Week 4: Rocky Terns 300

With the fourth week of our fall migration monitoring behind us, a third of our season is now completed. Before we delve into the details of the past week, I’d like to thank all the volunteers, both new and experienced, for sharing your time, energy and skills with the Rocky Point Bird Observatory’s banding stations. While some might say that our banding operations are relatively “slow” at this time of year - also known as the August doldrums – we have had plenty of banding highlights and nature observations around the stations to keep us enthralled. 

Pedder Bay

At Pedder Bay this week we banded 108 birds of 25 species. The top 5 banded birds were Western Flycatcher, Purple Finch, Swainson’s Thrush, Willow Flycatcher, and Red-breasted Nuthatch. One of the banding highlights was a family of Spotted Towhee that trickled in one net round after another from net #14 one day. In most years Red-breasted Nuthatches are rarely captured in our nets, but this year their high numbers around both stations has changed that, and it’s been a pleasure to see them up close. We also banded our first Lincoln’s Sparrow and Pacific Wren this week, both of which we expect in high numbers as fall approaches. 

Western Flycatcher (Photo: Sonja Futehally)

Willow Flycatcher (Photo: Sonja Futehally)

HY male Red-breasted Nuthatch (Photo: Sonja Futehally)

The estuary has provided us with nice sightings of shorebirds, including Least Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper and Greater Yellowlegs. On August 13^th a Wood Duck was seen in the estuary. Osprey and Steller’s Jay have been spotted from the station a few times this week as well. 

Western Sandpiper showing off it's webbed toes at Pedder Bay (Photo: Sonja Futehally)

Least Sandpipers at Pedder Bay (Photo: Sonja Futehally)

Rocky Point

Rocky Point banded 280 birds of 30 species this week and we have now surpassed 1000 birds banded at the station in 2026. Despite a few slow days, banding has been fairly busy with most days seeing over 40 birds banded. The 5 most banded species this week were White-crowned Sparrow, Western Flycatcher, Willow Flycatcher, Wilson’s Warbler and Red-breasted Nuthatch. The most surprising bird was a hatch year female American Redstart banded on August 15th. Though American Redstarts are seen regularly on the mainland and migrate south primarily from Alberta, we do see the occasional American Redstart in the greater Victoria area, and this is a typical migration period for them. 

American Redstart (Photo: Carter Strope)

American Redstart rectrices (Photo: Carter Strope)

Observations at Rocky Point were quite distinguished this past week. The jewel in the crown was an Elegant Tern, which was seen on August 15^th by one of our very skilled volunteers, Kiah Jasper. There have been multiple reports of Elegant Terns seen on the west coast of Vancouver Island this past week. Interestingly, this plunge-diving, Near Threatened species has only five known breeding colonies, the largest one being on Isla Rasa, Mexico. Significantly for Rocky Point bird Observatory, the Elegant Tern is the 300^th species recorded by the banding station. Evidently, there have been some excellent birders at the station over the years that have documented a remarkable 300 species. 

Other notable observations include Caspian Tern, Semipalmated Plover, Solitary Sandpiper, Long-eared Owl. Often over a hundred Red Crossbills have been near the station, brazenly going about their business very close to our mist nets.

When we’re not banding birds or counting them, we continue to investigate how they use the diverse habitats around us, ponder about their mysterious lives, and find that there is much to be learned about them. Whether you choose to walk to the front “pond” at Rocky Point and hope to see a Sora or Virgina Rail, or walk up the hill at Pedder Bay in search of raptors, we hope you can make it out to volunteer and enjoy some birding during the day. 

Scroll down for a few more photos and to see our banding totals. 

Greater Yellowlegs at Rocky Point (Photo: Sonja Futehally)

An Osprey flying over the station at Rocky Point (Photo: Sonja Futehally)

                                                                       Banding totals:

Week 3: Or should I say Weak Tree?

As we await the arrival of migrating birds, the number of birds in our nets may be low but that doesn’t mean we’re not staying busy!

Having our stations amongst some gorgeous mature trees comes with the inevitability of them falling from time to time, and our Rocky Point team arrived to find our usual access route blocked by a fallen tree one morning. Luckily we were able to continue operations, and even opened nets on time despite the detour!

A large fallen tree blocks the entrance road at Rocky Point (Ann Nightingale)

Swainson’s Thrushes have begun to increase in numbers at both sites as they disperse from their breeding territories, serenading us with lovely “peep”, “whit”, “bink” and “peeer” calls every morning. Large, boisterous flocks of Red Crossbills have also been visiting us daily, at times making it difficult to hear anything other than the sound of them calling and singing as they feed nearby! These fascinating birds use their highly specialized crossed bills to feed on conifers, lifting the scales and prying the seeds out of cones.

A Red Crossbill dislodges a seed from a Douglas-Fir cone at Rocky Point (Cathy Reader)

It has also been a great season so far for Red-breasted Nuthatches, with high numbers being detected at both stations daily. Despite them spending most of their time feeding above the height of our nets, we’ve even banded a few which is always a nice surprise!

Hatch-year male Red-breasted Nuthatch at Rocky Point (Rebecca Reader-Lee)

In other news this week, we are very thankful to our wonderful assistant bander Adam Ross for his efforts this season. He will be doing some travelling before returning to school in September for his Grade 12 year, but we look forward to seeing him back on weekends as a volunteer!

Adam Ross holds a young Red-breasted Sapsucker that he banded at Pedder Bay (Rebecca Reader-Lee)

We are also very excited to welcome back last year’s assistant bander Gaelin Armstrong, this time as a bander! He is returning to RPBO after spending the summer banding breeding birds in Alberta, and will be working with us for the remainder of the season.

A special thank-you to the volunteers, members and donors for your help and dedication so far this year! We would not be able to run this program without your support. Further information and updates about our organization, projects, upcoming events and how you can get involved can be found on our website, as well as Facebook and Instagram!

16-year-old volunteer Anna Wautier helps "shuttle" some birds to the Pedder Bay station (Robyn Byrne)

Rocky Point Banded Birds

Pedder Bay Banded Birds

Week 2: The Doldrums Can Wait

 

The second week of Rocky Point Bird Observatory’s 2026 Migration Monitoring season has flown by even faster than the first. Our team hit the ground running last week with the help of many of our incredible volunteers and in turn was treated to a mix of interesting species and exciting recaptures. Week 2 ushered us into the month of August, traditionally our slowest month for banding, but despite much discussion about the looming slowdown several noteworthy days and memorable
moments this week kept the doldrums at bay.

 

View from the hills above Pedder Bay (Kiah Jasper)

Things started off hot this week with the capture of a hatch-year Northern Pygmy-Owl at Rocky Point on the very first net run of the first of August! Though not an entirely uncommon bird to hear in the area, this individual was the first for the site since 2015 and only the tenth in the history of the station (with another 9 individuals having been banded at our Pedder Bay site). This species is the smallest of all owl species found on Vancouver Island, but what it lacks in stature it more than makes up in personality.

 

Northern Pygmy-Owl (Rebecca Reader-Lee)

Bander Rebecca Reader-Lee banding the Northern Pygmy-Owl (Alessandra Kite)

Rocky Point reached at a total of 527 birds for the season across 38 different species while Pedder Bay ended the second week with a total of 307 new birds of 35 different species. Each station saw their busiest days for the week come on August 3rd at Rocky Point with 50 new birds banded and August 2nd for Pedder Bay with 24 new birds. Our most commonly banded species at each site was Puget Sound White-crowned Sparrow (34) and Wilson’s Warbler (15) at Rocky and Pedder respectively. Our Pedder Bay station allows us the opportunity to invite visitors to come learn about the work we do and the birds that call Vancouver Island home. This week was no different and the team had the privilege of welcoming many wonderful visitors to see the site and the banding process in person.

Bander Sonja Futehally demonstrating the banding process to volunteers (Thea Mills)

Perhaps the most interesting moment of the entire week came on August 2nd in the form of one of the oldest recaptures of the season so far: a female Wilson’s Warbler at Pedder Bay that was first banded as an adult (AHY) during the 2021 season (making her at least 6 years old!). Recaptures allow us as banders to study many facets of a bird’s life and catching a bird we banded years ago can feel a lot like seeing an old friend. The information we gain about an individual bird’s movement, breeding behaviour, and more helps paint the broader picture of bird populations and informs our efforts to conserve them in the places we both call home.

 

An Adult Female Wilson's Warbler that was first banded in 2021 (Alessandra Kite)

Thanks for following along for another week and as always, a special thanks goes out to our team of incredible volunteers. A full summary of each station’s banding totals can be found below and for additional news on what’s happening at RPBO check out our socials @rockypointbird or come visit us in-person (information on visitor sign-ups is available on our website (https://rpbo.org)!

Week 2 and Season Banding Totals

Week 1: The Beginning

 Rocky Point Bird Observatory is back in action for the 2026 Fall Migration monitoring season! From July 21st to October 18th, we will be operating both Rocky Point (RP, no public access) and Pedder Bay (PB, open to the public). This blog is where you can check in weekly for updates on our captures as well as general goings-on around the stations. For other updates, check us out on socials @rockypointbird.  More information including sign up for visitors is available on our website: https://rpbo.org/ !

Our crew this year is a great blend of experience and new ideas and we are all super excited to be out working with the countless volunteers in the coming months! The team is comprised of our Bander-In-Charge Carter Strope, returning Banders Rebecca Reader-Lee and Sonja Futehally. Gaelin Armstrong will also be coming back for another season in mid August when he returns from other banding forays. This year we are exceptionally excited to welcome new staff member Alessandra Kite who will be both Volunteer Trainer and Program Coordinator. Finally, myself (Adam Ross) am filling in the Assistant Bander role before Gaelin returns as a Bander soon! We are all excited for this season and look forward to a great year!

Female Red Crossbill (Adam Ross)

As always, the first week of the season started with a bang and this year, that bang came in the form of a female Red Crossbill netted at our Rocky Point station on the first day! Red Crossbill, although often detected in the area, seldom venture low enough to run (or fly) into our mist nets. This crossbill is only the 8th caught by Rocky Point Bird Observatory and the first since a pair were banded at Pedder Bay in 2020! On the first day of the season there was decent bird activity at both stations with 31 new birds banded at Pedder Bay and 52 at Rocky Point. Another highlight from the first day was a recapture Swainson's Thrush. This bird was originally banded in 2019 as a second year! The bird was recaptured twice in 2024 and now in 2026 making the bird now 8 years old! Interestingly, each time this bird has been caught, it has always been in the first week, showing how consistent individual birds can be in their migration timing! 

Bushtit (Alessandra Kite)

The first week was a good start to the season at our Pedder Bay station with 194 banded in the first week! As for highlights at Pedder Bay, many interesting birds in and around the nets include a juvenile Red-Breasted Sapsucker banded on the first day. Later in the week, the crew was treated to a bird some may consider common: a House Sparrow! Despite being common near buildings as their name suggests, we rarely catch these invasive birds at any of our stations. Thanks to our Pedder Bay station being open to the public, we were happy to welcome many visitors to the station! It is always nice to be able to educate and share about what we do in person! The most numerous bird banded at Pedder Bay this week was Swainson's Thrush (24), followed by Wilson's Warbler (20).  

BIC Carter Strope banding in front of visitors (Robyn Byrne)

Pedder Bay from "the hill" (Adam Ross)

House Sparrow banded at PB (Sonja Futehally)

The first week produced some great birds at Rocky Point with 325 new birds banded in the first week. Highlights include an adult female Red Crossbill banded on the first day and adult male Nashville Warbler banded on July 22. On July 26th, a stunning Western Tanager was caught in net 4 at Rocky. Despite this being a somewhat regularly-caught species, their bright plumage is always jaw-dropping! The crews at Rocky Point were also treated to some great recaptures including a Swainson's Thrush originally banded in 2019 and a fantastic recapture on July 27th when the team "recapped" an adult Olive-Sided Flycatcher originally banded last year as a Second Year, meaning the bird is now three years old! It is always incredible to recapture birds but even cooler when it is a species of which we catch very few. The most-banded bird at Rocky Point for the first week was Wilson's Warbler (38), followed closely by Western Flycatcher (37). Tied in third place were American Goldfinch and Puget Sound White-Crowned Sparrow with 33 new birds respectively.

Adult Male Western Tanager (Adam Ross)

Nashville Warbler (Sonja Futehally)

3rd Year Olive-Sided Flycatcher (Carter Strope)

Both stations were treated to some nice naturalizing in the first week with the wolves making multiple appearances at Rocky Point and many deer with fawns at both sites. Red-breasted Nuthatch have been very numerous at Rocky Point with many family groups around the site. Two Long-Billed Dowichers were observed at Rocky Point on July 26th along with both Least and Western Sandpipers, all in the "front pond". On July 24th, Volunteer Walter Thorne spotted and photographed a Sora with two chicks in the front pond along side a Lesser Yellowlegs! After the capture of a Red Crossbill on July 21st, many other Crossbills taunted the volunteers and staff, often feeding just above our nets. Here's hoping we get lucky again so that more of our volunteers and staff get the chance to observe this special species up close! As for Pedder Bay, on July 25th, two flyover Common Loons along with a pair of Common Mergansers provided some excitement on a slow day. Here's hoping the observations will continue to be this good over the inevitable "August doldrums"!

A coastal wolf sauntering along the road at Rocky Point (Adam Ross)

As always, huge thanks to all of the volunteers who came out in the first week! The banding team is excited to continue working alongside the volunteers in the coming months! Check out the table below for this week's banding totals for each station and stay tuned for next week's instalment of the blog!