Week 2: Honk if you love birds!

27 July - 03 August 2025

It was a good second week, with lots of exciting birds despite the seemingly unrelenting west winds. The birds are beginning to migrate, so we have been seeing some new species around!

Pedder Bay had a slower week with 145 new birds and 37 recaptures, and we were lucky to get a good variety of species including some unusual ones! Highlights include two Pileated Woodpeckers, a Belted Kingfisher, five Barn Swallows and a Canada Goose. This is only the second time RPBO has banded a goose, with the first being a Cackling Goose at Rocky Point in 2023!

Jannaca banding the Canada Goose

Mara and Mark banding one of the Pileated Woodpeckers

Hatch year Barn Swallow

After second year male Western Tanager

Rocky Point was fairly busy for this time of year even with quite a few net closures due to wind, with 364 new birds and 93 recaptures. Highlights were FOUR!!! Olive-sided Flycatchers, a Western Wood-pewee, two Violet-green Swallows and two Northern Rough-winged Swallows! We also had a Hammond’s Flycatcher, hopefully the first of many we’ll catch in the coming weeks as they head south to their wintering grounds.

Olive-sided Flycatcher (Max Hellicar)

Hammond's Flycatcher

After hatch year male Red-breasted Nuthatch

Some particularly interesting birds recaptured this week include a Spotted Towhee and Puget Sound White-crowned Sparrow banded in 2020, and a Chestnut-backed Chickadee banded as a hatch year in 2019. It’s always a pleasure to see birds returning years later, and they can give us important insight into survivorship, longevity, and site loyalty of songbirds!

Chestnut-backed Chickadee originally banded in 2019

There have been plenty of slugs to keep us company as well!

Slimy visitor - a Pacific Banana Slug

Another Pacific Banana Slug exploring the ropes

We’d like to thank the many amazing and talented volunteers that keep us running smoothly, as well as the lovely visitors who have come to see our operations at Pedder Bay! For more information on our other projects and how to visit us in person, check out our main website at rpbo.org!

Mara banding in front of some visitors!