Sep 16: Keep on Creeping on

~Post by Maleen Mund (volunteer)

Perfect calm and starry skies meant last night’s owling was a triumph! Sachi and I were joined by friends of TLBO; Peter and Roma, and were met by five Northern Saw-whet Owls- one in the first net round, and four in the third. I was able to extract and band two gentle owls, while Sachi handled three feistier fellows. Staying up late in the biting cold is all worth it when you gaze into those big yellow eyes and feel those bunny-soft feathers (and perhaps a talon or two). The “Hoooot-hoo-hoo” of a Great Horned Owl was heard in the distance, contrasting with the “Toot-toot-toot” of a Saw-whet.

A happy Maleen with one of the Saw-whet Owls

Temperatures dropped overnight and though the morning was crisp and clear, it was too cold to open the nets until 9:10 a.m. when the sun at last made its debut. This also meant we didn’t bother rushing down to the station, Avery arriving around 7:30 and Sachi and I at 8:00. Keeping with the owl theme, the Northern Pygmy-owl that has been heard calling most days this week once again could be heard giving its single “toot” call intermittently in the early hours of the morning. Still bundled up, Sachi headed out on Census on which he had a good assortment of waterfowl at the lagoon. 23 Northern Shovelers, 21 American Wigeon, 7 Green-winged Teal and a lone Blue-winged Teal were present. Meanwhile Avery and I continued the net rounds. The first birds of the day included an assortment of sparrows: White-Crowned, Lincoln and Song.

One of two young male “Audubon’s” Yellow-rumped Warblers seen by the school group

Shortly thereafter, a school group from Anahim Lake dropped in to learn about the banding station. The kids joined us for a net round and luckily, they were treated to some interesting birds; Song Sparrows, Wilson’s Warblers and Yellow-rumped Warblers who held a captive audience and generated very thoughtful questions.

The day finished with a male Ruby-crowned Kinglet with quite the shock of red feathers in it’s cap, a Savannah Sparrow with nice yellow colouring in the face, and a first of the season: a Brown Creeper! “Brown” really is a catch-all for the truly stunning plumage sported by these petit insectivores- a mosaic of umbers, ochres, soft grays, and creamy whites which camouflage them against the tree bark in which they nest, feed and “creep”.

The subtle beauty that is the Brown Creeper

At the time of writing, there is a heavy wind and the chances of owling tonight are looking slim.

—

Species	Band	Recap
Song Sparrow	2	2
Yellow-rumped Warbler	2
Wilson’s Warbler	2
Lincoln’s Sparrow	2
Warbling Vireo	1
Brown Creeper	1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	1
Savannah Sparrow	1
White-crowned Sparrow	1

—

Daily		Season
Birds Banded	13	Total Banded	1478
Species Banded	9	Standard Banded	1468
Birds Recapped	2	Species Banded	55
Species Recapped	1	Total Recapped	222
Species on Census	37	Species Recapped	15
Species Recorded	52	Species Recorded	136

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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

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September 19th, 2017 – Post by Sachi

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

Early morning shot at the Niuts. Photo credit Laurel.

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

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

Brown Creeper. Photo credit Laurel.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Photo credit Laurel.

Another fine day in this beautiful valley.

Cheers,

-Sachi

—

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

—

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

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September 1st, 2017 – Post by Gwyn

We had a busy day at the station today, with a lot of firsts for the season. One was the White-crowned Sparrow, which we’ve seen around the station for the past week but hadn’t caught in the nets until today. White-crowned Sparrows are divided into five subspecies, differentiated by subtle differences in their plumage; the three we had today were all immature Western Taiga, or Gambel’s, sparrows.

 

Kyle was excited to band a Western Wood-pewee. Not only was this the first bird of this species banded so far, it was also the first one he’d ever banded. Wood-pewees are a kind of flycatcher, a group of birds notoriously difficult to tell apart. Kyle had to break out a ruler and a pair of calipers!

 

The Cassin’s Vireo was a pleasant surprise. Like the White-crowned Sparrow, this is a bird we’ve seen around the station but not yet in our nets. We catch lots of Warbling Vireos, a similar species, so it was nice to have a little vireo variety. Now if only we can catch one of those Red-eyed Vireos we’ve seen hanging around…

 

Cassin’s Vireo, left, and Warbling Vireo for comparison.

 

But by far my favorite bird of the day was this little Chestnut-backed Chickadee. All of the different species of chickadees are adorable, but something about the Chestnut-backed sets it apart as the cutest of them all. I’ve been hoping for one from the moment I arrived, and I’m so glad we finally got one!

 

Chestnut-backed Chickadee.

-Gwyn

—

Total Banded	577
Species Banded	42
Total Recapped	91
Species Recapped	12
Species Recorded	115

—

Species	Banded	Recapped
Common Yellowthroat	86	31
Lincoln’s Sparrow	84	13
Swainson’s Thrush	77	10
Song Sparrow	60	19
Warbling Vireo	33	0
Yellow Warbler	31	2
American Redstart	25	2
Wilson’s Warbler	24	0
Northern Waterthrush	21	1
Savannah Sparrow	21	0
MacGillivray’s Warbler	19	3
Orange-crowned Warbler	14	0
Chipping Sparrow	10	0
Dusky Flycatcher	8	0
Cedar Waxwing	7	5
Black-capped Chickadee	7	3
Vesper Sparrow	5	0
Townsend’s Warbler	5	0
Oregon Junco	5	0
Yellow-rumped Warbler	4	0
Willow Flycatcher	3	1
Red-eyed Vireo	3	0
Pacific-slope Flycatcher	3	0
White-crowned Sparrow	3	0
Hammond’s Flycatcher	2	0
Lazuli Bunting	1	0
Sharp-shinned Hawk	1	0
Cooper’s Hawk	1	0
Spotted Towhee	1	0
American Robin	1	0
Marsh Wren	1	0
Golden-crowned Kinglet	1	0
Pacific Wren	1	0
Western Tanager	1	0
Least Flycatcher	1	0
Red-winged Blackbird	1	0
Brown Creeper	1	0
Indigo Bunting	1	0
Cassin’s Vireo	1	0
Chestnut-backed Chickadee	1	0
Western Wood-pewee	1	0
Red-naped Sapsucker	0	1

 

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August 27th, 2017 – Post by Gwyn

While we had less wind and more birds than yesterday, there were no exciting new species so I thought this would be a good opportunity to introduce myself and tell you a little about what I do when I’m not banding birds.

My name is Gwyn, and I’m volunteering at TLBO for a couple weeks to brush up on my banding skills. I’m from Oregon, where I’ve spent the last three years working with Marbled Murrelets in the Coast Range. Since Marbled Murrelets are way cooler than I am, let me tell you a little about these awesome birds.

Marbled Murrelet.

Marbled Murrelets are a kind of seabird, in the same family as puffins. They spend most of their time on the water like other seabirds, diving to catch small fish. But while most seabirds nest on rocky cliffs near the ocean, murrelets do something pretty weird: they fly inland and nest high in old growth trees. The two parents take turns incubating the egg in 24-hour shifts, switching around dawn. Once the egg hatches, they leave the chick all alone in the forest, only visiting it at sunrise to bring it a couple of fish.

Because they fly at highway speeds and are only in the forest very, very early in the morning, these are not easy birds to study. Want to find out if a Marbled Murrelet is nesting in a particular patch of forest? Here’s what you do: First, find a gap in the canopy so you can see at least a little bit of sky. Then, the morning of your survey, get up really, really, early—maybe around 3:00 or 3:30. Drive an hour or so to get as close as you can to that patch of sky, then get out and hike the rest of the way—probably another hour or so. You should be in position 45 minutes before sunrise. Finally, stand under your gap and stare straight up for two whole hours and hope you see or hear a murrelet on its way through the forest. Chances are you won’t—but if you do, there might be a nest nearby!

 

-Gwyn

—

Total Banded	445
Species Banded	36
Total Recapped	72
Species Recapped	12
Species Recorded	107

—

Species	Banded	Recapped
Common Yellowthroat	75	25
Swainson’s Thrush	64	8
Lincoln’s Sparrow	49	10
Song Sparrow	45	12
Yellow Warbler	26	2
American Redstart	24	2
Warbling Vireo	22	0
Northern Waterthrush	20	1
Savannah Sparrow	19	0
MacGillivray’s Warbler	18	3
Wilson’s Warbler	11	0
Chipping Sparrow	10	0
Orange-crowned Warbler	8	0
Cedar Waxwing	7	5
Dusky Flycatcher	7	0
Vesper Sparrow	5	0
Townsend’s Warbler	5	0
Black-capped Chickadee	4	2
Red-eyed Vireo	3	0
Pacific-slope Flycatcher	3	0
Oregon Junco	3	0
Willow Flycatcher	2	1
Yellow-rumped Warbler	2	0
Hammond’s Flycatcher	1	0
Lazuli Bunting	1	0
Sharp-shinned Hawk	1	0
Cooper’s Hawk	1	0
Spotted Towhee	1	0
American Robin	1	0
Marsh Wren	1	0
Golden-crowned Kinglet	1	0
Pacific Wren	1	0
Western Tanager	1	0
Least Flycatcher	1	0
Red-winged Blackbird	1	0
Red-naped Sapsucker	0	1

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August 24th, 2017 – Post by Gwyn

Today we got to band one of my favorite birds, a Golden-Crowned Kinglet. These tiny birds are plain overall, but have a fiery orange streak across the top of their head. Males have longer, more visible stripes than females, and the moment I saw this little guy in the net I knew it was a male—so bright! Back home in Oregon I rarely get to see Golden-Crowned Kinglets, but I often hear them as they flit around the thick undergrowth. They have a distinctive song, a bit like someone winding up for a very musical sneeze. The opening notes sound similar to the song of the Chestnut-Back Chickadee, and so there’s a mnemonic to help you tell them apart: just remember that it sounds like the Golden-Crowned Kinglet is saying, “I… am… not… a… chestnutbackedchickadee.”

Golden-crowned Kinglet. Photo by Anna TN.

We haven’t seen any Chestnut-Backed Chickadees yet this season, but today we did see another bird I know well from Oregon: a Pacific Wren, our first of the season.

Pacific Wren. Picture by Constanza Rivas.

Other exciting birds for the day were a Western Tanager and a beautiful Cedar Waxwing. Seen, but not banded, were two Townsend’s Warblers, which just happen to be my favorite warbler. We’ve banded a few earlier in the season, but none since I arrived, and I hope one flies into our nets soon—and maybe brings a Chestnut-Backed Chickadee with it.

-Gwyn

—

Total Banded	381
Species Banded	34
Total Recapped	60
Species Recapped	12
Species Recorded	102

—

Species	Banded	Recapped
Common Yellowthroat	65	21
Swainson’s Thrush	54	7
Lincoln’s Sparrow	41	7
Song Sparrow	34	8
Yellow Warbler	24	2
American Redstart	23	2
Northern Waterthrush	19	1
Savannah Sparrow	18	0
MacGillivray’s Warbler	17	3
Warbling Vireo	15	0
Chipping Sparrow	10	0
Wilson’s Warbler	10	0
Cedar Waxwing	7	5
Dusky Flycatcher	7	0
Vesper Sparrow	5	0
Black-capped Chickadee	4	2
Red-eyed Vireo	3	0
Orange-crowned Warbler	3	0
Pacific-slope Flycatcher	3	0
Oregon Junco	3	0
Willow Flycatcher	2	1
Yellow-rumped Warbler	2	0
Hammond’s Flycatcher	1	0
Lazuli Bunting	1	0
Sharp-shinned Hawk	1	0
Townsend’s Warbler	1	0
Cooper’s Hawk	1	0
Spotted Towhee	1	0
American Robin	1	0
Marsh Wren	1	0
Golden-crowned Kinglet	1	0
Pacific Wren	1	0
Western Tanager	1	0
Red-naped Sapsucker	0	1

​​

 

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August 22, 2017. Posted by Constanza

Yesterday, Gwyn–after a long trip from Oregon–joined us as a volunteer. She arrived with a lucky day. On census, Kyle saw the first Black-headed Grosbeak at TLBO. It would be interesting to know from where it came. This species migrates from North America to Mexico to spend the winter there. The first Stellar’s Jay appeared this season. Beautiful bird. If you haven’t seen it, I recommend that you google it.

Black-headed Grosbeak from today. Photo by Kyle.

Today was a busy day. Many birds were close to the nets. We banded 47 birds! A record  for this season. 20 Common Yellowthroats were banded. Species for which we had few banded were present today, such as a Orange-crowned Warbler, Willow Flycatcher and Yellow-rumped Warbler.

Our visitors from yesterday came back to join us. Today, they had more luck than yesterday, and everyone had the chance to let a bird go after the bird was banded. It was a hard day, and they left very happy and tired, like us.

Gwyn and Anna with our visitors from yesterday. Photo by Kyle.

We have been recovering our energy for another exciting day at TLBO.

A view at TLBO. Photo by Kyle.

-Constanza

–

Total Banded	320
Species Banded	30
Total Recapped	50
Species Recapped	12
Species Recorded	96

–

Species	Banded	Recapped
Common Yellowthroat	52	16
Swainson’s Thrush	50	7
Song Sparrow	31	5
Lincoln’s Sparrow	30	6
American Redstart	23	2
Yellow Warbler	21	2
Northern Waterthrush	19	1
Savannah Sparrow	16	0
MacGillivray’s Warbler	15	3
Chipping Sparrow	10	0
Wilson’s Warbler	9	0
Dusky Flycatcher	6	0
Warbling Vireo	6	0
Cedar Waxwing	5	5
Black-capped Chickadee	4	1
Red-eyed Vireo	3	0
Orange-crowned Warbler	3	0
Willow Flycatcher	2	1
Vesper Sparrow	2	0
Pacific-slope Flycatcher	2	0
Yellow-rumped Warbler	2	0
Hammond’s Flycatcher	1	0
Lazuli Bunting	1	0
Sharp-shinned Hawk	1	0
Townsend’s Warbler	1	0
Cooper’s Hawk	1	0
Oregon Junco	1	0
Spotted Towhee	1	0
American Robin	1	0
Red-naped Sapsucker	0	1

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August 15th, 2017 – Blog Post by Constanza

The “summer” in this valley of Canada is very special. 2°C in the morning, my fingers were frozen. Fortunately, I brought enough clothes for this special weather.

This day has been slower in the number of species banded than other days, maybe because of the fires. I really don’t know. However, we have seen many species flying around. Today, we saw four Great Blue Herons flying above the field. Apparently, it’s not common to see them flying in a group. So I’m lucky to have seen them together. We also saw a dozen Warbling Vireos; we had not seen so many together since the beginning of the season.

I finally saw the ducks that I have been hearing for three days. There were at least 15 Mallards and they were in a wetland very close to the nets. In the same place, there was a shorebird, the Spotted Sandpiper. He/she was very difficult to see, because he/she was really camouflaged. Andrew helped me see the bird. It looked very familiar, so I realised that it was a Playero Manchado (Actitis macularius). He/she breeds in spring and summer in North America, and then migrates to South America to avoid the winter. Among other places, they go to my lands, the North of Chile. Maybe we are doing a similar route, the Spotted Sandpiper and me—except I’m not breeding.

Today, Andrew and Gail left the ranch to go back to their home, so we shared a last dinner in the ranch. They cooked for us with the vegetables that Sally (our neighbor) gave us. Gail cooked a delicious apple crumble. We really enjoyed the time, the stories, and the teaching that they gave us. We are already missing them. I hope to meet them again in another adventure.

– Constanza.

Last dinner. 

—

Total Banded	197
Species Banded	23
Total Recapped	23
Species Recapped	7
Species Recorded	82

—

Species	Banded	Recapped
Swainson’s Thrush	29	4
Song Sparrow	20	2
Common Yellowthroat	19	6
Lincoln’s Sparrow	19	3
American Redstart	17	2
Yellow Warbler	17	0
Northern Waterthrush	14	1
MacGillivray’s Warbler	9	1
Chipping Sparrow	9	0
Savannah Sparrow	7	0
Wilson’s Warbler	7	0
Cedar Waxwing	5	2
Dusky Flycatcher	5	0
Warbling Vireo	3	0
Red-eyed Vireo	3	0
Black-capped Chickadee	2	1
Vesper Sparrow	2	0
Willow Flycatcher	1	1
Hammond’s Flycatcher	1	0
Lazuli Bunting	1	0
Pacific-slope Flycatcher	1	0
Sharp-shinned Hawk	1	0
Townsend’s Warbler	1	0
Yellow-rumped Warbler	1	0
Cooper’s Hawk	1	0
Oregon Junco	1	0
Spotted Towhee	1	0

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August 12th, 2017

The smoke has cleared substantially today, and the view is most stunning. We can see the clouds moving and the wrinkles of the mountains.  Every cloud has a silver lining.

A guest volunteer, Hana Kamea, enthusiastically joined us and witnessed some of the ongoing observed and banded birds, including Cedar Waxwing, Common Yellowthroat, Swainson’s Thrush, and Yellow Warbler.

We had a first-of-the-season for TLBO in the net, a Yellow-rumped Warbler (subspecies: Audubon)–also my first Audubon, as we only get Myrtles in Ontario. A “tournament” (i.e., flock) of five Chipping Sparrows were in net “14” during one of the net rounds, a relatively productive net so far. 14 Clark’s Nutcrackers and eight Ring-billed Gulls were observed, and these birds have been scarce until today.

Right before we wrapped things up, this bird showed up:

All photos by Gail Harcombe

All photos by Gail Harcombe

All photos by Gail Harcombe

Do you recognize the species? What’s going on with this bird?

After work, we joined Hana for a delicious lunch. We also got to meet her friendly dog Jaya. We headed home, and then Constanza and Kyle went for a swim at Tatlayoko Lake while I took a nap.

Photo by Gail Harcombe

 

After 12 dry and sunny days, I think tomorrow’s rain will be rather refreshing.

Anna.

—

Species	Banded	Recapped
Swainson’s Thrush	24	3
Song Sparrow	19	2
Common Yellowthroat	15	3
American Redstart	15	0
Lincoln’s Sparrow	13	2
Yellow Warbler	13	0
Northern Waterthrush	12	1
MacGillivray’s Warbler	9	1
Chipping Sparrow	8	0
Savannah Sparrow	7	0
Cedar Waxwing	5	2
Wilson’s Warbler	5	0
Dusky Flycatcher	4	0
Warbling Vireo	3	0
Black-capped Chickadee	2	0
Red-eyed Vireo	2	0
Willow Flycatcher	1	1
Hammond’s Flycatcher	1	0
Lazuli Bunting	1	0
Pacific-slope Flycatcher	1	0
Sharp-shinned Hawk	1	0
Townsend’s Warbler	1	0
Vesper Sparrow	1	0
Yellow-rumped Warbler	1	0

—

Total Banded	164
Species Banded	20
Total Recapped	15
Species Recapped	5
Species Recorded	75

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August 9th, 2017

Another day in the books. Right as I started the 7:20 am net check, Kyle told me by radio, “There are fresh new bear scats (on the census route). Be vigilant, okay?”. Okay, definitely. I was then reminded of a weird event that occurred yesterday afternoon. I was inside the station with the door closed when I heard some steps, and then a loud munching sound as though someone was eating with his/her mouth open right next to me. “Who, bear? Must be enjoying them berries”, I thought. I took a peak outside and couldn’t see any bear, or any other animal for that matter.

Kyle and I had a few fun encounters today, including those with two MacGillivray’s Warblers in the nets, and another with two Yellow-headed Blackbirds hanging out in a flock of twenty-something Red-winged Blackbirds. At one point, there was a bird in the hand that befuddled me until Kyle came and asked, “What do you think this is?”. I said, “…(first-year) Chipping Sparrow?”, and he replied, “Yeah?!” “B–but, the stripes on the chest!” It’s always fun to learn new things.

We did some sawing, weedwacking and cutting in the afternoon to clear up the paths and net lanes, and then went back to the ranch and met new and returning volunteers. Andrew and Gail Harcombe, and Constanza Rivas. Welcome! Kyle and Constanza are at Tatlayoko Lake as I type. We are almost done with the preparation phase of the program, and once we are, we will try to post more and better pictures. As for now, here’s Tatlayoko Lake:

Tatlayoko Lake, BC. Smoke from the BC fire is visible.

 

We’ll all rise and shine tomorrow to start bird monitoring at 5:55 am. Until tomorrow.

Anna.

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