Week 6 of banding operations at Rocky Point (RP) and Pedder Bay (PB) has harbored feelings of anticipation and excitement as we inch closer to our projected busiest days of the season! Though the clouds have been visiting us slightly more frequently, the blue-sky days persist and with them bring hot, sunny afternoons. This hasn't stopped the new migrants from passing through and reacquainting us with their variety of calls and bringing both stations their first Fox Sparrows of the season, among a few other special visitors...
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| A dramatic cloud formation marks the beginning of another beautiful day of migration monitoring at Rocky Point. (Julian Powers) |
BONUS: Continue reading to find paragraphs from Evan and Aiva describing their experiences as interns for RPBO this season. We are sad to see them go, but thankful for the time we did get to share with them and excited to see them again as volunteers later in the season!
The 6th week of banding at Rocky Point yielded a whopping 253 new birds vs. an average of 236 from previous years. Although the difference may not appear substantial, we are on pace for our 2nd busiest season in RPBO history should the volume persist! Our three leading species this week at RP are as follows: Lincoln's Sparrow (43), White-crowned Sparrow (34), and Pacific-slope Flycatcher (32). Some First of the Season's for RP this week have been a Marsh Wren, Townsend's Warbler, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Fox Sparrow, and last but not least... a Clay-colored Sparrow! This marks only the 5th banding record for RP, and 6th for the entire migration program!
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| A Clay-colored Sparrow looking dapper and rare - as it should. (Evan Lewis) |
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| A male Townsend's Warbler also looking dapper, but not quite as rare - as it should! (David Bell) |
This past week we banded 208 new birds at Pedder Bay, which puts us ever so slightly ahead of our average of 202 new birds from Week 6s of the past. No oddities have appeared thus far at PB as White-crowned Sparrows continue to dominate our numbers (44), with Lincoln's Sparrows coming in hot at second place (29), and Swainson's Thrushes maintaining a steady pace for third (23). Our daily banded numbers this week range from 17-42 new birds per day, showing an upward trend as we approach the busy season!
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| Fox Sparrow looking extra chocolatey! (David Bell) |
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| Orange-crowned Warbler - Celata subspecies! (David Bell) |
Evan and Aiva's Experiences as Banding Interns
Evan's Paragraph:
As my six-week stint here at Rocky Point as one of your summer interns comes to an end, here are a few of my highlights from my season!
This was my first significant chunk of time spent on the island, and it certainly won’t be the last. I enjoyed every second here at RPBO and learned a ton. My time here provided many a lifer and even more banding ticks, with a few personal highlight birds:
An after hatch-year male Anna’s Hummingbird
An after hatch-year female Red-winged Blackbird
A hatch-year FOSP (which I’m sure all the Rocky regulars will think is a bit funny, but it’s a bird we don’t get to see very often in the Okanagan, and this was my first in the hand!)
I would like to say a huge thank you to all of the staff and volunteers at RPBO— the community involved in keeping the station running is incredible, and all of you were so incredibly welcoming. I can’t wait to come back!
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| AHY Male Anna's Hummingbird (Evan Lewis) |
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| HY Fox Sparrow (Evan Lewis) |
Aiva's Paragraph:
My time as an intern with Rocky Point may be at an end, but I will certainly be a familiar figure as a volunteer through this season, and hopefully next! These six weeks have gone by incredibly fast, despite seeming to be some of the longest days I’ve ever experienced. Echoing Evan’s words, I too am seriously grateful for the time I have spent learning and sharing at Pedder and Rocky. Reflecting on my experience here, what strikes me most is a profound feeling of mentorship; I’ve had the privilege of processing over 500 birds this season, and in order for even a single bird to be banded several skills and practices were at some point explained to me by someone sharing their own time and experience. When I think about the nuances of each species and age group that we encounter, that’s an endless amount of learning to engage with. There are lessons that can be learned from a book, but nothing can beat experiential learning from someone with a passion for the subject. At RPBO, that passion runs deep in each individual, which is what makes this operation so remarkable!
A huge thank you to all of my mentors, and everyone who shared a tip or a laugh with me.
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| Aiva guiding the Special Bird Service (SBS) group through the net lanes at Pedder Bay - More info on SBS below! (Jamison Schultz-Franco) |
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| Aiva releasing a Belted Kingfisher at Pedder Bay! (David Bell) |
Special Bird Service (SBS) Visit to Pedder Bay
Pedder Bay iNaturalist Project
Though our avian-related observations get much of the spotlight, it is worthy of mention that the Pedder Bay station has reached a milestone in cataloging all forms of biodiversity:
Over 1,110 observations have been added to the RPBO-Pedder Bay iNaturalist project!
The project automatically “captures” any observations submitted to iNaturalist within the geographic area of the census route, and any user can contribute. Over 402 species have been identified among these observations, from fish and frogs to butterflies and orchids. Through using iNaturalist, anyone in and around the station can contribute to community science engagement while offering stronger understanding of the habitats and critters we share this region with.
Find out more:
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| Daily Totals for Week 6 |
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| Season Totals (Click to Enlarge) |
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