Week 3: The Beginning of Migration

Volunteer Rebecca with a Pacific-slope Flycatcher by Cathy Reader-lee

Week 3 started off much like the end of last week with slow days at both stations. Luckily most days were punctuated by some nice catches and the lower volume provided a good atmosphere for training our volunteers, new and experienced alike, in the art of handling birds and the finer points of extracting them from our mistnets. For returning volunteers and banders this is a welcome opportunity to ease back into the season after potentially up to nine months off and to get their touch back. 

The Chestnut-sided Warbler was recaught! by Marilyn Lambert

By the end of the week migration was noticeably starting to pick up as warblers and flycatchers, the earliest migrants, increased significantly. Rocky Point seems to be the better of the two stations for both these insectivorous families (Pedder Bay’s bread and butter are berry eating birds such as Sparrows and Thrushes, both later migrants) and this was reflected in the numbers of Pacific-slope Flycatcher and Wilson’s Warbler from each. While Rocky Point caught 69 Pacific-slope Flycatchers and 46 Wilson’s Warblers for the week, Pedder Bay caught just 26 and 29 of the two respectively.

Amongst the flocks of these two species were often a nice assortment of others such as Yellow and Townsend’s Warbler, Willow Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo and the odd Cassin’s Vireo and Black-throated Grey Warbler. These latter two both made their season debuts in our nets as Pedder caught two Cassin’s Vireo together on Aug. 8 and Rocky caught a svelte female of RPBOs emblem bird the day after.

Cassin's Vireos by Liam Singh

Barn Swallow by Sharlene James

On the topic of first of seasons, those present at Pedder Bay on Aug. 8 were very fortunate to get to see  a young Barn Swallow up close and personal as one flew into net 8 (one of the two nets located on top of the hill above the banding lab). Swallows of any type are infrequent catches as their excellent eyesight usually keeps them out of the nets and their streamlined proportions (long wings and short shoulders and feet) often allow them to free themselves when they do hit a net.

Olive-sided Flycatcher by Ann Nightingale

Not to be outdone, on Aug.10 Rocky Point caught a young Olive-sided Flycatcher. Though they breed around the station and are frequently seen catching insects around nets 3, 4 and 5 like the swallows they too are very keen of eye and over the years RPBO has only banded a handful during migration monitoring. This species is one of our longest distance migrants, breeding as far north as Alaska and wintering in the northern half of South America as far south as Bolivia.

A few other first of seasons this week included singles of Pacific Wren at Pedder Bay on Aug. 5, Lincoln’s Sparrow at Pedder Bay Aug. 10 and Savannah Sparrow at Rocky Point Aug.9.

Adult male Western Tanager by Rob Gowan

Outside of our nets we started noticing the beginnings of the American Robin flocks that will become commonplace as fall progresses. Shorebird numbers picked a little bit as well at Rocky Point with higher numbers of Least and Western Sandpipers along with Killdeer and Black Turnstone in the latter half of the week.  Aug. 10 saw the first Brewer’s Blackbirds for Rocky Point for the fall and at least two Virginia Rails are now present in the pond there. At Pedder the Robin flocks are joined by 50+ Cedar Waxwings and other berry eating species such as Black-headed Grosbeak and Western Tanager, both of which continue to hit our nets at Pedder in low numbers. Indeed the star of the show at Pedder on Aug. 4 was a stunning adult male Tanager.

Pacific Chorus Frog by Kim Beardmore

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Rocky Point	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	Totals
Banded	20	21	23	36	24	44	50	218
Species banded	12	9	10	6	9	12	12	28
Recapped	4	1	8	1	5	6	9	34
Species recapped	4	1	6	1	4	6	6	15

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Pedder Bay	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	Totals
Banded	32	22	22	20	46	31	47	220
Species banded	18	13	13	10	21	10	18	32
Recapped	10	4	8	11	11	4	10	58
Species recapped	5	3	5	7	7	3	6	13

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