After three consecutive nights of poor owling weather Marko and I were able to head out for our fourth session of the 2023 owling season. The first net check yielded a single owl which is all that I dare hope for most seasons, as I like to maintain high hopes paired with low expectations. The subsequent check yielded a further three owls for four on the night which had our hopes high that by the night’s end we might beat the opening night’s total of seven. In our wildest dreams Marko nor I would have been ready for what lay in store for us on the third net check of the night. As we approached, the first two nets were empty but turning the corner four owls came into view in our third net. The next four nets would yield a further seven owls for a total of 11, one of which was a same night recapture which we released, whilst the other 10 were new! This could very well be the biggest net round in the 11 seasons of Northern Saw-whet Owl monitoring program at the TLBO! The closing round yielded one more owl bringing our night’s tally to 15 and our season total to 33. At this rate we very well could beat the regular season record of 62 which was set back in 2019.
It was another beautiful frost-rimed Tatlayoko morning as the mercury read -2°C which kept our nets closed for some time. In the predawn light a flock of our first Canada Geese since August 25th flew overhead as Sachi surveyed the frigid landscape. Census was an improvement on the past few days but still on the slower end of the spectrum. The first highlight of the day came as I was making my way back to the station from census when a flock of 35 Icterids flew overhead vocalizing. The low “chek” calls paired with the dark plumage and light eyes of the few males in the group told me that they were our first Brewer’s Blackbirds of the season. This is a species that breeds locally yet is a rare visitor to our study area whilst we are here as last season was the first detection that we have had of this species since 2017.
The next addition to our season’s list came as both Sachi’s were busy in the banding lab. A “pik” call caught my ear which though distorted by the walls sounded too much like an American Three-toed Woodpecker to not investigate. I stuck my head out the back door to have a look at the “Woodpecker Snag” and sure enough my ears had not deceived me as a beautiful American Three-toed Woodpecker was foraging and calling its heart out on the snag.
With reduced net hours due to the cold morning banding was a subdued affair. The pipit fence would have its best daily performance of the season and perhaps of all time as we would capture two Savannah Sparrows on one net round and a TLBO first banding record (as well as for myself) on another. As the morning wore on the field was alive with life as a large mixed flock comprised of Western Meadowlarks, Savannah Sparrows, American Pipits and European Starlings foraged near the pipit fence. On one such occasion we tried in vain to encourage the Meadowlarks to take the plunge but were unsuccessful until we realized that a member of the large flock of European Starling’s had to our good fortune found its way into the pipit fence! This is the first banding record of this species at the TLBO and my first chance to get to see this European transplant up close and personal. A point of interest is that though not overly large, European Starlings have disproportionately thick legs and beautifully iridescent feathers!
Later in the day we would also capture and band our 253rd Swainson’s Thrush of the season which now has us tied with 2018 for the single season banding record for this species. To top the day off we would capture and band our final bird of the day, a stately adult female “Audubon’s” Yellow-rumped Warbler, our seventh of the season. Let us hope that she is just the beginning of the horde that will find our nets over the next two weeks!
To see our eBird list for today, please visit: https://ebird.org/checklist/S149888848
_
Species | Band | Recap |
Savannah Sparrow | 3 | |
Song Sparrow | 2 | |
Swainson’s Thrush | 1 | |
European Starling | 1 | |
Yellow-rumped Warbler | 1 |
_
Daily | Season | ||
Birds Banded | 8 | Total Banded | 779 |
Species Banded | 5 | Standard Banded | 765 |
Birds Recapped | 0 | Species Banded | 51 |
Species Recapped | 0 | Total Recapped | 152 |
Species on Census | 32 | Species Recapped | 17 |
Species Recorded | 50 | Species Recorded | 139 |
Every day is magic when you know how to look. Bravo! Marko must be in avian heaven!!
Yes! Although sadly we haven’t been able to find him a Bald Eagle yet…
[…] « Sep. 14: No Longer EUST-less […]
[…] We would add a second species to the station’s banding list with our first banding record of a European Starling. Other highlights included two Steller’s Jays, two Belted Kingfishers, two American Pipits […]