Week 13: Grey Skies and Grey Cheeks

Rocky Point Bird Observatory’s 2026 Migration Monitoring program has come to an end and it is time for our final blog post of the year. The last week of the season saw the weather creep closer to the November rains, but the fall had surprises left in store for our team of staff and volunteers.

RPBO staff and volunteers passing the time between net runs (Rosa Munzer)

DND operations and continued predator precautions kept our nets closed at Rocky Point for the last week of the season meaning our totals at the end of last week are also our end-of-season totals. Rocky wrapped-up with 3405 new birds banded across 61 different species with an additional 541 recaps! Our busiest day of the season at Rocky came on September 24th with 123 new birds banded and 7 recaps processed. For those of you who have been out to the stations or have followed along with our blog posts it likely comes as no surprise that our most banded bird at Rocky this year was Puget Sound White-crowned Sparrow with a total of 333 banded! While we had hoped for a more typical final lap at Rocky we are grateful for another year of memories and for the countless hours of hard work from our volunteers to make it all happen. To hear about what the owl team got up to this week at Rocky check out the RPBO After Dark blog!

Banding carried on at Pedder Bay and the last week came with some real highlights. While the flow of migrants passing through the station slowed down our number of enthusiastic visitors certainly did not. On one of the last days of the season we had a visit from over 40 local school children who got to see bird banding and learn about local conservation first hand. It wound up being our busiest visitor day of the season and was a lovely way to wind down our season at Pedder. We hope to see many of you back out at Pedder next season. Whether it is your first visit or you have been coming out for years we are always excited to show people our work, talk about why birds matter, and what we can do to better protect them! An extra special thanks goes out to Paula McCormick, who coordinates our education and school programs, she was a huge help to the banding crew this year and we are immensely grateful for all she has done for us.

Bander Rebecca Reader-Lee and Bander-in-charge Carter Strope demonstrating songbird banding to visiting school children with the help of School Programs Coordinator Paula McCormick (Rosa Munzer)

The last day of the season brought one of the most surprising birds of season in the form of a Grey-cheeked Thrush, only the second banded in RPBO’s history and a first for Pedder Bay! This exciting capture was one of the last of the 140 birds banded in our last week, bringing Pedder to 2913 new birds banded on the season and 58 species banded! Much like Rocky, Pedder Bay’s busiest day of the season came in late September with 137 new birds and 12 recaps processed on the 26th! Fox Sparrow edged out the competition to finish the season as the most banded bird at Pedder with 280. Pedder finished the season with more recaps than Rocky with 789, one of the more exciting recaptures came right in the last week with a Spotted Towhee caught on October 12th that was originally banded as a hatch year in 2019, making him 7 years old! 

The second ever Grey-cheeked Thrush banded by Rocky Point Bird Observatory (Rebecca Reader-Lee)

All in all we banded a total of 6318 new birds this season and processed 1334 recaps between the two stations and none of it could have happened without our banding staff, many volunteers, and the support of our members and visitors. A full break down of the birds we banded this year can be found below. Thank you all for your support this year, if you want to stay up to date with RPBO throughout the non-banding season you can check us out at RPBO.org and see what we are up to or head over to our socials @rockypointbird for additional updates and highlights. See you all next July!

Week 12: Time for Thanksgiving Turkey (Vultures)

WEEK 12 – October 5th - October 11th

Pedder Bay

At our Pedder site this week we banded 203 new birds, a marked decline from last week as migration begins to slow down for the fall. The main species captured include Pacific Wrens, Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Hermit Thrushes, as well as Fox, Song, and Golden-crowned Sparrows. These species are found on southern Vancouver Island throughout the winter, so we are likely starting to catch birds that are winter residents here! 

Pacific Wren with some unpigmented feathers on the forehead (Rebecca Reader-Lee)

Sooty Fox Sparrow (Rebecca Reader-Lee)

One morning we were lucky to catch two Sharp-shinned Hawks, a young male and female! These raptors are often seen around both stations but are rarely captured, so it is always a nice surprise when we get to see them up close. 

Young Female Sharp-shinned Hawk (Rebecca Reader-Lee)

Young Male Sharp-shinned Hawk (Rebecca Reader-Lee)

Rocky Point

Banding was once again heavily interrupted by poor weather and the presence of American Mink, but it was still a pleasant week of migration monitoring! With the nets closed we focused mainly on observations, seeing quite a few species moving in good numbers along with some rarities and less common migrants.

A beautiful Rocky Point sunrise (Rebecca Reader-Lee)

Peregrine Falcon (Rebecca Reader-Lee)

Massive numbers of Brandt’s Cormorants and Common Murres were seen in the water surrounding Bentinck Island and Race Rocks, with daily estimated totals numbering in the thousands! The species diversity of seabirds observed wasn’t particularly high, but it was great to watch large groups of birds gorging themselves on small fish alongside Humpback Whales and Orcas in “bait balls”.

Turkey Vultures were still moving in large kettles this week, but it appears the bulk of the other migrating raptors have moved on. We also received the information for a tagged Turkey Vulture seen on October 3rd, and found out it was originally banded as a one-year-old bird (meaning it is now 12 years old!) in the summer of 2015 in Grayland, Washington. It has been reported 14 times since then, including another sighting at Rocky in September 2024 by then Bander-in-Charge David Bell!

Tagged Turkey Vulture "AR" (Rebecca Reader-Lee)

Other notable birds observed this week include a Western Palm Warbler, multiple Western Meadowlarks, Sandhill Cranes, a Franklin's Gull, and most excitingly an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull spotted by Cathy Reader and identified by Adam Ross! This was a first for Rocky Point, and the 302nd bird species reported from the site.

Lesser Black-backed Gull (Adam Ross)

Sandhill Cranes (Rebecca Reader-Lee)

We did manage to catch a small number of birds in our limited net hours this week, including a recaptured female Spotted Towhee that was banded as an adult on October 14th, 2024 (at least 3 years old). It is always nice to recapture birds year to year, welcoming them back to the site after they likely spent the breeding season elsewhere.

Adult Female Spotted Towhee, originally banded in 2024 (Rebecca Reader-Lee)

Week 11 - A twist in the blackbird flock, Quiscalus quiscula visits

WEEK 11 – September 28^th- October 04^th

Pedder Bay

No doubt the weather has changed to cooler and wetter this week, but we are still greeted by familiar calls on arriving at the station. It is our fortune that migration monitoring starts early, so we can hear Great Horned and Northern-Pygmy Owls calling. At this time of year Song Sparrows are often next, eager to begin the morning chorus. Pacific Wrens, Varied Thrushes, Fox Sparrows and Golden-crowned Sparrows readily join in as the day breaks, and by then we are likely banding our first birds of the day.

This week banding at Pedder Bay station has far surpassed Rocky Point (details below), with 329 birds banded. Primarily Fox Sparrows (56), Ruby-crowned Kinglets (51), Hermit Thrush (39), Song Sparrow (32) and Oregon Junco (29) were banded. Some Swainson’s Thrushes are still present (16 banded); and Golden-crowned Sparrows (28 banded) now outnumber Puget Sound White-crowned Sparrows in the surrounding thickets as well as the parking lot. A few other notable species banded this week were a Wilson’s Warbler and a Northern Saw-whet Owl.

Myrtle Warbler - we have been banding Myrtle, Audubon's and intergrade Yellow-rumped Warblers at our stations. (Photo: Sonja Futehally) 

Hatch-year male Varied Thrush banded at Pedder Bay (Photo: Sonja Futehally)

 

Sadly, the Belted Kingfishers have eluded our nets so far, but they continue to be conspicuous at both stations. (Photo: Sonja Futehally)

Our busiest banding days are likely behind us, but visitors continue to drop in to visit the station. We have now welcomed over 500 visitors at Pedder Bay during fall migration monitoring, and many more have visited owl banding in the evenings. It’s always enjoyable to share some of our knowledge with the public. 

A young visitor at Pedder Bay takes to drawing. (Photo: Sonja Futehally)

Rocky Point

At Rocky Point this week banding was limited (110 birds banded) due to a few proceedings. On September 29^th both Pedder Bay and Rocky Point were closed due to rain. On October 2^nd a controlled prescribed burn was undertaken on the DND site by Natural Resources Canada. Hopefully one of the outcomes of these annual burns is to restore Garry Oak ecosystems and provide habitat for species at risk. Only a few hours of banding were conducted this morning before the banding crew was required to leave the area. 

The following two days (October 3^rd and 4^th) banding was exempt due to the presence of American mink. However, we continued to conduct census, and the banders and volunteers shifted their effort to documenting as much bird incidence as possible. Some of the notable observations were – Greater-white fronted Goose, Brant, Gadwall, Pectoral Sandpiper, and a Common Grackle. Yes, a Common Grackle was seen perched on the cattails adjacent to the front nets! This blackbird’s population increased and spread in Eastern North America in response to increasing farmland and became quite fond of sprouting corn. However, their current population is in decline. 

Brandt’s Cormorant (2450), Common Murre (2300), Turkey Vultures (1600), Pine Siskin (250) and Yellow-rumped Warblers (150) have been seen in high numbers this week. A few warbler species still linger in low numbers, with 1-2 individuals recorded per day, these include Orange-crowned Warbler, Northern Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, and a seldomly seen Palm Warbler. 

With just under 2 weeks of fall migration monitoring remaining, we will be keeping our eyes to the skies to marvel at (and count!) the raptors, geese, as well as passerines as they continue to head south. 

Our first Cooper's hawk of the season was banded this week at Rocky Point (Photo: Carter Strope)

Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) at Rocky Point on October 3rd (Photo: Rebecca Reader-Lee)

Savannah Sparrow at Rocky Point after the prescribed burn (Photo: Sonja Futehally)

Lincoln's Sparrow at Rocky Point after the prescribed burn (Photo: Sonja Futehally)

Humpback whales continue to be seen close to shore from Rocky Point (Photo: Heather Tocher)

Week 10: The Kinglets Are Among us

A Ruby-crowned Kinglet - The Most Banded Bird At The Rocky Station This Week (Gaelin Armstrong)

Week 10 (September 21st – 27th) has come and gone, and Fall has arrived at our stations, and so have Kinglets!

Rocky Point 

Our Rocky Point station caught 382 new birds banded and 46 recaptured birds this week. The most caught bird this week was the Ruby-crowned Kinglet with 62 individuals. The second most banded bird was the Yellow-rumped Warbler with 48 total banded, including unknown subspecies/hybrid with 36, Myrtle with 12, and Audubon's with 12. The third most caught bird this week was the Golden-crowned Sparrow at 40, followed by the Pacific Wren at fourth with 25 banded, and then tied for fifth were the Fox Sparrow and Spotted Towhee, both with 20 banded. 

A Hermit Thrush (Gaelin Armstrong)

Pedder Bay 

The Pedder Bay banding station caught 436 new birds banded and 106 recaptured birds this week. With the top species being banded this week with Fox Sparrow with 75, followed by Hermit Thrush with 69, Oregon Junco with 53, Golden-crowned Sparrow with 46, and both Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Golden-crowned Kinglet tied for fifth most banded bird this week with 30 of each caught.

A Hatch Year Male Sharp-shinned Hawk (Gaelin Armstrong)

A Northern Saw-whet Owl (Rebecca Reader-Lee)

Banding highlights this week were two Northern Saw-whet Owls, which were caught early morning, along with a few Varied Thrush and several Stellar's Jays, as well as a Sharp-shinned Hawk which are always a joy to see up close.

This Golden-crowned Sparrow originally banded in 2021 as an after-hatch year, meaning this individual is a minimum of 7 years old! (Rebecca Reader-Lee)

A Male Bull Roosevelt Elk Surveying the Back Meadow (Gaelin Armstrong)

Observational highlights this week included massive kettles with a high count one day of 950 Turkey Vultures seen, mixed in with Broad-winged Hawks and Red-tailed Hawks. Flocks of Black-tailed Pigeons have been seeing flying over the station towards Bentinck Island, and a pair of Greater Yellowlegs were hanging out and foraging along the shore in the front for most of the week. Flocks of Greater White-fronted Geese, Canada Geese, and Cackling Geese were seen flying in V's over the station. Massive numbers of Common Murres were observed, and the Red-footed Booby was seen offshore of Rocky Point in with a bait ball feeding frenzy.

A Varied Thrush (Carter Strope)

Week 9: Warblers and Sparrows and Jays Oh My!

 Week 9 (September 14th-20th) of Rocky Point Bird Observatory’s migration monitoring season has come to a close, bringing us into the final month of fall songbird banding. Even with the finish line creeping closer, migration remains in full swing.

In total 484 birds were banded at Rocky Point with an additional 353 at Pedder Bay, almost identical numbers to last week. While the numbers didn’t offer a change of pace, the mix of species we caught changed in several notable ways. Last week’s arrival of our first Yellow-rumped Warblers led nicely into a larger push of the species at both stations over the last several days. The “Audubon’s” subspecies that we catch was joined by the eastern and northern-breeding “Myrtle” subspecies and we caught more than four times as many of this hardy species this week as we did the week prior. While many of our other warbler species are dwindling or absent by this time we are still seeing a few Common Yellowthroat and Northern Yellow Warbler work their way south in addition to our second Townsend’s Warbler of the season at Pedder Bay.

A "Myrtle" Yellow-rumped Warbler banded at Pedder Bay (Carter Strope)

An adult male Common Yellowthroat (Rebecca Reader-Lee)

The second Townsend's Warbler banded at RPBO this year (Rebecca Reader-Lee)

Fox and Golden-crowned Sparrows were among our most caught birds this week with 83 and 99 individuals, respectively, having been banded between the two sites. Swamp Sparrow was a new addition this week meaning we have now banded all three species in the genus Melospiza, which also includes Song Sparrow and Lincoln’s Sparrow.

The first and, thus far, only Swamp Sparrow banded at RPBO this year (Rebecca Reader-Lee)

A Golden-crowned Sparrow covered in blackberry juice (Rebecca Reader-Lee)

Other banding highlights from this week included our first, and so far only, Cassin’s Vireo of the season, several White-throated Sparrow, and increased numbers of Steller’s Jay, Pacific Wren, and both Ruby and Golden-crowned Kinglets.

One of seven Steller's Jays banded at Pedder Bay so far this season (Carter Strope)

A White-throated Sparrow recently banded at Rocky Point (Carter Strope)

The crews of course enjoyed plenty of naturalizing at both sites including several swallowtail caterpillars and a brief glimpse at the Red-footed Booby that has been frequenting Race Rocks.

A Swallowtail Caterpillar in the cattails at Rocky Point (Rebecca Reader-Lee)

Thank you all for your support and for reading another installment of our weekly blog. Our updated season totals can be found below and for more updates and highlights check out our socials @rockypointbird and check back in next week for another blog!

Week 8: Familiar Faces

    As we enter the peak of fall migration some long-awaited migrant and winter species have begun to arrive in large numbers, both in our nets and around the stations...

    It is officially Sparrow September! This week we welcomed back a wave of Oregon Juncos, Fox Sparrows, Golden-crowned Sparrows, Gambel's White-crowned Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows, Lincoln's Sparrows, Song Sparrows and Savannah Sparrows.

Fox Sparrow (Rebecca Reader-Lee)

Golden-crowned Sparrow (Rebecca Reader-Lee)

Female Oregon Junco (Rebecca Reader-Lee)

White-throated Sparrow (Rebecca Reader-Lee)

    Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets, Hammond's Flycatchers, Yellow-rumped Warblers and Pacific Wrens also made a strong appearance, bringing some small-bird representation to our nets.

Myrtle x Audubon's (intergrade) Yellow-rumped Warbler (Rebecca Reader-Lee)

Male Golden-crowned Kinglet (Rebecca Reader-Lee)

    Some other fun species arriving include Hermit Thrushes, Steller's Jays, and Varied Thrushes! Thus far the Steller's Jays and Varied Thrushes haven't been caught in large numbers, but we were happy to catch 4 STJA and 1 VATH this week.

Varied Thrush (Alessandra Kite)

    We were also lucky enough to catch another Northern Pygmy-Owl at Rocky, making this the first year since 2018 (2 banded at Pedder) where multiple have been banded in a season.

Northern Pygmy-Owl (Gaelin Armstrong)

    Another familiar face this week was Wilson's Warbler #2950-06806, the 6+ year old female (banded as an AHY in 2021) that was mentioned in the blog for week 2. She has almost fully completed her prebasic molt for the fall, and is now looking much more put-together than she did in August!

Wilson's Warbler #2950-06806 in her beautiful basic plumage (Rebecca Reader-Lee) 

A better look at her magnificent black cap (Rebecca Reader-Lee)

    In terms of observations we've been treated to some amazing raptor movement in the skies with large groups of hawks (including multiple Broad-winged Hawks), falcons and vultures. On the ocean both seabirds and marine mammals have been quite prevalent, with Humpback Whales, Orcas, thousands of birds (mainly gulls, alcids, loons and cormorants) taking advantage of the Pacific herring bait balls forming in the straight. We've also had a number of reptile and amphibian visitors, including Northwestern and Western Terrestrial Garter Snakes, Red-legged Frogs, and Pacific Chorus Frogs.

Kiah Jasper scoping a raptor "kettle" (Rebecca Reader-Lee)

A young Northwestern Garter Snake (Rebecca Reader-Lee)

Gary the Gutter Frog, a notably loud Pacific Chorus Frog that has taken up residence in the apparently quite resonant gutter and drainpipe of our Rocky Point banding shelter (Rebecca Reader-Lee)

    Thanks as always for your interest and support for our Fall Migration Monitoring Project! For more information on the organization, how to get involved, and other RPBO projects (including our Northern Saw-Whet Owl banding which is beginning the first night of the season as I type this!), please visit our website.