2018 Season Finale

Well here it is, another season come and gone. We had our final hurrah last night and we finished on a high, banding four Northern Saw-whet Owls to bring our season total to 23 over ten nights of owling.

As those who have been following along will already know, we had a stellar season breaking the record for most birds banded in a season with 1911 (Fig. 1) as well as most individual birds detected at 26,788 taking into account census and observations. The season was pretty consistent, without the customary dip in capture rates that we expect in early/mid August (Fig. 2). It seems as if most species had better than average breeding seasons after the forest fires of 2017 produced our lowest season on record. This rebound was wonderful to witness, for our own excitement as well as for the birds’ sake!

Fig. 1: Birds banded over the course of each season 2006-2018

Chief among the species that had bumper breeding seasons were Swainson’s Thrushes which we caught in high numbers right from the get-go, being a regular breeding species on site. At the end of the season they were our most banded bird by a long shot with a record 253 banded! Of the other common breeding species Cedar Waxwings, American Redstart and Warbling Vireo also had great years.

As we moved into September and the later migrants Lincoln’s and Song Sparrows finally started making their move. After seemingly being among the few species to not have  a good breeding year locally both ended up being around the average for the previous 11 years. The big end of season push of Yellow-rumped and Orange-crowned Warblers as well as Ruby-crowned Kinglets does not happen every year but it sure did this year leading to our busiest period of the season. From September 15 to 24 we banded 510 birds, accounting for over 1/4 of the season total and this despite not operating on two of those days due to rain! Another late season specialty that had a bumper year were White-crowned Sparrows which had their second highest season on record with 75 banded.

Fig. 2: Birds banded per day in 2018 compared to average

In addition to the songbird banding we had good success with our non-standard efforts. The hawk nets, especially HN7 were more productive than normal and provided several of our highlights including two Belted Kingfishers and a Merlin while HN4 caught us a Northern Harrier! For the first time we tried putting some two-panelled nets out in the field in an attempt to catch American Pipits and/or Horned Larks. While the concept for the “pipit fence” of three low nets in a row was concocted when the pipits first started showing up it was only set up on September 20. However, we were able to use it once on a large pipit flock that also contained 4 Lapland Longspurs (a rarely detected species here) and we succeeded in catching 2 American Pipits, the first ever banded at TLBO!

After last years off-the-charts owl numbers we were unsurprised to encounter more normal numbers this season. After initially having poor weather, we were able to get out most nights during the last week of the season and finished up with a respectable 23 Saw-whets. The big numbers of hatch-year birds last year was reflected in the somewhat higher than normal number of second-year birds (6) this year.

One final Saw-whet Owl, caught in net 10 last night!

The numbers were not the only exceptional thing about the 2018 season as we also had a high diversity of species and added an extraordinary six species to the station list! This is more than we have added in any season since I first arrived here in 2010. Several of these were not particularly surprising and indeed could be considered overdue. These include Semipalmated Plover, Pectoral Sandpiper, American Dipper and American White Pelican. However, the Red Phalarope on September 10 was a real surprise as was the Le Conte’s Sparrow on September 22! Both of these latter two are quite unusual for this locale and provided us (in particular Sachi, who found them both!) with quite the thrill.

Finally, it is not all about the birds. In the human realm, we had higher than normal visitor numbers as the BC Nature Field Camp (40+ people) were in the valley for 5 days. In addition, we had three different school groups come out – Tatla Lake, Tsi Del Del and Alexis Creek. The highlight for the Alexis Creek group was getting to see a roosting Northern Saw-whet Owl that we found near the banding lab! As per usual, the owl banding drew in many visitors once it got going.

Sachi extracting a bird with the Tatla Lake School group. photo by Roma Shaughnessy

The 2018 season was only possible through the help of many people. Each season more locals from the valley get involved with the TLBO helping with everything from making us bird-bag carrying totes and lending equipment (Peter and Roma Shaughnessy) to giving cut-rates to our volunteers for cabin-stays (Audra Peterson) to helping organize the local school visits and the TLBO event (Chilcotin Ark Society, in particular Hana Kamea!). Scott Forrest and Barb Kane were kind enough to save us from a long season of camping by allowing us rent their cabins which were ideal for our stay.

Our funding is over 75% donations and the bulk of this is provided from the generousity of Joerg Fischer and Hannelore Ernst who continue to be our financial pillar without whom the station would be very much in jeopardy. In addition to their support for TLBO, after many years of living in the valley they donated their local properties to the Nature Conservancy of Canada, including the property on which we operate!

Other generous funders include Wendy Easton at the Canadian Wildlife Service who also bought us seven new mistnets, Avocet Tours, Chilcotin Ark Society and the kind folks who have contributed to my 2017 Birdathon fundraiser!

We look forward to seeing you all again in 2019!

A final farewell to the banding lab for another season. photo by Roma Shaughnessy

—

Total Banded	1911 (14)
Species Banded	56
Total Recapped	253
Species Recapped	24
Species Recorded	137
Total Birds Detected	26,788

—

Species	Band	Recap
Swainson’s Thrush	253	32
Yellow-rumped Warbler	185 (1)	2
Lincoln’s Sparrow	181	25
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	155	6
Song Sparrow	147	78
Orange-crowned Warbler	144	7
Warbling Vireo	123	6
Common Yellowthroat	107	24
White-crowned Sparrow	75	17
Yellow Warbler	68	4
American Redstart	66	7
Northern Waterthrush	48	11
Wilson’s Warbler	44	0
Cedar Waxwing	33	3
MacGillivray’s Warbler	28	2
Savannah Sparrow	24	0
Oregon Junco	22	2
Hermit Thrush	22	1
Golden-crowned Kinglet	21	0
Black-capped Chickadee	19	16
American Robin	15	1
Sharp-shinned Hawk	14 (6)	0
Western Tanager	14	0
Golden-crowned Sparrow	11	2
Dusky Flycatcher	10	0
Red-eyed Vireo	9	1
Purple Finch	8	2
Willow Flycatcher	6	2
Chipping Sparrow	6	0
Hammond’s Flycatcher	5	0
Townsend’s Warbler	5	0
Vesper Sparrow	5	0
Pacific Wren	4	0
Spotted Towhee	4	0
Lazuli Bunting	4	0
Clay-colored Sparrow	3	1
Downy Woodpecker	3	0
Pacific-slope Flycatcher	3	0
Alder Flycatcher	3	0
Nashville Warbler	3	0
Fox Sparrow	3	0
Red-winged Blackbird	2	1
Belted Kingfisher	2	0
Hairy Woodpecker	2	0
Brown Creeper	2	0
American Pipit	2	0
Traill’s Flycatcher	2	0
Northern Harrier	1	0
Wilson’s Snipe	1	0
Red-naped Sapsucker	1	0
Merlin	1	0
Least Flycatcher	1	0
Mountain Chickadee	1	0
Gray Catbird	1	0
Magnolia Warbler	1	0
Swamp Sparrow	1	0
Pine Siskin	1	0

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Sept. 28: Goodbye Songbirds…

Due to the drizzle that persisted all afternoon and evening we did not make it out owling last night. As a result both Avery and I opened the nets together for the first time in a while and were treated to the splendour of yet another Niut sunrise.

The final Niut photo that I will post this season, so you best soak it up!

Our first net check yielded a pair of Audubon’s Yellow-rumpeds (male and female) in net six which gave us hope that we might still end the season with a bang.

It’s a Creeper!

If we intended the word “bang” to mean lots of birds then our hopes were to be dashed as the birds only slowly trickled in net round after net round. The up-side of this was it gave Dave an opportunity to do most of the banding and extraction thus finely honing the skills that he has gained over the past three weeks. With the slow pace our goal became modest as we wanted to end the season with 1910 birds banded. After each round we kept creeping closer and closer to that target. Wait, did I say creeping? Well, as it happened the final bird that I banded of the season turned out to be just that, a Brown Creeper. This was only our third individual of this shy and solitary species banded this season. Due to their plumage, behaviour and high-pitched vocalizations they are an often overlooked species. As the name suggests they creep along the trunks of trees searching for small insects like spiders and the like that hide in the crevices of bark. You have to be either lucky, quiet and attentive or both to catch a glimpse of this special little bird, but when you do they are captivating. The gist of it is that it was a wonderful bird to end my season of banding at TLBO with.

btr

During our slow “creep” towards 1910 we also banded two Golden-crowned Kinglets (also a male-left and female-right). The female was our last bird banded of the season (by Dave) and I had thought that it was also number 1910! Well, it turns out that I was mistaken and instead it was number 1911 which is one better than 1910. She was a dainty little creature and allowed me to photograph her in my open hand.

It was a beautiful final census of the season with the fall colours and golden sunlight surrounding me on my route down to the lake. I heard a Swamp Sparrow calling and had good looks as it foraged in the regenerating aspens near the edge of the Homathko. Incidentally this spot was only 10 meters away from where I saw a Swamp Sparrow over a year ago today on census (September 27, 2017). Golden-crowned Kinglets were out in force as I counted 30 (with the odd Ruby-crowned mixed in) while they foraged in the Cottonwoods along the road and on the north end of the lake.

Looking south down Tatlayoko Lake

 

Once 1:05pm struck we set out to begin closing and taking down the songbird and hawk nets while leaving the owl nets set up for tonight’s final owling escapade. Once all the nets were packed away and poles safely stowed we bid adieu to Dave as he set out on his long journey back home to Seattle. It has been a lot of fun working with him over the past span of weeks and we wish him a safe journey and good luck in his future endeavours.

I have had a fantastic season and am deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to have worked alongside Avery in this enchanting valley. He has been a wonderful mentor and a lot of fun to work with. Also a big thank you to all the lovely residents of the valley who have welcomed and helped us during our time here.

This is NOT the final posting of the season so please stay tuned for tomorrow Avery will write up a “Season Finale” posting with highlights, photos, data and the like. It is going to be great so check back in at the same place and time for that.

Adieu.

—

Species	Band	Recap
Yellow-rumped Warbler	6
Golden-crowned Kinglet	2
Brown Creeper	1
Oregon Junco	1
Lincoln’s Sparrow		2
White-crowned Sparrow		1

—

Birds Banded	10
Species Banded	4
Birds Recapped	3
Species Recapped	2
Species on Census	26
Species Recorded	33
SEASON TOTAL BANDED	1925

 

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Sept. 27: 1900…barely

Another calm night last night but the clouds had moved in by the time owling started. Fortunately, while this likely meant that there was not much owl movement during the session, there were still some carryovers from Tuesday night as Sachi and Dave caught 3 Saw-whets on the first net round! To add to the show they also snagged the first bat we have ever caught here at TLBO, the identification of which is pending. Linda and Deborah were out to  see the owling so they got to witness the excitement!

The overcast conditions were an indication of what was to come this morning as shortly after I opened the nets a light drizzle began. This came and went for a couple hours before settling into something more persistent, finally forcing us to close shortly after 11:00. The few hours we were able to operate were enough to give us a pretty good impression of what was around: not much. We caught a total of 2 birds, A common Yellowthroat and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet! The Yellowthroat though was a milestone bird being our 1900th bird of the season banded from the standard nets.

HY male Common Yellowthroat, one of just two birds banded today!

Sachi’s census mirrored our efforts at the nets as he had a quiet hour en route to the lake where he encountered the usual smattering of waterfowl there and on the lagoon; American Wigeon, Mallard, Ring-necked Duck, Barrow’s Goldeneye and Horned Grebe. If the weather clears this afternoon we will head back down to the station to do some final vegetation management and take out a couple dead snags that have fallen and are laying just above the height of net 14.

—

Species	Band
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	1
Common Yellowthroat	1

—

Birds Banded	2
Species Banded	2
Birds Recapped	0
Species Recapped	0
Species on Census	24
Species Recorded	29
SEASON TOTAL BANDED	1915

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Sept. 26: Willy-ya Net a Snipe?

Last night the lads were joined by Claire, Roma and Peter for owling. Fortunately the owls once again pulled through with another 3 added to the tally during the course of the night bringing the season total to 16. All three of our guests have come out already this season and each time we were owless while they were around so it was nice to finally catch an owl for them.

The full moon was still shinning brightly over the Niuts as I ate my morning granola and sipped a cup of joe. Tout seul I headed down to the station to open the nets in the beautiful early morning light. These clear calm nights have lead to a marked decrease in birds around the station which is reflected in our banding totals as they have been steadily decreasing over the past few days. The pace of the day felt sluggish with only a few birds caught in each round save one (where we were skunked). On the 9:35 net round Dave and I rounded the corner leading to net 9 and flushed a Wilson’s Snipe which cleverly chose the only avenue of escape thus avoiding capture in either net 9 or 10. With some grudging respect and disappointment we continued onwards to check the rest of the nets. When Dave returned from the subsequent round he had a surprise bird in hand. He was kind enough to let me band said bird which turned out to the the wily Wilson’s Snipe from the previous round! We consistently observe this species (albeit in low numbers) almost every season but this capture represents just our third banding record at the station and a great late season addition to our species banded list!

The wily Snipe

The sluggish pace continued with the daily total looking to be rather dismal until we caught 7 new birds on the 12:35 round which sky rocketed the tally to 18 birds banded and 9 recaptures. Up until this point our numbers for birds banded and recaptured had been nearly even during the course of the day which shows that there were very few new arrivals around the station.

Linda Jonke joined us today and kept our spirits up with questions and conversation during the quiet net rounds. For the first time this season Avery took over census duties, leaving me and Dave to man the station. Census is always a welcome activity as it provides an hour of quiet birding which works wonders for the soul and Avery came back pleased.

It was another picture perfect day here in the valley which we could have easily mistaken for a day in August if not for all of the bright fall colours. Another night of owling awaits which will with any luck include more Saw-whets in both our nets and hands.

Until Tomorrow.

—

Species	Band	Recap
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	6	1
Yellow-rumped Warbler	4
Lincoln’s Sparrow	3
White-crowned Sparrow	2	5
Wilson’s Snipe	1
Golden-crowned Kinglet	1
Song Sparrow	1
Black-capped Chickadee		2
Golden-crowned Sparrow		1

—

Birds Banded	18
Species Banded	7
Birds Recapped	9
Species Recapped	4
Species on Census	24
Species Recorded	41
SEASON TOTAL BANDED	1913

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Sept. 25: A Record Broken

The past two nights have been calm and clear making for good owling conditions and last night did not disappoint as Sachi and Dave caught three. It seems like we are in for more of the same tonight. The downside of these conditions is that they are also good for migration if you are a songbird. As such, the vast majority of the droves of birds that had been with us until Sunday have now departed leaving us with a distinct feeling that the season is drawing to a close.

At last the clouds lift!

The day started with low hanging clouds that shortly got even lower until we were enshrouded in a mist that didn’t dissipate until after 10:30. The moisture in the air overnight also meant that a few of the nets were a little frozen so these were opened a bit late. A trickle of birds found their way into the nets throughout the morning and around 10:00 we passed a milestone – our 1872 bird banded (in our standard nets – excluding hawk nets and the “pipit fence”) for the season which marks a new record for TLBO! The momentous bird was, fittingly, a White-crowned Sparrow, one of many species that we have been catching above average numbers for this season!

Female Hairy Woodpecker

The day finished with a treat when Sachi pulled our second Hairy Woodpecker of the season out of net 10. This one, like it’s predecessor was a hatch-year female.

After banding and lunch back at the cabin Sachi and I did a bit of extracurricular birding hitting Graham, Pinto and Eagle Lakes. While the expected waterfowl species were on Graham there were two latish juvenile Bonaparte’s Gulls as well. Pinto held a decent sized flock of long-billed Dowitchers, 36 in all that provided nice looks in fairly close. On the far shore a lone Pectoral Sandpiper foraged in the muddy margin. Our main quarry though was Sabine’s Gull, of which four were reported yesterday on Eagle Lake. Luck was on our side and we were not to come home empty-handed. When we arrived Sachi immediately spotted a lone gull on the water in the shallows of the bay. Indeed, a juvenile Sabine’s in all its splendour! A second one was noted shortly afterwards a bit further out. These were a lifer for Sachi and just the third time I have seen them in BC!

Now, back to the owls!

—

Species	Band	Recap
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	6	1
White-crowned Sparrow	4	5
Lincoln’s Sparrow	3
Black-capped Chickadee	2
Hairy Woodpecker	1
Warbling Vireo	1
Hermit Thrush	1
Common Yellowthroat	1
Yellow-rumped Warbler	1
Song Sparrow		2

—

Birds Banded	20
Species Banded	9
Birds Recapped	8
Species Recapped	3
Species on Census	24
Species Recorded	40
SEASON TOTAL BANDED	1895

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Sept. 24: The Swamp Sparrow Strikes Back

As Avery mentioned in yesterday’s posting we were joined by a group of local youngsters and their parents on last night’s owling expedition. The majority of the youngsters had been owling in years previous but sadly had yet to see an owl. Invariably we tend to catch owls once our visitors have left which is always a little disappointing. This year the owls have been more cooperative and tonight was no exception as we caught our first owl of the night on our first net round much to the delight of our guests! After showing the kids some of the intricacies of owl plumage, sexing by flight feather replacement and feather adaptions everyone but Dave and Avery departed for their beds. The lads stayed the full duration and caught one further owl bringing our season total to 10 in 6 sessions. Dave and I will be out there again tonight if the weather holds and with any luck we will catch more owls!

To compensate for the late night the lads had a sleep in so I manned the station solo for the first hour or so. The first round was quiet with only a Common Yellowthroat and two White-crowned Sparrows one of which was a recapture. On my way back across the field I was treated to splendour of the sunrise over the Niuts. This range is so photogenic which is why it is featured in almost every blog post. Activity on the subsequent round was more elevated with 15 birds in our nets.

The swampy Swamp Sparrow

I was very much relieved when Avery and Dave arrived midway through the round as the two extra set of hands allowed us to divide and conquer further avoiding a backlog of birds. We caught our second Swamp Sparrow of the season and this time remembered to put a band on it! Dave had the pleasure of both extracting and banding this lovely bird that by and large inhabits the wetlands of the boreal during its breeding season. We detect this species in most years (8 of 12) while only banding individuals in 6 of the 12 years that the station has been in operation. After the busy days we have had, today felt slow with only 43 birds banded and 7 recaptures.

Census was fun as usual despite it being a little less busy which could be due to the clear overnight conditions that are ideal for migration. Apart from the usual suspects I had sightings of a late Hammond’s Flycatcher, a Townsend’s Warbler (for the second day in a row) and three White-winged Crossbills. This last species is not unusual for the valley but it had been over three weeks since our last sighting. I got some rare good looks at one handsome individual before a Sharp-shinned Hawk drove it off. As if on cue the Belted Kingfisher then dive-bombed the Sharpie driving it off and taking its place on the perch.

Sadly there are only four more days left in the season, so after banding was over we stayed behind for a couple hours of much needed net repair. Avery showed both Dave and I “The Ropes” or dare I say “The Threads” before we all began working on repairing grouse holes in net 10.

—

Species	Band	Recap
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	12	3
White-crowned Sparrow	7	3
Yellow-rumped Warbler	5
Song Sparrow	5
Orange-crowned Warbler	3
Common Yellowthroat	3
Hermit Thrush	2
Black-capped Chickadee	1	1
American Robin	1
Savannah Sparrow	1
Lincoln’s Sparrow	1
Swamp Sparrow	1
Golden-crowned Sparrow	1

—

Birds Banded	43
Species Banded	13
Birds Recapped	7
Species Recapped	3
Species on Census	40
Species Recorded	48
SEASON TOTAL BANDED	1875

 

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Sept. 23: 99 Bags of Birds on the Wall

It was another action packed day with the late season push continuing in full force! In a very rare event, we actually had to close all the nets for an hour as we had caught so many birds! The views of the Niuts were particularly stunning today with the fall colors and the wispy clouds.

Last night we had a TLBO event at the community hall up in Tatla Lake. For the second season running this was organised by the Chilcotin Ark Society (CAS). A healthy turnout of 30 people attended the presentation I gave, followed by a Q and A and some socializing. A couple hardy locals then joined Sachi and Dave for our owling which, unfortunately, despite the full three hour session came up empty handed.

As per usual, the owlers slept in and I opened up the nets solo this morning. It didn’t take long for things to get a bit overwhelming as I caught 12 birds on the first net check then on the 8:00 net round I was faced with 14 birds in net 14! Luckily the others arrived at this point and Sachi was able to start banding and Dave helped me clean out the net. Onwards to our next net, net 6 and it too was loaded, with close to 20 birds! At this point Sachi and Dave extracted these birds while I completed the net check and we closed all the nets to catch up with banding the backup of birds in the lab! While Sachi was away on census Dave and I powered through the plethora of Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Yellow-rumped Warblers and White-crowned Sparrows. This last of which we banded a season high of 12!

Sachi once again had a great census with a total of 43 species and well over a hundred each of Yellow-rumped Warbler and Ruby-crowned Kinglet! He managed to pull out another couple of great species both of which, while not necessarily rare for the region, had yet to be recorded at the TLBO – a young American Dipper foraging along the north shore of the lake, and a Pectoral Sandpiper (long overdue!) on the muddy strip at the back of the lagoon. He also picked out a Rusty  Blackbird, likely the same one we have been seeing intermittently for the past week or so.

TLBO’s first American Dipper!

Back at the station, once we had cleared all the birds out of the lab Dave reopened the nets at 9:30 (~1hr lost). We continued to get good numbers of birds in the nets and Julien and I were treated to a Swamp Sparrow calling then showing itself along the Homathko just south of net 16. Alas, we did not catch it.

One of TLBO’s first two American Pipits banded!

As Dave and I were coming back to the station across the field after the 11:30 net check we noticed a large flock of American Pipits foraging between us and our “pipit fence”. We radioed Sachi who was banding back at the lab to go and open the pipit nets and then Dave and I proceeded to walk the flock towards the nets. As they flushed up ahead of us we heard at least 4 Lapland Longspurs in among the ~90 pipits. It initially looked like we may catch a whole batch of pipits as they flew right towards the nets, however many of them obviously saw the nets as they veered away from them. However, two did not evade us and these represent the first two American Pipits banded at TLBO! By the end of the day, including the two pipits and a Savannah Sparrow caught in the “pipit fence” we had banded 99 birds, a new season record.

With any luck our owling efforts will bear more fruit tonight as we have several locals visiting us tonight. Stay tuned for tomorrows report!

—

Species	Band	Recap
Yellow-rumped Warbler	28	1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	21	1
Lincoln’s Sparrow	12
White-crowned Sparrow	12
Song Sparrow	6	2
Common Yellowthroat	5	1
Savannah Sparrow	3
Orange-crowned Warbler	2	1
Hermit Thrush	2
American Pipit	2
Oregon Junco	2
Warbling Vireo	1
Swainson’s Thrush	1
MacGillivray’s Warbler	1
Golden-crowned Sparrow	1

—

Birds Banded	99
Species Banded	15
Birds Recapped	6
Species Recapped	5
Species on Census	41
Species Recorded	59
SEASON TOTAL BANDED	1832

 

 

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Sept. 22: Skulking Sparrow, Soaring Eagle

Today we were joined by a good friend of mine, Julien who came up from Bella Coola for a visit this weekend. Fortunately, our fervent prayers were answered as the rain lessened to a slight drizzle before fizzling out allowing us to open the nets and catch some birds. The drop in temperature (1°C at opening) overnight resulted in a rapid descent of the snow line which once the clouds lifted sat half way down the Niuts.

We were all very happy to get back to banding after the forced day of inaction. Captures began slow and steady with the first net check after opening yielding 5 new birds and a recaptured American Robin. Activity continued to ramp up with the peak capture round occurring at 9:00am.

A Nashville Warbler

Activity and consequently birds in our nets decreased from this point as the day wore on. The day was filled with excitement as we banded our second and third hatch year female Nashville Warblers of the season! This is a station record as the previous high was two in a season (achieved in 2007 and 2008). With the addition of this years 3 Nashville Warblers the station now has banded a total of 10 since its inception in 2006. Orange-crowned Warblers topped the banding chart for the first time this season with 19 individuals banded and 1 recapture. Due to our geographic location we capture two of the subspecies of this rather inconspicuous warbler. The more brightly coloured coastal subspecies is called Lutescens while its more drab and grey interior cousin is termed Orestera. Dave both extracted and banded his first

A Savannah Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow today! This grassland species can look much like a Lincoln’s Sparrow at first glance. However, upon closer inspection one will see that they are much paler overall with crisp streaking on their chest, a pale line down their crown, pinker legs, (often) yellow lores and tertials that extend in length beyond their secondaries. Interestingly, this last trait seems to hold true for most grassland birds and may be an adaptation for obtaining extra lift when taking off from the ground versus from a perch.  All in all the day of banding was a huge success with a final tally of 82 birds banded and 3 recaptures. At some point during the day we surpassed the 1700 mark ending at 1733 birds banded and 223 recaptures for the season.

The excitement wan’t contained to just the banding as the flocks of Yellow-rumpeds and mobs of Kinglets were still in attendance. Census went well as there were a multitude of species about and I had some good looks at both a juvenile and an adult male Northern Harrier soaring above the long grasses in the field south of the station. Upon nearing the end of the field a small “cute” sparrow flushed out of the grasses and alighted on a fence post. Something was different about this sparrow as its legs seemed over large for its small dumpy body. I pulled out Avery’s camera and zoomed in as best I could slowly moving forward trying to get the best image possible before I spooked the bird. Once I snapped several shots I continued to study this small inquisitive bird through my binoculars.

The Le Conte’s Sparrow

It seemed somewhat familiar but I couldn’t place it. Later on I showed the pictures to Avery and after consulting a good friend and fellow birder/bander of his we all concluded that it was a Le Conte’s Sparrow! This the first record for TLBO and a species that Avery has been expecting to detect for a while now. Le Conte’s breed in damp sedge meadows in the prairies and southern boreal and as such were one of my constant companions during my last job in the remote bogs, swamps and fens of northern Alberta. Their hissing buzz-like song kept me sane amidst the hum of black flies and mosquitos during the many hours that I spent waist deep in water awaiting my ride (helicopter) to the next site

Later on, while on a net round we spotted a large soaring raptor moving south along the Potatoes. Fortunately while circling the dark bird gave us good views of a white band across its tail and corresponding white splotches near the wing tips which identified it as a Golden Eagle, our first of the season! Throughout the day the pipits were strangely absent, likely choosing other fields instead of the once north of the lab to forage in. This meant that we were only able to briefly test out the new “pipit fence” for 20 minutes at the end of the day. The inspiration came when a flock of 20 Mountain Bluebirds made a brief and late appearance. Alas, lady luck was not on our side as after 20 minutes of waiting all we had to show for our efforts was a lone Savannah Sparrow that we unintentionally flushed into the “pipit fence” while we were trying to close up the nets.

All in all it was another fantastic day in this beautiful valley. Catch you all tomorrow at the same time and place.

—

Species	Band	Recap
Orange-crowned Warbler	19	1
Yellow-rumped Warbler	16
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	13
Lincoln’s Sparrow	13
White-crowned Sparrow	10
Nashville Warbler	2
American Robin	1	1
Common Yellowthroat	1	1
Golden-crowned Kinglet	1
Hermit Thrush	1
Swainson’s Thrush	1
Wilson’s Warbler	1
Savannah Sparrow	1
Song Sparrow	1
Oregon Junco	1

—

Birds Banded	82
Species Banded	15
Birds Recapped	3
Species Recapped	3
Species on Census	44
Species Recorded	57
SEASON TOTAL BANDED	1733

 

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Sept. 21: Weather Day #2…

The weather system that thwarted our owling aspirations last night stayed through the night and greeted us this morning with low clouds and a constant patter on the metal roof of our cabin. Unfortunately that meant no banding which was a bit of a let down as we were hoping to repeat yesterday’s performance with the addition of some Horned Larks along with a few members of the throng of pipits by way of our newly fashioned “pipit fence”.

The wet shuttered up lab. Always a sad sight.

The bright side of days like today are that even though we do not open the nets we still have to perform census and spend some time at the station doing some observations in order to get an idea of what birds are around in the poor weather. Leaving Avery to put some finishing touches on his presentation for tomorrow as well as to continue proofing this years banding data Dave and I set out in the rain to the station.

On a side note my irritable car stereo has decided to consistently function after four months of playing dead so I subjected Dave to some Leonard Cohen which so far he has been very receptive to.

Census went well as there were may birds in attendance (34 species). It was a bit bittersweet as it made census very exciting but on the other hand was also disappointing that we were not banding any of the beauties that surrounded us.

Sapsucker sign

One of the resident Red-naped Sapsuckers that Dave first observed on the last “Weather Day” (Sept. 16th) was still working the same aspen in virtually the same spot that I have seen him in every day since. As we walked the route the trees were veritably dripping with Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and water of course, with two Hammonds Flycatchers, some Orange-crowned Warblers and Chickadees mixed in. In a shrubby section we encountered the largest flock of White-crowned sparrows (30 plus individuals) that I have seen at the station with some Golden-crowned and Lincoln’s mixed in. The fun was not over as while we were crossing the lower field we saw two decent sized flocks of waterfowl descending into one of the two ponds on the north end of the lake. Upon arriving at the first pond there were only a few Mallards in attendance so we decided to make the trek across the Homathko and along the north shore to get a good look at the second pond. We were rewarded by a mixed flock of Mallards, American Wigeons, Northern Pintails, Northern Shovelers, Wood Ducks, Green-winged Teals and a lone Ring-necked Duck. We then birded our way back to the station and around the net lanes finishing off at the oxbow before heading back to the cabin for hot tea and fresh muffins (courtesy of Avery).

Despite the disappointment of another weather day our hopes are high that the rain will abate soon and that the mobs of kinglets, throngs of pipits and swarms of Yellow-rumps will still be in attendance for banding tomorrow. Depending if the rain eases up some we may venture out on a duck viewing expedition on the nearby lakes that we visited on the last weather day.

Also, a friendly reminder to those of you who are residents of the valley and the surrounding area. Tomorrow night Avery is giving a talk and Q and A about the station and the importance of banding and migration monitoring. The event will be at the Tatla Lake Community Hall and doors at 6:30 pm with the talk beginning around 7 pm. All are more than welcome and admission is free with the added incentive tea and cookies as well. If the weather permits we will be owling afterwards and everyone is welcome to join.

Happy Friday!

 

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Sept 20: Long-eared Owl

Last night the rain seemed to let up just in time for Avery and I to set off on another session of owling. As we were driving into the station he spotted an owl perched just off the road near the lab. We couldn’t get a close look at it before it flew off, so after we parked we went and had a look around to see if we could spot it again. Based on it’s size Avery thought it might be a long-eared owl, but we didn’t have any luck finding it in the direction it had flown. Thinking we had missed our chance, we headed out to open the owl nets as the moon cast a pleasant glow on the treetops. Just as we were nearing them, we spotted our bird, a long-eared owl! Avery snapped a quick picture and then started creeping toward it using his headlamp to mask the pursuit. Alas, as he was just within range to hand-catch the owl a stick underfoot gave him away and off it went. Although we didn’t get a chance to band this bird, we were both thrilled with the sighting and it seemed a good omen for the night to come. Unfortunately, after the first net check the rain clouds returned, and as the moon vanished we had to close the nets for the night under persistent rain. Although no saw-whets on this night, it was still well worth the trip to spot TLBO’s first record of a long-eared owl!

Long-eared Owl

Sachi got things started this morning and was just processing his first batch of birds as we arrived at the station. As Avery and I were finishing our first trip around the nets we were treated with a beautiful view of the Niuts with patchy clouds shrouding bits here and there.  The morning was picking up nicely with Lincoln’s Sparrows, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and Orange-crowned Warblers leading the way. We could tell pretty early that this was going to be a big day at TLBO, and sure enough during the 10:05 net check we were slammed at net 13 with almost twenty birds. Audubon’s and Myrtle Yellow-rumped Warblers, and more Orange-Crowned Warblers and Ruby-crowned Kinglets. All the activity  gave me more practice extracting and banding these beauties. It has been a steep learning curve, but Avery and Sachi have been very patient and generous with tips to help me wrap my head around the various techniques, and I am feeling more confident each day as a result.

During the 12:05 net check I was delighted to see my first sharp-shinned hawk of the season, netted beside the Homathko. It was a pleasure to watch Avery extract this compact little hawk, a hatch-year male.

Sharp-shinned hawk

 

A few steps further on the net round and I had another first; extracting a woodpecker. It was a hatch-year male downy woodpecker, and was quite calm during the extraction. I can’t say the same for when it came time to band this fella. Plenty of squawking and kicking kept me on my toes.

Downy woodpecker

The final net round yielded more Ruby-crowned Kinglets and put us at 95 birds banded for the day, so far the record for the season! It was a whirlwind of a day, and we still had some energy left to finish working on a little side project; Avery’s “pipit fence”. He has been cutting panels of old nets during downtime throughout the past week. We finally had everything together to get this new setup ready for tomorrow. We are excited to see what grassland birds we can catch using these two panel nets. There have regularly been large flocks of pipits and larks in the area and hopefully sometime soon we will get a chance to band a few!

Avery and Sachi working on the “Pipit Fence”

-Dave Gonnella

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Species	Band	Recap
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	35
Yellow-rumped Warbler	18
Orange-crowned Warbler	16
Lincoln’s Sparrow	7
Song Sparrow	6	2
Warbling Vireo	3
Common Yellowthroat	3
White-crowned Sparrow	2
Sharp-shinned Hawk	1
Downy Woodpecker	1
Hermit Thrush	1
Yellow Warbler	1
Wilson’s Warbler	1
Golden-crowned Sparrow		1

—

Birds Banded	95
Species Banded	13
Birds Recapped	3
Species Recapped	2
Species on Census	33
Species Recorded	49
SEASON TOTAL BANDED	1651

 

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