Today wraps up our fourth week of migration monitoring at Rocky Point Bird Observatory.
As we are awaiting a greater number of birds from the north on their southern migration, people have described Pedder and Rocky as feeling like a “summer holiday” and a “place to enjoy nature” this week. We have enjoyed warm dry weather and breezes cooling us down, varying from gentle to gusty.
With obs on slower
days, we have enjoyed birds
learning how to be birds this week. The
goldfinches almost never stop begging their parents. Many funny sounding songs have been heard from
White-crowned Sparrows, Chestnut-backed Chickadees,
and the occasional Orange-crowned Warbler. Their singing voices aren't quite
"right" yet! An adorable fledgling Pine Siskin, which we named “Freddie”, was seen repeatedly (5+ times per day) landing on the
Rocky Point banding station roof or picnic table and begging for food
from its parents which could be seen in nearby trees. Freddie hopped about and tried to eat the plastic roof and the shingles over the
battery cover — to no avail.
On the roof, Freddie waiting to be fed. (photo credit Emma Reader-Lee)
Yum, that's the stuff (photo credit: Cathy Reader)
Most common flycatcher banded:
Pacific-slope (57 at RP, 11 at PB)
Most common sparrow: White-crowned (23 at RP, 56 at PB)
Most common warbler: Wilson’s (25 at RP, 13 at PB)
Most common thrush: Swainson’s (4 at RP, 8 at PB)
Most common hummingbird: Anna’s (1 at RP, 7 at PB)
Most common finch: American Goldfinch (8 at RP, 1 at PB)
Most common wren: House (6 at RP, 6 at PB)
Most commonly observed swallow: Barn (haven’t caught yet!)
Prettiest banded: Cedar Waxwing (in my opinion)
Cedar Waxwing (photo credit: Rick Hardy)
Station vs. Station!
Pedder Banding
At Pedder Bay, between 18 and 51 birds were banded daily, with 5 to 14 recaps per day.
Season firsts that really make it seem like fall is coming were caught at Pedder Bay-- a Varied Thrush and a Lincoln's Sparrow ! The station's first Yellow and Black-throated Gray warblers were also banded.
A cute little “Puget Sound” White-crowned Sparrow showed up in the nets
with a little "Santa Claus" beard of leucistic throat feathers.
You could call it a "white-throated" White-crowned (warning: not
really a hybrid) (photo credit: Emma Radziul)
Rocky Banding
Over the past week, at Rocky Point, between 19 and 53 new birds were banded daily, with 3 to 8 recaps per day.
A notable banded bird was a White-crowned Sparrow that was banded as an after
hatch-year in 2016, making it at least 5 years old. The season's first pure “Red-shafted”
Flicker and Violet-green Swallow were banded, as were RP's first Hammond's Flycatchers.
Here’s hoping for more swallows!
An old White-crowned sparrow, in a mix of worn and newly molting feathers (photo
credit: Donna Talluto)
What a cool body and wing shape! Excellent bird (Violet-green Swallow, photo credit: Rebecca Golat)
Observations
At Rocky Point, the Gray Catbird continues to be heard almost daily, mewing between nets 3 and 4. It comes out of the dense shrubs to give us brief looks occasionally.
Highlights seen were a Sora (which actually flew into the top panel of net 4 then bounced out on the 14th!), and a flyby Brown Pelican and Pacific Golden-Plover on the same day!
Shorebirds have been seen on the front shorelines, including: Black Oystercatcher, Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Black Turnstone, Least, Western and Spotted sandpipers, Short-billed and Long-billed dowitchers, Surfbird and Greater and Lesser yellowlegs. An impressive 12 species seen.
On the water, Rhinoceros Auklets, Pigeon Guillemots and occasionally Marbled Murrelets continue to be seen, in addition to increased numbers of Common Murres. Three Humpback Whales were also seen this week.
Also teasing us on Obs was a nighthawk flying close to net 1 just before opening on several days. Let's catch it!
Other changes noted as the season progresses: Anna's Hummingbird has overtaken Rufous as most commonly banded hummingbird this week, we have observed an increasing number of raptors, especially Turkey Vultures, and there are increasing numbers of leaves in the nets.
Some early season
migrants disappearing:
- Olive-sided flycatcher
- Brown-headed
cowbird
- Black-headed grosbeak
Thank-yous
- Thank you to Mark who stepped in on Aug 12th, at short notice and when all others could not, to extract birds at Pedder Bay. You are such a dedicated and versatile team-member!
- Thank you to Anna
who came out to scribe at RP the day before you returned to veterinary school.
You're a pleasure to work with, one of the best scribes!
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Rocky Point Site |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Banded |
53 |
46 |
33 |
44 |
34 |
26 |
26 |
19 |
|
Species |
14 |
13 |
14 |
13 |
17 |
14 |
11 |
9 |
|
Recaps |
5 |
8 |
4 |
6 |
4 |
3 |
7 |
2 |
|
Species |
3 |
8 |
3 |
4 |
2 |
3 |
7 |
2 |
|
|
Pedder Bay Site |
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
Banded |
34 |
31 |
18 |
45 |
24 |
51 |
25 |
22 |
|
Species |
18 |
17 |
9 |
17 |
17 |
20 |
11 |
12 |
|
Recaps |
14 |
6 |
5 |
6 |
10 |
7 |
5 |
10 |
|
Species |
5 |
3 |
2 |
4 |
7 |
5 |
4 |
7 |
Thank you Emma for this nice report. I can't believe that Freddie got a band already !! Growing up so quick ;)
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