Sept. 24: Kinglet Crusade

As with the night before, the south winds were blowing fairly strong when Joachim and I arrived at the TLBO for owl banding. However, with Sabina Harris and a trio of local kids coming out we didn’t want to disappoint so we proceeded to open nets though with low expectations. Fortunately, we were able to catch an owl on the first net round, much to the collective delight of all present. Even better was catching two more on our third net check! This meant that each of them got to release one owl after Joachim and I had banded them. After our visitors left we caught a further three, all on closing net round. All of the owls were hatch-years and this lack of adults meant that we still have not deployed any of our Motus tracking tags but we were still pleased to have a caught a season high count of owls, and in sub-optimal conditions as well.

Golden-crowned Kinglet

This morning Joachim and Sonya took off early for a day trip to Bella Coola. Sachi opened up nets on his own and before I arrived he had a high flying group of Snow Geese, 17 in all. This is quite a scarce bird here with this being just the second record at the TLBO, after a single flock of 30 that were seen Sept. 26, 2013. The nets were busy right from the off and when I arrived there were a half dozen birds awaiting me in the banding lab while Sachi was out checking the nets, gathering more. Every second bird seemed to be a Ruby-crowned Kinglet and indeed they would top the day’s banding charts with 36 banded, more than half of the total of 63 banded for the day. A couple Golden-crowned Kinglets were mixed in, their little bandit-masked faces providing a different kind of cute compared to the innocent, wide-eyed look of their ruby adorned cousins.

Sachi did well to get a record shot of the distant Snow Goose flock!

While I was off on census, Sachi heard our first Rusty Blackbird of the season, calling as it passed overhead along the Homathko River. We have been expecting our first rusty for a couple weeks now so it was a bit of a relief to finally add it to the seasons species list. He also banded our 4th Pacific Wren of the season which ties us with our single season high from 2018.

Census, like the banding, was dominated by Ruby-crowned Kinglets with a smattering chattering from the bushes throughout and a veritable crusade of them pushing through the young aspen halfway through the census route. An integrade (hybrid) Northern Flicker, with evident field marks of both the Red-shafted and Yellow-shafted subspecies was obliging as it alighted in a nearby snag though it was still a little far away for decent photos. The jumbled, musical refrains of a Townsend’s Solitaire was pleasing on the ear as I waded through the kinglets.

The census route is full of fall colours at present

Peak activity in the nets seemed to hit around the time I was arriving back from census. After a brief detour to track down a calling American Three-toed Woodpecker I made my way back tot banding lab to start banding a flurry of birds Sachi was taking out of Nets 1 and 14. Fortunately, Jim Sims from nearby Eagle Lake arrived at this time and was able to help out by scribing while I, and then Sachi, banded this flurry of birds. Once things ere under control again, and a few nets were closed due to the increasing south wind, Jim and I headed down to do a hawkwatch. The remainder of the morning was fairly uneventful for Sachi, with the nets mostly catching falling leaves.

Our eBird list for the day can be found HERE.

Hawkwatch #8

There was a pretty brisk south wind when Jim and I arrived at the hawkwatch site and the mostly overcast skies were not ideal. However, as it was quite warm and there appeared to be more blue in the approaching skies we maintained high hopes. Two Mountain Goats were visible upon our arrival and a little group of Juncos passed through the bushes in front of us. However, scan as we might, there was not a raptor to be seen. After an hour the ridgeline seemed to be getting more sun and we did finally spot a Golden Eagle, presumably the same resident we have seen on most visits. As we approached the 1.5hr mark in our hawkwatch we decided to call it quits though we would tally one migrant raptor, a Sharp-shinned hawk that briefly circled in front of the peaks before dropping down into the trees. On the drive back home we spotted two more Mountain Goats on the slopes north of our site, the first time we’ve seen them here. For a complete list of what we saw see our HAWKWATCH ebird list.

—

Species	Band	Recap
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	36
Song Sparrow	13	1
Yellow-rumped Warbler	5	1
Lincoln’s Sparrow	4	2
Golden-crowned Kinglet	2
Pacific Wren	1
Fox Sparrow	1
White-crowned Sparrow	1
Black-capped Chickadee		1
Swainson’s Thrush		1
Savannah Sparrow		1

—

Daily		Season
Birds Banded	63	Total Banded	1674
Species Banded	8	Standard Banded	1662
Birds Recapped	7	Species Banded	57
Species Recapped	6	Total Recapped	247
Species on Census	26	Species Recapped	17
Species Recorded	50	Species Recorded	140

Read Full Post »

Sept. 18: Jaegers in the Wind

For the second day in a row we had strong winds blowing up from the south, this day even stronger than the last. After taking the opportunity to have a rare leisurely start to the morning Sachi and I headed down to the station to do census and get some observations of what little was about. One could argue that birding in beaufort 6 winds is a fools errand. However, what it lacks (considerably!) in overall bird detections it can make up for with the odd unusual sighting that can be one of the highlights of the season.

While I was trying my best to coax the odd bird out of the frantically waving leaves and boughs along the census route Sachi would encounter a new species for the TLBO! As he was birding in the pines to the NE of the banding lab he noted two adult, light phase Parasitic Jaegers zipping northwards. Jaegers are a principally pelagic bird outside of the breeding season, spending nine months of the year out on the open ocean. During migration they can be spotted occasionally by lucky birders on interior lakes as they make their way from their Arctic breeding grounds to the coast. Jaegers and their cousins Skuas are the pirates of the sea, getting their food by harassing gulls, terns and similar species into dropping/regurgitating their honestly-earned food which they then swoop down and consume. To learn more about Parasitic Jaegers click HERE.

Two Ruffed Grouse sunbathing out of the wind

My census was limited to the odd bird such as two Ruffed Grouse basking in the sun at the semi-sheltered base of some bushes, a Hermit Thrush that hopped into view as I neared the lake and two Herring Gulls, like the Jaegers, being forced northward at the insistence of the wind. There was no Red-necked Phalarope to be seen on the lake but Sachi would spot one (perhaps the same as yesterday?) battling the breeze, flying towards the lake.

He would also encounter a small group of passerines along the Homathko, near our nets and among the Yellow-rumped Warblers he spotted a late Hammond’s Flycatcher and a couple Orange-crowned Warblers. To see what all we encountered this morning see our eBird list HERE.

yours truly optimistically watching the ridge line for an elusive raptor

Having enough of the wind we called it quits and decided to test out whether the strong winds would also be in effect at the hawkwatch site. This was a somewhat optimistic attempt to eek out a little more from the day but it would afford us just a lone raptor; an immature (maybe 2nd year?) Golden Eagle that Sachi spotted soaring above the ridgeline before it glided southward into the wind, dropping down as it made its way across the cliff face. After an unproductive hour we called it a day. A trio of Mountain Goats were once again seen, foraging along the precipitous rock face. The eBird list for our hawkwatch can be seen HERE.

—

Daily		Season
Birds Banded	0	Total Banded	1478
Species Banded	0	Standard Banded	1468
Birds Recapped	0	Species Banded	55
Species Recapped	0	Total Recapped	222
Species on Census	15	Species Recapped	15
Species Recorded	31	Species Recorded	137

—

Read Full Post »

Sep. 15: A Fond Farewell to Summer and Brooke

~post by Maleen Mund (volunteer)

Fall has definitively come to the Tatlayoko Valley as the morning greeted us with lightly frosted nets and the Niuts bathed in a glorious grenadine glow. While the nets soon thawed, the birds remained nestled away for the first net rounds until the sun rays began streaming in, spurring a flurry of activity. Mid-morning, we bid goodbye to Brooke, who is migrating back to Banff after joining us here for a week. Avery left on Census and later Hawk Watch, while Sachi and I continued the rounds.

Census was slow but this Swainson’s Thrush and Golden-crowned Sparrow duo popped up to be tallied

The day would yield not one, but three Hermit Thrush- the first of the season! Other notable visitors included a rather boisterous Robin, a pair of very vivid lady Wilson’s Warblers, a trio of particularly plucky Black-capped Chickadees, a host of wistful Warbling Vireos and delicate Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and the usual crowd of Song Sparrows. A lull in bird business was lifted when a dazzling Downy Woodpecker found himself in quite a pickle, caught in the usual messy woodpecker-fashion in the net – a situation quickly remedied by Sachi. Feeling peckish, we indulged in some muffins before closing up for the day.

Hermit Thrush, note the reddish tail and narrower eye-ring than on Swainson’s

A slow but steady flow of birds allowed me to practice extracting and banding- bringing my total birds banded up to 27. As a beginner birder with no prior experience in this field, I certainly feel accomplished and grateful for my patient teachers. The days dwindle in my stay at TLBO and I will be sorry to leave, but eager to continue my ornithological education.

Always the avian admirer, I have ardently appreciated birds from afar… through a camera lens. However, I was frankly downright uncomfortable in the close company of feathered friends up until about a year ago when I began volunteering in wildlife rehabilitation. Bird banding piqued my interest and led me to TLBO. Now having handled a few birds, I feel much more at ease and am enjoying learning each species’ technical traits along with their unique character; from the sly sparrow trying to give me the slip, to the flighty thrushes and forbearing warblers.

The wind is ever changeable, but with any luck the conditions will lend themselves to an eve of owling tonight.

To see what all we encountered today see our eBird list.

A hatch-year male Downy Woodpecker, our 2nd of this species banded in 2021

Hawkwatch #5

As banding was not too busy and it was moderately sunny, Avery went down to the Hawkwatch site again and did what has become the customary 2hr watch. In the first few minutes a couple Sharp-shinned Hawks and a Cooper’s Hawk were spotted high on the ridge while another Sharpie harassed a Pileated Woodpecker for a bit before coming in to perch nearby. Unfortunately, the clouds would start to roll in and most of the rest of the period was a mix of overcast and brief sunny spells which is not ideal for creating the thermals that the raptors use to migrate. The odd Sharp-shinned, two Red-tailed Hawks and an American Kestrel would cruise by, most high along the ridge. A Merlin was closer in, providing a bit better views. The resident adult Golden Eagle spent a bit of time circling over the nearest peak while on the back peak, two billy Mountain Goats were in the same place as on the past two visits.

Species	Count
Golden Eagle	1
Sharp-shinned Hawk	10
Cooper’s Hawk	1
Bald Eagle	(2)
Red-tailed Hawk	2(1)
American Kestrel	1
Merlin	1
Total	16(3)

After the two hour period ended, an adult and immature Bald Eagle were seen circling high overhead, joined by a Red-tailed Hawk. All three eventually headed south along the mountain cliffs. While the usual cadres of Clark’s Nutcrackers were ever present, there was little in the way of songbird movement.

The eBird list for the hawkwatch can be found HERE.

—

Species	Band	Recap
Warbling Vireo	6	1
Song Sparrow	5	7
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	5
Hermit Thrush	3
Orange-crowned Warbler	3
Black-capped Chickadee	2	1
Common Yellowthroat	2
Wilson’s Warbler	2
Downy Woodpecker	1
American Robin	1
Savannah Sparrow	1

—

Daily		Season
Birds Banded	31	Total Banded	1465
Species Banded	11	Standard Banded	1455
Birds Recapped	9	Species Banded	54
Species Recapped	3	Total Recapped	220
Species on Census	28	Species Recapped	15
Species Recorded	48	Species Recorded	136

Read Full Post »

Sept. 12: Calm in the Nets and Hawkwatch #3

More strong winds yesterday evening once again kept us from owling but we were up and at ’em for songbird banding this morning with the overcast skies (and even a short bout of rain) overnight making for a fairly warm start to proceedings. There were few birds about and the early net checks were similarly light on birds in nets. One bird to pique our interest was a gorgeous adult male Common Yellowthroat in all its bandit-masked glory. As with most species, we mainly catch young ones and can usually only count on one or two adult males per season.

Even in low light this adult male Common Yellowthroat shines!

Activity was a little increased for me on census. It took about 10 minutes for things to pick up but once I was across the old fence line east of the outhouse a little flurry of activity bumped my bird list up. Both Kinglet species, Wilson’s and Yellow Warblers, Red-breasted Nuthatch and more joined a half dozen or so Yellow-rumped Warblers. Once through the pines I encountered another bird group with a similar composition but with several Song Sparrows and a tiny Pacific Wren lurking in the undergrowth as well as quite a few more Ruby-crowned Kinglets. There continues to be Horned Larks in the lagoon field, though the flock is down to four individuals. On the lagoon itself there were only a few ducks but a young Sora was soaking up the sun on the north shore. The White-throated Sparrow that has been in the bushes just north of the lagoon was again announcing its presence with its characteristic calls. More Golden- and Ruby-crowned Kinglets were foraging in the Douglas-firs upslope of the lagoon and on the lake I finished off census with a lone Red-necked and 4 very distant Horned Grebes.

A Mountain Chickadee that Sachi was able to get photos of

Catching few birds meant there was more opportunity for Maleen and Brooke to practice their bird handling, banding and extracting several of what did find its way into our nets. Maleen and I left early, heading out to do a hawk watch at our new site half way down the lake. As with the other two times we did 2hrs, from 11:00-13:00.

Right off the bat we noticed an increase in raptors from last week with a few Sharp-shinned and a Red-tailed Hawk seen along the ridge within the first five minutes. A high-flying, southbound Varied Thrush and two American Robins were also noted during this time. The raptors would ebb and flow, as is often the case but in the end we noted 26 raptors summarized in the below table. A presumed locally-breeding adult Northern Goshawk was seen soaring low over the forest just a couple hundred metres from us, certainly the highlight of the session. A couple White-winged Crossbills passed overhead and a Hermit Thrush (very scarce so far this season) dropped into the nearby bushes.

Species	Count
Northern Harrier	1
Osprey	1
Sharp-shinned Hawk	16
Cooper’s Hawk	1
Northern Goshawk	1
Red-tailed Hawk	4
American Kestrel	1
Unidentified raptor species	1
Total	26

On the far peak, through the gap between the two nearest ones, we noted two, possibly three, Mountain Goats and we later noted a nanny and kid on the nearest cliff as well.

Distant Mountain Goats

It is currently very calm outside so we have high hopes that (finally!) we will be able to go out owling again tonight. Stay tuned, with any luck there will be owls on this space tomorrow!

For a complete list of what we saw today check out our eBird list from our Migration Monitoring and Hawkwatch.

Sometimes we take a moment to enjoy the non-avian delights such as this Northern Grass-of-Parnassus (Parnassia palustris)

—

Species	Band	Recap
Song Sparrow	4	2
Common Yellowthroat	3
Lincoln’s Sparrow	3
Swainson’s Thrush	2	1
Oregon Junco	1
Warbling Vireo		1

—

Daily		Season
Birds Banded	13	Total Banded	1407
Species Banded	5	Standard Banded	1397
Birds Recapped	4	Species Banded	53
Species Recapped	3	Total Recapped	207
Species on Census	38	Species Recapped	15
Species Recorded	57	Species Recorded	136

Read Full Post »