Week 1: Good Evening! I mean...morning!

Welcome to the 2024 edition of the RPBO blog! As in years past, the banders and interns will be writing up a summary of the goings-on at the stations each week, and posting it here, with highlights, numbers, and photos for your enjoyment. As of 21 July, we are operating our regular migration monitoring program at both of our sites: Rocky Point (restricted access), and Pedder Bay (open to the public). The program runs until 18 October, so stop by Pedder for a visit if you’re in the area (about an hour or two after sunrise is the best time!), or consider signing up for some shifts as a volunteer – we can always use the help!

This year, we’d like to give a warm welcome back to Emma Radziul and Evan Lewis, who were both banders last year, and to Mara Hanneson, our intern from last year who is now a full-fledged bander! We’d also like to welcome Evan Larson and Heather Tocher, who are our interns for July and August, and Gaelin Armstrong, who will be joining us as an intern starting in September. I (David Bell) am also back for another season as the bander-in-charge, and am looking forward to another exciting season at the stations! We’d also like to give a huge thank-you to the volunteers who came out to help this week; it was a busy week and the help was much appreciated! There were even a few exciting birds in the mix; read on to find out more. 

It's been nice to see this view again! Race Rocks from the outhouse at Rocky Point on a smoky day (David Bell)

Rocky Point started off the season hot, with 92(!) birds banded on opening day, plus a few recaptures making for an almost 100-bird day to begin the season. This represents a new busiest first day ever, at either station, just squeaking by the 91-bird day that Pedder had in 2022. In a typical year, the first day has approximately 52 new birds at Rocky, and then trails off through the week, ending up at an average of 248 birds banded for Week 1. This year was a little different – it seems that many of the local birds had a great breeding season, and numbers remained high through the week, with most days seeing over 50 birds banded (see the table at the end of this post). We ended the week with 416 new captures, eclipsing the previous first week high at Rocky by almost 100 birds (321 in 2021). The top captures this week were Wilson's Warbler (53), Pine Siskin (46), and Western Flycatcher (41), with Pine Siskin already setting a new season high. Seeing good numbers of Pine Siskins was very welcome, as they have mostly been absent from our nets for the past three years after setting station highs at both stations in 2020 (41 at RP and 22 at PB that year). Highlights in the nets this week at Rocky Point included no fewer than three Olive-sided Flycatchers, a Violet-green Swallow, and a Black-throated Gray Warbler - it's always nice to catch our logo bird! 

Pine Siskin, one of over 50 captured at the stations this week (David Bell)

An adult Cedar Waxwing - always a nice bird to see in the hand! (David Bell)

Up close and personal with an Olive-sided Flycatcher (David Bell)

In other news at Rocky Point, we have a new banding station! Last fall, the students at Royal Bay High built us a new banding building, with fold-down sides and a proper roof. With some custom upgrades over the spring and summer by our dedicated team, the new station has been functioning well, and I'm sure the owl banders are excited to be slightly warmer when the October chills come around!

The new banding station on opening day (David Bell)

The new station in action; we christened it with a 92-bird day! (Robyn Byrne)

Pedder Bay got off to a bit of a slower start; the 54 birds banded on opening day represents the second-slowest opening day for that station, only one bird higher than the previous lowest first day! Numbers there remained fairly steady through the week though, and Week 1 ended with 297 total birds banded, a bit above the long-term average of 282. The top captures at Pedder Bay this week were Wilson's Warbler (39), Swainson's Thrush (29), and Bushtit (25). Highlights in the nets included a young Varied Thrush on opening day, an adult Townsend's Warbler on the 22nd, and a hatch-year female Belted Kingfisher on the 24th. The main highlight at Pedder this week came on the 27th, when Net 8 produced two Evening Grosbeaks; a female and presumably one of her offspring! This represents a first banding record for the station, and also for the migration program overall! RPBO has only banded one other Evening Grosbeak previously, at a Witty's Lagoon MAPS session in 2022. I was especially excited as this was one of my 'wish birds' for the season; now I'm hoping to get the other one! What it is exactly will only be revealed if we catch it ;).  

The star of the week - an adult female Evening Grosbeak! (David Bell)

Juvenile Evening Grosbeak (David Bell)

Belted Kingfisher (Emma Radziul)

The “oldest bird of the week” award was a two-way tie this week, between a Swainson’s Thrush and an Orange-crowned Warbler. The thrush was banded in July 2019 at Rocky Point as a second-year, making it six years old now, while the warbler was also banded in July 2019, but at Pedder Bay as an after-hatch-year, making it at least six years old. A Chestnut-backed Chickadee also banded in July 2019 at Rocky was a close runner-up; it was banded as a hatch-year making it five years old currently. 

A six-year-old Swainson's Thrush (David Bell)

A six-plus-year-old Orange-crowned Warbler, showing off his very extensive orange crown (Jannaca Chick)

As always, there was plenty of wildlife around to keep us entertained, not that we needed the distraction this year with all the birds in the nets! The local mink are still around at Rocky Point, dutifully bringing fish and crabs up from the foreshore into the marsh to feed their young, and a bit of light rain early in the week brought out some frogs. Roosevelt Elk were seen on multiple occasions, in the upper meadow at Rocky Point and along the entrance road, and the local Black-tailed Deer seem to have had a successful season. The gatehouse at Rocky Point also has a new mascot in the form of a black and white cat named 'Commissioner Boots'; if you're lucky enough to see him, he is very friendly (and aptly named)!

Roadblock! Two Black-tailed Deer fawns (David Bell)

Often heard but uncommonly seen; a Pacific Tree Frog (Emma Radziul)

Our daily and weekly totals for the stations are below:

Pedder Bay	21 Jul	22 Jul	23 Jul	24 Jul	25 Jul	26 Jul	27 Jul	Total
Banded	54	49	36	40	49	41	28	297
Species banded	16	21	14	18	19	17	18	34
Recap	5	11	9	5	9	7	10	56
Species recap	5	6	8	5	6	5	8	17

Rocky Point	21 Jul	22 Jul	23 Jul	24 Jul	25 Jul	26 Jul	27 Jul	Total
Banded	92	54	39	47	59	70	55	416
Species banded	22	21	13	17	20	24	20	36
Recap	4	10	7	7	9	9	12	58
Species recap	3	5	7	4	7	5	7	15

 

Week 1 totals by species - click to enlarge

Again, thank you to everyone who came out this week to help during our busiest start to the season ever! Here are some bonus photos if you've read this far.

Daniel enjoying an after-census tea, cup and saucer included! (Robyn Byrne)

Evan banding his first hummingbird (Robyn Byrne)

Heather learning the ropes at Pedder Bay (Mara Hanneson)

Red-breasted Nuthatch (Emma Radziul)

A nice after-second-year male American Goldfinch (Emma Radziul)

Hairy Woodpecker (Mara Hanneson)

Sunrise on day one at Rocky Point (David Bell)

Pedder Bay estuary (David Bell)

Week 13: A Not-So Ivory Gull and Subspecies Suprises

 

With week 13 in the books, the season winds down to a close. As always, the final week of banding is bittersweet. Staff and volunteers are ready for a little reprise from pre-dawn alarms, Spotted Towhee bitten fingers and endless loads of feather-full laundry. However, the beautiful sunrises, good birds, and better friends will be sorely missed… until next season!

One of the final sunrises of the season. (Evan Lewis)

This week Pedder Bay banded 136 new birds of 18 species, bringing the season total to 3163 new birds. Ruby-crowned Kinglet took the top spot this week, with 24 individuals banded. Fox sparrow and Golden-crowned sparrow followed closely behind with 22 and 19 individuals banded respectively. Highlight birds for Pedder this week included this male Anna’s Hummingbird, sporting a gorgeous full gorget, and a very cool Fox Sparrow recapture. 

A male Anna's Hummingbird. (David Bell)

One of the most exciting parts of banding is the potential for recapturing birds banded in previous years. Not only is it incredibly cool to see old birds, but the knowledge we gain from these records is highly valuable in developing survivorship curves and longevity data for birds. Everyone enjoys pulling a recaptured bird from a bag and noticing that the band is worn, and you don’t recognize number string. At Pedder this week, the banders had the pleasure of recapturing a Fox Sparrow that was banded as a hatch-year in 2015, making it 8 years old! The longevity record for this species is not far off at 10 years, so hopefully this individual keeps coming back for another couple of years!

The 8 year-old Fox Sparrow. See you in a couple of years to break the record! (Evan Lewis)

Rocky Point’s last week was unfortunately shortened due to military activity on Monday-Wednesday. However, the beginning of the week still gave us a good showing, with 146 new birds of 22 species banded for a season total of 4220. It is quite uncommon for Rocky Point to surpass 4000 birds banded in a season, so it is nice to see that we recovered from the slow start to the season! 34 newly banded Golden-crowned Sparrows took the top spot at Rocky Point this week, with Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Spotted Towhees coming in next with 31 and 22 individuals banded respectively. Highlight birds for Rocky this week included a Slate-coloured Junco. An uncommon visitor to coastal BC, this subspecies of Dark-eyed Junco is usually found in more Boreal Habitat, from Alaska and Northern BC across to eastern Canada.  

A Slate-coloured Junco (or maybe an SCJUxORJU?) (James Kennerley)

A range map of Dark-Eyed Junco subspecies (and a few other junco species for good measure).
Aleixandre, Pau & Hernández-Montoya, J.C. & Mila, Borja. (2013). Speciation on Oceanic Islands: Rapid Adaptive Divergence vs. Cryptic Speciation in a Guadalupe Island Songbird (Aves: Junco). PloS one. 8. e63242. 10.1371/journal.pone.0063242. 

Rocky Point banded its 3rd rare warbler of the season this week, a Nashville Warbler! Unlike the individual banded earlier this season at Pedder Bay, a combination of plumage characteristics and a short tail made this week’s bird the eastern nominate subspecies Leiothlypis ruficapilla ruficapilla.

An eastern Nashville Warbler. (David Bell)

The final week around the stations were certainly quieter, but there were still good birds to be found. On October 13th, David Bell had a pigment-deficient Short-billed Gull at Rocky Point. Had Daniel Donnecke not reported the same bird from seawatch at Beechey Head a few days earlier, this certainly would have caused some heart attacks, as the resemblance to an Ivory Gull is striking! On October 14th Ian Cruickshank and James Kennerley had a Pine Grosbeak fly over the station at Rocky Point. This represents the first record for RPBO, as most Pine Grosbeak records for southern Vancouver Island occur later in the year and get missed by the banding crew!

The very ivory Short-billed Gull. (David Bell)

And with that, we're done for the season. The final bird of the season was banded (A hatch-year American Robin) and the passerine nets have been taken down. A huge thank you goes out to all of the incredibly dedicated volunteers who have contributed their time this season. We really could not do it without all of you, and the staff are all incredibly appreciative of your hard work. If you aren't quite ready to be done for the year, the owl program is still going until Halloween, and they could use your help. We'll see you all next season!

The final passerine banded at RPBO this year. (David Bell)

The closing day Rocky Point crew.

The closingday Pedder Bay crew.

Week 13 and season totals.

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).

American Robin (Emma Radzuil)

Varied Thrush (David Bell)

Yellow Warbler (Evan Lewis)

Anna's Hummingbird (James Kennerley)

Wow - a treat for the eyes at Rocky Point (David Bell)

Morning light at Rocky Point - likely accompanied by a chorus of Gulls and Sea Lions
(James Kennerley)

A familiar sight for those checking the "hill nets" at Pedder Bay 
(James Kennerley)

Banding summary for both stations 
(click to enlarge)