Rocky Point Bird Observatory: Week 13: A Conclusion of Kinglets

In the words of A.A. Milne: "How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard".

This sentiment hit home as I write this last blog and reflect on the incredible season of Migration Monitoring that has now come to a close. This week saw many remarks on how quick the season seemed to fly by. As bittersweet as the wrap-up may be, we can rejoice in the fact that migration is still underway, and it's a great time to get out birding! A heartfelt thank you to all who make this work possible (and so enjoyable). Now, on to the birds!

Pedder Bay's final bird for 2024 - a Male Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Evan Lewis)

Pedder Bay station wrapped up the week with 258 birds banded, bringing the season total to 2819! Unfortunately, when compared to the historical average of 3147, this places 2024 as the third lowest season. This also represents one of only five seasons which haven't surpassed 3000 birds banded.

This week, 25% of the birds banded at Pedder Bay were Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and they comprised a third of the station's season total for this species. It's interesting to note that this week also had the busiest day of the season for Pedder Bay.

Pedder is Red-der? Season Banding Totals (Evan Lewis)

A recap Anna's Hummingbird originally banded at
Pedder Bay in July ... thanks for coming back! (Emma Radziul)

Rocky Point station banded 317 new birds this week, for a season total of 4051! This year-end total ushers the season into the 4th highest spot (historical average being 3296). A strange trend occurred this year, where Rocky Point had both the earliest, and latest, 100-bird days in the 30-year history of RPBO operations. In addition, those were the only two days with over 100 banded birds!

This week, on the penultimate day of migration monitoring, the first of the year Varied Thrush was finally banded. Both stations have enjoyed hearing and seeing this species over the last month, but it was a treat to finally find one in the nets at Rocky. As with Pedder Bay, Ruby-crowned Kinglets made up a large percentage of birds banded this week (137 individuals!).

RP's final bird of the season - an American Robin (David Bell)

Varied Thrush! (Emma Radziul)

Closing day crew at Rocky Point, including Ann who took the photo! (Ann Nightingale)

As Ruby-crowned Kinglets were our top banded bird this week, it seems fitting to give them the spotlight for a moment. These tiny birds are often overlooked as they flit through branches and shrubs, feeding on small spiders and insects. When we are banding this species, we look to their tail shape to help determine age. A pointed, "sharp" tail likely points to a young bird, whereas an adult (or "after hatch-year") would have blunt ends to its tail feathers. As with most things, a grey area exists, and other factors will be considered to help identify the bird's age.