Rocky Point Bird Observatory: Week 12: Cackling our way to 7000!

It's hard to come to terms with, but the 2023 migration season is starting to wrap up. The morning air has cooled, our alarm clocks are set later, and (unfortunately) the nets are filling with colourful leaves. However, the season isn't over yet, and there were excellent encounters and beautiful sights to behold at both stations this week! There are a few days remaining to experience our migration monitoring program at Pedder Bay, and don't miss your chance to visit our evening Northern Saw-whet banding (the last night is Halloween)!

Autumnal paradise at Pedder Bay (David Bell)

Cackling Goose at Rocky Point (James Kennerley)

This week at Rocky Point, the team was shocked to discover a Cackling Goose in net 2! This is a first for our stations and caused quite a stir. These small geese are a welcome sight during Fall migration - making them a nice addition to our station observations for this time of the year. This individual was of the smallest subspecies, minima, which migrate from their Northern breeding grounds in Western Alaska and the Yukon down to Oregon and California for the Winter. This bird was a hatch-year Male, with an impressive wing length of 359 mm. Unfortunately, we were unable to collect the mass, but the average ranges from 1300-1550 grams!

Look at the size of that wing! James has experience handling geese,
which was an exceptional help with this bird.
(Mara Hanneson)

This week the stations celebrated birds 3000 (Hermit Thrush at Pedder Bay) and 4000 (Spotted Towhee at Rocky Point). Many Fall favourites turned out in good numbers, with Spotted Towhee taking the top spot at Rocky (50 banded), and Fox Sparrow at Pedder Bay (49 banded). The combined totals bring our season to 7,101 new birds - wow! This is all made possible by our dedicated volunteers and supporters, thank you!

Can you hear this photo too?
(Emma Radzuil)

AHY Female Red-breasted Nuthatch
(Emma Radzuil)

Pine Siskins from the same net at RP (David Bell)

The Red-breasted Nuthatch is skilled at avoiding our nets, but this week at Pedder Bay the team was treated to a lovely after-hatch-year Female. Another species which has been evading us is the Pine Siskin. Large flocks had been enjoying the habitat at each station throughout the week, leaving us hoping for a close-up encounter. On Friday we were rewarded with two in the same net at Rocky Point!

Ruby-crowned kinglet (L) and Hutton's Vireo (R)
The HUVI is sporting a significant fault bar.
(Mara Hanneson)

A second side-by-side comparison provided a nice example of two species which can be difficult to distinguish from one another. A Ruby-crowned Kinglet is pictured above beside a Hutton's Vireo. These yellow-green birds share a shockingly similar appearance and have been known to stump birders in the field. Their call, behaviour, and foraging strategy can all be helpful in determining the correct species, but this close up photo displays some notable field markers:

Bill: The Kinglet has a thin, sharp, black bill which contrasts with the thicker, pale bill of the Vireo (also with a small hook at the end)
Wing Pattern: Both species sport two white wing bars, but the kinglet alone has a black marking at the base of the second
Size: The photo below is not an optical illusion - Hutton's Vireos are stockier, heavier birds when compared to the dainty physique of the Kinglet
Legs: While not visible in the photo, it is a helpful marker. The Kinglet has slender dark legs with yellow feet in contrast with the thicker grey-blue legs of the Vireo

"The name's Tit, Bushtit", this feisty agent received a band with the ending number 007!
Perhaps he will be taking over the coveted role in the next Bond film?
(Katelyn Fryer)

European Mantis (Mantis religiosa) is an introduced species to North America
(James Kennerley)

If you have been out volunteering over the last several weeks, this sight is likely unsurprising. European Mantis sightings have been growing steadily on Southern Vancouver Island, and we see them often at both of our banding stations throughout the Fall. This insect is a close relative to the cockroach and was introduced to the Okanagan Valley and Kamloops in the late 1930s as an effort to control the grasshopper populations. The Mantids have continued to spread across BC since, finding success in the meadow landscapes of Metchosin. (More details here - including a surprise guest star in one of the photos).