a week earlier than when they normally arrive in the valley.

In honour of Collin’s imminent departure we went exploring east over the plateau to Chilko Lake in the hopes of seeing the salmon run and maybe even some Grizzly Bears. Chilko Lake has a much different feel to it as it is a bit of a wetter ecosystem and much less populated. There are several fishing and wildlife viewing lodges along the river whose main attraction is Grizzly Bear viewing during the salmon run. The salmon were running but the Grizzly bears were nowhere to be seen. We were likely a week early as the salmon had not started to die off so there is not yet a large and readily available food source to entice the bears to the river. Despite this let down it was still beautiful and there were some active birds foraging around the campsite.

As you can see we found other ways to entertain ourselves despite the lack of Grizzly Bears. Looking at rocks, birds, skipping stones and eating currants. The area is stunning and we would all highly recommend coming up for a camping trip if you ever have the opportunity.

I am excited to see what tomorrow will bring!

—

Species	Band	Recap
Swainson’s Thrush	5
Warbling Vireo	2
Common Yellowthroat	2
Yellow Warbler	2
Lincoln’s Sparrow	2
Song Sparrow	1	1
Dusky Flycatcher	1
Northern Waterthrush	1
Orange-crowned Warbler	1
Spotted Towhee	1
Savannah Sparrow	1
Fox Sparrow	1
Oregon Junco	1
MacGillivray’s Warbler		1

—

Birds Banded	21
Species Banded	13
Birds Recapped	2
Species Recapped	2
Species on Census	41
Species Recorded	62
SEASON TOTAL BANDED	727

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Aug. 24: 700 Up

We were pleased to see clearer skies today with just a light haze hanging over the valley. Unfortunately this was not a sign of further improvements as by the time we were closing nets the smoke was settled in again. With any luck the forecasted rains over the next 24 hours will clear things up, for a time at least.

As has been the pattern of late it took a while for the mercury in the thermometer to climb and the birds to become active. We consistently got 2-3 birds each round throughout most of the morning, mostly Swainson’s Thrushes through the first few hours. We did get our first White-crowned Sparrow of the season in net 14 early on. Sachi has been getting a couple each day along the road during census or on his walk back to the station afterwards but so far they had not been found around the nets. Shortly before closing we caught a mixed warbler flock in net 16 including several Orange-crowned Warblers, our first little push of this later-migrating species, along with our third Townsend’s Warbler in the past two days. At some point during the banding of this flock we surpassed 700 new birds banded for the season. We also got yet another Sharp-shinned Hawk, this time in net 17!

Our first “Gambel’s” White-crowned Sparrow of the season

On census Sachi had a nice breeding plumaged Horned Grebe out on the lake. Normally we don’t record this species until later in the season and this was just the second record for August at TLBO! He also picked up a calling Eurasian Collared-dove that was later heard around the banding station.

Overall it has certainly been starting to feel like fall already and we found out this afternoon that the salmon run in the Chilko river, east of us, has already started – a week or so earlier than typical which means we will likely make a trip over there soon to look for Grizzlies.

—

Species	Band	Recap
Swainson’s Thrush	9	3
Orange-crowned Warbler	8
Yellow Warbler	4
Lincoln’s Sparrow	2	1
Wilson’s Warbler	2
Sharp-shinned Hawk	1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	1
MacGillivray’s Warbler	1
Common Yellowthroat	1
Townsend’s Warbler	1
Savannah Sparrow	1
Song Sparrow	1
White-crowned Sparrow	1
American Robin	1

—

Birds Banded	34
Species Banded	14
Birds Recapped	4
Species Recapped	2
Species on Census	38
Species Recorded	54
SEASON TOTAL BANDED	706

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Aug. 23: Double Townsend’s and a Wren

Despite it being 5°C warmer at net opening (~8°C), bird activity was low. This seemed to be due to the combination of the smoke in the air and the uncommonly strong wind blowing down out of the north. This persisted over the course of the day thus dampening bird activity which resulted in lower than average species diversity and individual numbers than what we have observed this season.

Today’s view of the Niuts looking across our census pond, compare it to the image posted on August 21st.

Our early net rounds saw only a few birds banded per round with the species composition being comprised of our most commonly banded birds so far this season; Swainson’s, Warbling Vireos and a melange of the usual Warblers. It wasn’t until the 8:45am net round that we were in for our first surprise! This came in the form of our fourth Sharp-shinned Hawk of the season which was also coincidentally our third caught in the “Kingfisher net”. This bit of excitement kept our spirits up as multiple net rounds came and went with meagre numbers of birds caught each round.

The real excitement came when Morgan returned from the 10:45am net round with a very handsome hatch year male Townsend’s Warbler in tow (Our first of the season)! After admiring his plumage and touching up on the subtle sexing characteristics of this species we were surprised to find a second Townsend’s (a hatch year female this time) awaiting us in net 11 on the subsequent net round. It is likely that these two warblers were foraging as a pair for the male was caught in net 17 which is quite near to net 11.

Our 4th Sharpie!

Census was the quietest that we have experienced since early August when we first arrived. Diversity was low with only 31 species detected and the number of individuals per species was much lower than we have been observing so far this season. There are a myriad of possible factors that could have contributed to this very perceptible decrease, the largest of which is the strength of the wind out of the north. I did not add any new birds to the station’s list while on census but I did however see the continuing Pied-billed Grebe as well as the same three young Barrow’s Goldeneye foraging along the north end of the lake. I was more than a bit dispirited on my way back to the station by the low bird activity and oppressive smoke. While I passed the pond and the five dabbling Mallards I was startled out of my reverie by the distinctive “tsuk” of a Marsh Wren (Our first of the season). Sure enough I got a good fleeting glance to confirm what I had heard before it disappeared back into the vegetation.

 

Our handsome gentleman Townsend’s Warbler.

We had four visitors today whose appearance coincided with a four-bird net round. They were treated to a splendid mix of species consisting of both a female Townsend’s and MacGillivray’s, as well as a Warbling Vireo and a Song Sparrow.

We encourage visitors to stop by the station and see what is going on so if you ever find yourself in the valley during the months of August and September please stop by. These visits give us the opportunity to teach people more about birds, banding, migration monitoring and the importance of conservation.

Until tomorrow.

—

Species	Band	Recap
Swainson’s Thrush	5
Warbling Vireo	2
Yellow Warbler	2
Townsend’s Warbler	2
Lincoln’s Sparrow	2
Common Yellowthroat	1	2
Sharp-shinned Hawk	1
American Robin	1
MacGillivray’s Warbler	1
Wilson’s Warbler	1
Song Sparrow	1
Purple Finch	1

—

Birds Banded	20
Species Banded	12
Birds Recapped	2
Species Recapped	1
Species on Census	31
Species Recorded	49
SEASON TOTAL BANDED	672

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Aug. 22: A Sharp-shinned Duo

It was back to being enshrouded in smoke again today which meant it took a long time before things warmed up. We could only just see the sun for most of the morning poking dully through the haze. Unsurprisingly, this meant that it took a little while for bird activity to pick up but we did have some excitement when Collin and I came across a Sharp-shinned Hawk in the “Kingfisher Net”! This was just our second Sharpie of the season.

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Finally, on the 8:50 round things picked up and we caught eight birds in net 6 including our second Lazuli Bunting of the season. Then, for the next couple hours, there was a lot of activity around and a steady flow of birds in the nets. In the late morning I hear our first Golden-crowned Kinglet of the season and 30 seconds later we arrived at net 6 to find two juveniles in the net! It is always a treat to catch these little guys with their bandit face stripes.

Sachi had a fairly active census with three Barrow’s Goldeneyes on the lagoon and the continuing Red-necked Grebe at the north end of the lake as well as reasonable numbers of the usual songbirds. He encountered 5 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and along with 4 in a mixed flock around the station, seem to indicate that the first little of wave of them is arriving.

One of the two juvenile Golden-crowned Kinglets

One final surprise was in store for us on closing round as we caught a second Sharp-shinned Hawk in the hawk/kingfisher net! This time Sachi got to extract it, his first hawk extraction. Both Sharpies were hatch-year females.

Sachi extracting the second Sharpie

After banding we decided to do some more pruning by net 17 where the vegetation is almost twice the height of the nets now. Shortly before we were planning on calling it a day we heard some crashing in the brush to the north which upon further inspection turned out to be a youngish Grizzly Bear! It plunged into the Homathko when it saw us and disappeared on the opposite shore. Still, we concluded that that was enough pruning for one day!

—

Species	Band	Recap
Swainson’s Thrush	7	1
American Redstart	5
Warbling Vireo	4
Orange-crowned Warbler	4
Chipping Sparrow	4
Song Sparrow	3	4
Sharp-shinned Hawk	2
Golden-crowned Kinglet	2
Yellow Warbler	2
Dusky Flycatcher	1
American Robin	1
Common Yellowthroat	1
Yellow-rumped Warbler	1
Lincoln’s Sparrow	1
Lazuli Bunting	1
Purple Finch		1

—

Birds Banded	39
Species Banded	15
Birds Recapped	6
Species Recapped	3
Species on Census	40
Species Recorded	56
SEASON TOTAL BANDED	652

 

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