Week 6 – When Fog Clears, The Birds Appear

25-31 August 2025

One of the two Say’s Phoebes seen at the back ponds at Rocky Point (Mark Byrne)

Fall migration is gaining momentum! Leaves are beginning to fall into the nets, but they aren’t the only things being caught. Warblers, sparrows, and flycatchers were plentiful this week, marking a noticeable uptick in migration as we pass the halfway point of the season. Foggy mornings were the theme at both stations. Volunteers were kept busy with extensive training in extractions and net setup. The majority of birds processed this week were new captures, with fewer recaptures than earlier in the season—a clear sign that fresh migrants are moving through. 

Rocky Point 

It was a busy week at the Rocky Point station, with 351 new birds banded and 81 recaptures processed. 

The top five species banded were: 

* White-crowned Sparrow (59) 

* Yellow Warbler (39)

* Orange-crowned Warbler (26)

* Lincoln’s Sparrow and Western Flycatcher (21 each)

Banding highlights from this week were the first of season Northern Waterthrush, Barred Owl (x2!), Fox Sparrow and Savannah Sparrow, a Black-throated Gray Warbler, and a Red-breasted Sapsucker.

Max evaluating the age of a Barred Owl (it was a hatch year!) (Adam Ross)

The first of the year and soon to be one of many - Fox Sparrow (Max Hellicar)

This week at our Rocky Point station, we had foggy mornings, which made sea watching tricky, but once the fog cleared, there were many interesting birds to see, such as: Surfbird, Greater Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Plover, Spotted Sandpiper and Wilson’s Snipe were all seen or heard, along with “peeps”—Least and Western Sandpipers—feeding in the front bay. Other interesting observations included: Brown Pelican, the first Golden-crowned Sparrow of the season, and, perhaps the most exciting, were two Say’s Phoebes, found by Jannaca at the back ponds. Other nice additions included Sora, Virginia Rail, and Vaux’s Swifts. Goldfinches were also plentiful, their calls carrying overhead throughout the week. Gull numbers were steady along the water, with mostly California, Glaucous-winged, and Olympic Gulls, but with the odd Heermann’s, Short-billed, and even a single Western Gull.

This bull Roosevelt Elk also put in an appearance at Rocky Point this week! (Max Hellicar)

Pedder Bay 

The Pedder Bay station was much slower this week, with 160 new birds banded and 57 recaptures processed. The top five species banded were: 

* Swainson’s Thrush (22)

* Puget Sound White-crowned Sparrow (18) 

* Wilson’s Warbler (11) 

* Lincoln’s Sparrow (10) 

* Song Sparrow (10) 

Some banding highlights from Pedder Bay this week were: Northern Waterthrush, Cassin’s Vireo, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Hammond’s Flycatcher and Red-breasted Nuthatch.

One of two Northern Waterthrushes banded between our two stations this week (Max Hellicar) 

An average of 1.8 Cassin's Vireos are caught per season at Pedder Bay (2012-2024) (Mara Hanneson)

An Orange-crowned Warbler with an unusual colouration to the primaries (Gaelin Armstrong)

Juncos have started to trickle back - just a few in the nets so far, but they’re showing up more often around the station. Swainson’s Thrushes were heard calling in the early mornings, and the fields have been full of hatch year White-crowned Sparrows eating Himalayan Blackberries. Overhead, swallows and martins continue to pass through, though in much smaller numbers than earlier in the season; a clear sign they’re on their way south. Turkey Vultures are slowly building in number, and both American Kestrel and Merlin made appearances during the week. An exciting observation this week was a rarity found by Adam Ross - a Clay-colored Sparrow; a grassland sparrow normally only found as far west as the Okanagan.

It’s always a pleasure to see our logo bird – the Black-throated Grey Warbler (Max Hellicar)

Mara and Max discussing the age and sex of a hatch year male Black-throated Grey Warbler (Jannaca Chick)

With migration ramping up, the next few weeks promise even more diversity in the nets. Thank you to all the volunteers who dedicated their time and energy this week. The leaves may be falling, but the season’s excitement is just beginning.