Week 1: Kalamata, Nyon, or Manzanilla?

Are any of those your favourite type of olive? Or, like me, do you find them uniquely unpalatable? In either case, this week was decidedly olive-themed at one of our stations; read on to find out more!

Welcome to the 2023 edition of the RPBO blog! Each year, we (the banders) write these as a log of the interesting goings-on at the stations, and this year will be no different. As of 21 July we are operating our regular migration monitoring program at both of our sites: Rocky Point (restricted access) and Pedder Bay (public). The program runs through to 18 October, so stop by for a visit at Pedder Bay if you're around, or consider signing up for some shifts as a volunteer (we can always use the help)!

Moody skies at Rocky Point (David Bell)

This year, we'd like to give a warm welcome to Evan Lewis (who some of you may recognize as one of last year's interns) and Emma Radziul (bander in 2020), who join us as banders this year, to Mara Hanneson, our intern for July and August, and to James Kennerley who is joining us as the Science Program Manager and will be filling in at the stations as needed. Past intern Sonja Futehally will be again joining us in September and October, and I (David Bell) am back for another season as the bander-in-charge (or command, as I've been told is the new unofficial name!). We'd also like to thank all of the volunteers who came out to help during our opening week! We saw a lot of both new and familiar faces at the stations, which was great! Although it started off a little slow, the week picked up and many who came out got to enjoy some nice birds. 

Another glorious Rocky Point sunrise (Mara Hanneson)

A young male Downy Woodpecker showing off its red crown (Emma Radziul)

The 250 birds banded at Pedder Bay this week were highlighted by no fewer than four(!) Olive-sided Flycatchers; two on the 25th and two on the 26th. We usually catch one or two of these oversized pewees at our Rocky Point site each year, but in the 11 years of operations at Pedder Bay, only two have been banded before (both in 2020). Top capture at Pedder Bay this week was Swainson's Thrush, with 26 individuals. Western Tanagers also put on a good show with 12 individuals banded, many of them spectacular adult males. Average first week totals at Pedder Bay are around 285 birds banded, so this season has definitely started off a little slower than usual. Sightings at Pedder Bay are generally a little more limited than at Rocky Point in terms of rarities, but there's never a dull moment when you stop to look at what's around you. A pair of Bewick's Wrens took up residence in a cracked limb in the willow tree above our storage bins, and we could hear the young begging incessantly on opening day, with the parents coming and going despite the various large mammals around their nest. On the second day of the season, the young fledged right before our eyes; crawling up out of the cavity one by one and scattering around the banding station before the parents came to round them up. Definitely one of the highlights of the week!

One of the three baby Bewick's Wrens just emerging (David Bell)

Baby Bewick's Wren figuring out how its wings work (David Bell)

One of the four(!) Olive-sided Flycatchers banded this week - this one is an adult (David Bell)

A hatch-year Olive-sided Flycatcher, one of four(!) banded this week (James Kennerley)

A nice spread-wing shot of the above bird - note the buffy tips on the coverts that help to age this as a young bird (James Kennerley)

Although we can't band them, baby California Quail are always a nice treat in the nets (James Kennerley)

Rocky Point also had some highlights, with a Gray Catbird heard on the 21st then found in the nets on the 22nd (second banding record for the migration program!), a Northern Parula found on census on the 24th (and still continuing as I write this on the 28th), and a Marbled Godwit (22nd) and Brown Pelican (24th) observed. The 189 birds banded there this week were well below the average of around 250, and indeed represents the fifth slowest start to the season in the past 23 years. The top capture this week at Rocky was Wilson's Warbler, with 41 individuals banded, although American Goldfinch likely would have been a contender had we been able to open the front nets on more days; as it is they tied for second place with 23 banded. 

The Gray Catbird! (Mara Hanneson)

A nice example of a molt limit on a second-year female American Goldfinch - note the contrast in the greater coverts (David Bell)

This Marbled Godwit was a nice treat for the crew at Rocky Point (Evan Lewis)

The "oldest bird of the week" award went to a White-crowned Sparrow at Rocky Point, banded in September 2020 as an after-hatch-year, making it at least four years old now. At Pedder Bay, the oldest bird was a Western (formerly Pacific-slope) Flycatcher banded in July 2021 as a second-year, making it three years old. 

A nice male Western Tanager ((David Bell)

A young Hutton's Vireo, a banding tick for Evan! (Evan Lewis)

The birds weren't the only wildlife about this week, with two Roosevelt Elk greeting us at the Rocky Point station on opening day, a few sightings of Humpbacks, a Little Brown Bat in the nets, and the usual multitude of insects, deer, squirrels, otters, mink, etc. A few days of rain this week were well-enjoyed by the Red-legged Frogs and Rough-skinned Newts, which came out in numbers on those wet days!

One of several Red-legged Frogs on a rainy day (David Bell)

 The star of the show this week, the Northern Parula! Documented nicely here by Joachim.

 

Rocky Point	21 Jul	22 Jul	23 Jul	24 Jul	25 Jul	26 Jul	27 Jul	Total
Banded	28	40	31	17	10	36	27	189
Species banded	11	18	14	10	8	13	8	29
Recap	2	2	6	4	1	5	3	23
Species recap	2	2	4	4	1	3	3	9

Pedder Bay	21 Jul	22 Jul	23 Jul	24 Jul	25 Jul	26 Jul	27 Jul	Total
Banded	66	33	37	15	26	43	30	250
Species banded	21	15	18	12	14	24	14	33
Recap	1	5	2	6	6	8	7	35
Species recap	1	4	2	4	4	5	4	11

Weekly banding totals (click to enlarge)