Take the 75 hour challenge

Rocky Point Bird Observatory is participating in the Victoria Foundation's 75 Hour Challenge. The foundation will contribute a share of $75,000 to the participants based on how much they raise for their own endowment fund. Help RPBO build a secure future! Adopt-a-bird as a gift for yourself or someone else or just make a donation during the event. Charitable receipts for donations over $10 will be issued. 


Visit Canada Helps to make the donation: http://www.canadahelps.org/CharityProfilePage.aspx?CharityID=s40992  
Don't forget to select 75-Rocky Point Bird Observatory Fund from the Fund/Designation drop-down menu!


If you are interested in adopting-a-bird during the challenge go here and after filling out the form you should be brought to the CanadaHelps website directly:
http://www.rpbo.org/adoptabird.htm


For more information about the 75 hour challenge and the Victoria Foundation visit: 
http://www.victoriafoundation.bc.ca/web/node/569

Week 7 of the RPBO Northern Saw-whet Owl Migration Season, Wednesday, Oct. 26 to Monday, Oct. 31, 2011

Last week of the RPBO Northern saw-whet owl migration season is done! We had a great season with 469 birds banded at Rocky Point and another 48 at Pedder Bay! Due to some trouble with barred owls, we ended up owling at Pedder Bay for our last three nights. We were very surprised when we caught 14 NSWO on our last night PLUS we recaptured one owl that was banded at Rocky Point on Oct. 28. 

Thanks to everyone who helped out this year with migration and/or owls. RPBO could not function without the many wonderful and dedicated volunteers! See you next year!

 Halloween cookies from Sophie!

Wed. Oct. 26 – 6 NSWO – Pedder Bay

Thurs. Oct. 27 – 7 NSWO – Rocky Point

Fri. Oct. 28 – 5 NSWO – Rocky Point

Sat. Oct. 29 – 3 NSWO – Pedder Bay

Sun. Oct. 30 – 1 NSWO – Pedder Bay

Mon. Oct. 31 – 14 NSWO, 1 same year recap – Pedder Bay

How old is this saw-whet owl?

Banding total:

Total owls banded at Rocky Point this week:  12, recaptures: 0, species banded: 1

Total owls banded at Rocky Point this season: 469, recaptures: 3, species banded: 2

Total owls banded at Pedder Bay this season: 48, recaptures: 1, species banded: 1

Packing up

-- Emily

Week 6 of the RPBO Northern Saw-whet Owl Migration Season, Wednesday, Oct. 19 to Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011

A steady stream of Northern saw-whet owls have been passing through Rocky Point this week. We were at Pedder Bay on Tuesday due to base closures. We had a Pedder Bay/Oak Bay Marina appreciation night on Tuesday. About 10 people came by including a couple of families to see what we are doing. Unfortunately we didn't catch any owls until after the visitors had left.

Northern saw-whet owl

Wed. Oct. 19 – 13 NSWO – Rocky Point

Thurs. Oct. 20 – 24 NSWO – Rocky Point

Fri. Oct. 21 – 7 NSWO – Rocky Point

Sat. Oct. 22 – 2 NSWO – Rocky Point

Sun. Oct. 23 – 18 NSWO – Rocky Point

Mon. Oct. 24 – 17 NSWO – Rocky Point

Tues. Oct. 25 – 5 NSWO – Pedder Bay

Owl in a bag

Banding total:

Total owls banded at Rocky Point this week:  81, recaptures: 0, species banded: 1

Total owls banded at Rocky Point this season: 457, recaptures: 3, species banded: 2

Total owls banded at Pedder Bay this season: 17, recaptures: 0, species banded: 1

-- Emily

Week 13 of the RPBO Fall Migration Season, Sunday, October 16 to Friday, October 21, 2011

I can’t believe how quickly this season has gone by. We have just completed our last week of the RPBO fall migration season. Since we started our banding season a few days late due to base closures, we extended our season to the 21^st rather than our normal end date of the 18^th. This week, our three most commonly banded birds were ruby-crowned kinglet (46), golden-crowned kinglet (34), and Pacific wren (32) and we banded a new species – Steller’s Jay!

We banded 2734 birds from 59 species this season. The season’s most banded birds were all over the 200 mark. Wilson’s warbler (340), Pacific-slope flycatcher (260), and ruby-crowned kinglet (200). Our peak banding day was on Oct. 16 with 157 birds from 22 species followed by Oct. 14 with 149 birds banded from 22 species.

The board at the end of the season

On Sunday we had another super chilly morning with frozen nets! We banded the first Steller’s jay of the season bringing our number of banded species to 59. We banded 57 birds and recaptured 8 from 15 species.

Steller's Jay!

The turkey vultures were still around on Monday but in far fewer numbers than what we have been seeing earlier in the season. Some buffleheads were seen in the bay and Ann S. brought in some muffins. We banded 47 birds and recaptured 6 from 12 species.

Tuesday, Oct. 18 is traditionally the last day of the fall migration season, but since we started a few days late due to base closures, and that fall migration seemed to be delayed this year, we decided to extend the season a few more days. Regardless, we celebrated with muffins from Sophie and cake from Cheryl! Rick showed Sophie and I the bluebird nest boxed set up around the Garry oak trees near the back ponds. We looked inside a few nest boxes and found a few house wren nests and two other types of nests. One nest was made with gull feathers and the other of moss and lichens. We banded the 100^th golden-crowned sparrow and the 150^th Pacific wren. We banded 33 birds and recaptured 14 from 11 species.

Dragonfly

The Pacific chorus frogs were still calling and turkey vultures and red-tailed hawks were circling above us on Wednesday. A sign that fall is not over yet! We banded 26 birds and recaptured 8 from 10 species.

Thursday was our penultimate day. We had some gastronomic delicacies from Ann S. While Mike M. was watching Bonaparte’s gulls at the point he spotted 2 humpback whales and some orcas! A great way to end the season! We had some nice banding highlights of an adult male varied thrush and our second Northern saw-whet owl! We banded 33 birds and recaptured 11 from 11 species. We banded our 2700^th bird today as well as the 200^th ruby-crowned kinglet and 150^th fox sparrow.

Ruby-crowned kinglet

Our last day of the banding season was a wet one. Unfortunately, a steady rain fell all morning so we were unable to open the nets. We did stick around and did some observations of birds on site and Bill conducted census. We heard a cackling goose and saw some hooded mergansers – a life’s first for me.

Rough-skinned newt

 Species weekly total (Sunday, Oct. 9 – Saturday, Oct. 15)

(this week/total)

Rufus hummingbird (0/7), downy woodpecker (0/3), Northern red-shafted flicker (0/1), willow flycatcher (0/43), Hammond’s flycatcher (0/14), Pacific-slope flycatcher (0/260), Hutton’s vireo (0/1), warbling vireo (0/5), Steller’s jay (2/2), chestnut-backed chickadee (2/37), bushtit (0/10), red-breasted nuthatch (0/2), brown creeper (0/11), Bewick’s wren (1/39), house wren (0/9), Pacific wren (32/155), marsh wren (0/4), golden-crowned kinglet (34/83), ruby-crowned kinglet (46/200), Swainson’s thrush (1/55), hermit thrush (6/90), American robin (1/11), varied thrush (1/5), cedar waxwing (0/2), orange-crowned warbler (1/189), yellow warbler (0/141), Audubon’s warbler (0/3), Myrtle’s warbler (0/8), black-throated gray warbler (0/6), Townsend’s warbler (0/4), white-throated sparrow (1/6), Macgillivray's warbler (1/52), common yellowthroat (1/52), Wilson’s warbler (0/340), Western tanager (0/2), black-headed grosbeak (0/1), spotted towhee (5/35), chipping sparrow (0/12), savannah sparrow (0/28), fox sparrow (23/150), song sparrow (12/105), Lincoln’s sparrow (2/135), Puget Sound white-crowned sparrow (1/129), golden-crowned sparrow (17/105), Oregon junco (5/55), red-winged blackbird (0/8), brown-headed cowbird (0/5), purple finch (2/19), pine siskin (0/1), American goldfinch (0/63), olive-sided flycatcher (0/1), Traill’s flycatcher (0/12), sharp-shinned hawk (0/5), Cooper’s hawk (0/1), barred owl (0/1), saw-whet owl (1/2), Northern waterthrush (0/1), Western palm warbler (0/1).

Banding total:

Total birds banded this week: 198, recaptures: 53, species banded: 23.

Total birds banded this season: 2734, recaptures: 327, species banded: 59.

-- Emily

Week 5 of the RPBO Northern Saw-whet Owl Migration Season, Wednesday, Oct. 12 to Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011

Wed. Oct. 12 – 20 NSWO

Thurs. Oct. 13 – 37 NSWO

Fri. Oct. 14 – 49 NSWO, 1 BDOW

Sat. Oct. 15 – 25 NSWO

Sun. Oct. 16 – 35 NSWO, 1 BDOW

Mon. Oct. 17 – 30 NSWO, 1 recapture

Tues. Oct. 18 – 25 NSWO

Banding total:

Total owls banded at Rocky Point this week:  219, recaptures: 1, species banded: 2

Total owls banded at Rocky Point this season: 376, recaptures: 3, species banded: 2

-- Emily

Week 12 of the RPBO Fall Migration Season, Sunday, October 9 to Saturday, October 15, 2011

For most of the week we were back at Rocky Point. We banded at Pedder Bay on Tuesday and Wednesday as the base was closed. We had an exciting week with a new species banded (barred owl) and the second highest banding day of the season with 149 birds banded! The four most commonly banded birds this week were: ruby-crowned kinglet (80), a tie for second place with 49 each goes to fox sparrow and Pacific wren, third place is golden-crowned sparrow (46).

On Sunday we banded a varied thrush and a MacGillivray’s warbler. Acacia brought in pumpkin pie! We banded 58 birds and recaptured 2 from 15 species.

The bay at RP

On Monday, Ian spooked a ruffed grouse between net lanes 10 and 11 while on census! A once common species on Southern Vancouver Island is now an exciting find. It rained a bit today so we opened the nets late. We banded 38 birds and recaptured 5 from 9 species.

The rain continued on Tuesday and we had to shut the nets down early. Due to lack of shelter at Pedder Bay we could not keep the equipment dry enough to wait out the rain. We had muffins from Sophie. We banded 28 birds from 11 species.

On Wednesday the trees were still dripping where we normally have the temporary banding table set up at Pedder Bay so we decided to set up on the old road leading down to the nets. It was a good spot as we had a much better vantage point for observing birds and since we are not under the trees, the light is better for skulling. Banding highlight was the Hutton’s vireo. We banded 37 birds from 13 species.

A Hutton's vireo at Pedder Bay

We were back at Rocky Point on Thursday. We banded the first barred owl of the season. She stuck around for a few hours on a tree near the banding station looking unimpressed with her new bracelet. The other banding highlight of the day was a Pacific-slope flycatcher. We didn’t expect to see one so late in the season. Other interesting bird observations were red-breasted merganser and pied-billed grebe. Mike M. brought in muffins. We banded the 100^th Pacific wren, ruby-crowned kinglet, and fox sparrow! We also banded the 50^th golden-crowned sparrow of the season! On this pretty cold morning we banded 78 birds, recaptured 4 from 15 species.

Friday was our second busiest banding day of the season thus far. We had a young sharp-shinned hawk in net 9. A goshawk was observed on site. The 50^th  MacGillivray’s warbler was banded today. The MacGivilary’s warblers that have been coming through these last few days have had some beautiful plumages in comparison to the earlier season migrants. We banded 149 birds and recaptured 10 from 22 species.

Saturday was our coldest morning of the season with our thermometer reading 1.3°C! One of our nets nearest to the water was frozen! It was net 2 if you are curious. We banded the 2500^th bird of the season! Today we banded more birds than the lowest banding season ever in Rocky Point's history. I wonder how we will fare by the end of the season. We banded 45 birds and recaptured 1 from 12 species.

The barred owl we banded on Thursday hanging out near the banding station

Non-standard Banding – Pedder Bay Marina

Location total (Sunday, Sept 25 to Wednesday, October 5)

Alphabetical

ANHU (1), BEWR (2), CBCH (1), GCKI (13), GCSP (4), HETH (5), HUVI (1), LISP (5), OCWA (2), ORJU (2), PSWS (1), RCKI (11), SOSP (10), WIWR (1), WTSP (1).

Banding total:

Total birds banded at Pedder Bay: 442; species banded: 33.

Standard Banding – Rocky Point

Species weekly total (Sunday, Oct. 9 – Saturday, Oct. 15)

(this week/total)

Rufus hummingbird (0/7), downy woodpecker (0/3), Northern red-shafted flicker (0/1), willow flycatcher (0/43), Hammond’s flycatcher (0/14), Pacific-slope flycatcher (2/260), Hutton’s vireo (0/1), warbling vireo (0/5), chestnut-backed chickadee (3/35), bushtit (1/10), red-breasted nuthatch (0/2), brown creeper (0/11), Bewick’s wren (1/38), house wren (0/9), Pacific wren (49/123), marsh wren (2/4), golden-crowned kinglet (34/49), ruby-crowned kinglet (80/154), Swainson’s thrush (4/54), hermit thrush (33/84), American robin (2/10), varied thrush (3/4), cedar waxwing (0/2), orange-crowned warbler (5/188), yellow warbler (1/141), Audubon’s warbler (0/3), Myrtle’s warbler (6/8), black-throated gray warbler (0/6), Townsend’s warbler (0/4), white-throated sparrow (1/5), Macgillivray's warbler (3/51), common yellowthroat (1/51), Wilson’s warbler (0/340), Western tanager (0/2), black-headed grosbeak (0/1), spotted towhee (5/30), chipping sparrow (0/12), savannah sparrow (1/28), fox sparrow (49/127), song sparrow (9/93), Lincoln’s sparrow (7/136), Puget Sound white-crowned sparrow (3/128), golden-crowned sparrow (46/88), Oregon junco (14/50), red-winged blackbird (0/8), brown-headed cowbird (0/5), purple finch (1/17), pine siskin (0/1), American goldfinch (0/63), olive-sided flycatcher (0/1), Traill’s flycatcher (0/12), sharp-shinned hawk (1/5), Cooper’s hawk (0/1), barred owl (1/1), saw-whet owl (0/1), Northern waterthrush (0/1), Western palm warbler (0/1).

Banding total:

Total birds banded this week: 367, recaptures: 18, species banded: 28.

Total birds banded this season: 2536, recaptures: 274, species banded: 58.

-- Emily

Weeks 3 & 4 of the RPBO Northern Saw-whet Owl Migration Season, Wednesday, September 28 to Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Wed. Sept. 28 – 1 NSWO – Pedder Bay

Thurs. Sept. 29 – 2 NSWO – Pedder Bay

Fri. Sept. 30 – 1 NSWO – Pedder Bay

Sat. Oct. 1 – 5 NSWO – Pedder Bay

Sun. Oct. 2 – 4 NSWO – Pedder Bay

Mon. Oct. 3 – 1 NSWO – Pedder Bay

Tues. Oct. 4 – 0 NSWO – Pedder Bay

Wed. Oct. 5 - 5 NSWO – Pedder Bay

Thurs. Oct. 6 – 26 NSWO – Rocky Point

Fri. Oct. 7 – 29 NSWO, 1 recapture – Rocky Point

Sat. Oct. 8 – 17 NSWO – Rocky Point

Sun. Oct. 9 – 40 NSWO – Rocky Point

Mon. Oct. 10 – 1 NSWO – Rocky Point

Tues. Oct. 11 – 0 NSWO – Pedder Bay

Banding total:

Total owls banded at Rocky Point:  157, recaptures: 2, species banded: 2

Total owls banded at Pedder Bay: 19, recaptures: 0, species banded: 1.

-- Emily

Week 11 of the RPBO Fall Migration Season, Sunday, October 2 to Saturday, October 8, 2011

This week we spent the first 4 days at Pedder Bay due to the continued base closure and we were back at Rocky Point on Thursday. We had the busiest day of the season on Thursday with 157 birds banded! We are still banding some early season migrants such as Wilson’s warbler, Townsend’s warbler, and Pacific-slope flycatcher. Our most commonly banded birds at Rocky Point were: ruby-crowned kinglet (49), fox sparrow (33), and Lincoln’s sparrow (24). At Pedder Bay, the three most commonly banded birds were: Oregon junco (49), golden-crowned sparrow (44), and Lincoln’s sparrow (41).

On Sunday we were out at Pedder Bay. We banded 64 birds and recaptured 6 from 13 species. We had the second owl fundraising BBQ in the evening; see last week’s blog post for a summary.

Quiz bird!

On Monday I brought in left over cupcakes from the owl BBQ. Susanne brought in mixed nuts to share and Megan from Seattle brought us coffee! We banded 44 birds from 14 species, including a white-throated sparrow.

Brian brought us cookies on Tuesday and Susanne brought in more mixed nuts. We banded a Townsend’s warbler and a white-throated sparrow today! We banded 31 birds from 18 species.

On Wednesday we banded a palm warbler and we saw greater white-fronted geese on the grassy lawn near the marina parking lot. We banded 28 birds from 11 species.

A busy banding day at Rocky Point 

We were back at Rocky Point on Thursday! We had Sandhill cranes fly over and a kettle of turkey vultures was right above the banding station! We banded our 2000^th bird today! We had our busiest banding day of the season including both diversity and abundance. We banded 157 birds from 22 species! I was a bit surprised that we did not have any retraps. We also banded our 50^th Swainson’s thrush - yes, they are still around.

It rained first thing in the morning so we were delayed in opening nets. We opened them at census time. Shona and I brought in cookies to snack on. Banding highlights include: marsh wren and the 50^th common yellowthroat. We had some great hawk watching by Ian and he spotted a Swainson’s hawk, osprey, and some golden eagles. We banded 47 birds and recaptured 5 from 16 species.

Saturday was a foggy and cool morning. We saw the first bufflehead in the front bay and Bill saw a sora in the front pond hiding in the cattails. There were still lots of turkey vultures about. We banded a white-throated sparrow and a black-throated grey warbler! We banded 66 new birds and recaptured 16 from 20 species.

 Hawk watch!

Non-standard Banding – Pedder Bay Marina

Location total (Sunday, Sept 25 to Wednesday, October 5)

Alphabetical

AMGO (2), ANHU (1), AUWA (6), BEWR (2), BRCR (2), BUSH (7), CBCH (16), COYE (5), FOSP (30), GCKI (26), GCSP (44), HAFL (1), HETH (20), HOWR (1), LISP (41), MYWA (2), OCWA (15), ORJU (49), PSFL (1), PSWS (11), PUFI (4), RBSA (1), RCKI (34), SAVS (6), SOSP (30), SPTO (8), SWTH (4), TOWA (1), WIWR (8), WPWA (1), WTSP (2), YWAR (1).

Banding total:

Total birds banded at Pedder Bay:  382, recaptures: ? species banded: 32.

Data break! Write a caption for the Townsend's warbler in the comments section!

Standard Banding – Rocky Point

Species weekly total (Sunday, September 25 + Thursday, October 6 – Saturday, Oct. 8)

(this week/total)

Rufus hummingbird (0/7), downy woodpecker (0/3), Northern red-shafted flicker (0/1), willow flycatcher (0/43), Hammond’s flycatcher (3/14), Pacific-slope flycatcher (5/258), Hutton’s vireo (0/1), warbling vireo (0/5), chestnut-backed chickadee (6/32), bushtit (1/10), red-breasted nuthatch (0/2), brown creeper (0/11), Bewick’s wren (0/37), house wren (0/9), Pacific wren (26/74), marsh wren (1/2), golden-crowned kinglet (11/15), ruby-crowned kinglet (49/74), Swainson’s thrush (2/50), hermit thrush (15/51), American robin (0/8), varied thrush (0/1), cedar waxwing (0/2), orange-crowned warbler (17/183), yellow warbler (2/140), Audubon’s warbler (0/3), Myrtle’s warbler (0/2), black-throated gray warbler (1/6), Townsend’s warbler (0/4), white-throated sparrow (2/4), Macgillivray's warbler (0/48), common yellowthroat (3/50), Wilson’s warbler (3/340), Western tanager (0/2), black-headed grosbeak (0/1), spotted towhee (10/25), chipping sparrow (0/12), savannah sparrow (4/27), fox sparrow (33/78), song sparrow (18/84), Lincoln’s sparrow (24/129), Puget Sound white-crowned sparrow (5/125), golden-crowned sparrow (23/42), Oregon junco (9/36), red-winged blackbird (0/8), brown-headed cowbird (0/5), purple finch (3/16), pine siskin (0/1), American goldfinch (1/63), olive-sided flycatcher (0/1), Traill’s flycatcher (0/12), sharp-shinned hawk (0/4), Cooper’s hawk (0/1), saw-whet owl (0/1), Northern waterthrush (0/1), Western palm warbler (0/1).

Banding total:

Total birds banded this week: 277, recaptures: 23, species banded: 26.

Total birds banded this season: 2169, recaptures: 256, species banded: 57.

-- Emily

Week 10 of the RPBO Fall Migration Season, Sunday, Sept 25 to Saturday, October 1, 2011

Due to massive closures at Rocky Point because of military training exercises this week we were only allowed into Rocky Point on Sunday. Rick and I set up 10 nets on Sunday at Pedder Bay Marina so we could conduct non-standard banding during the closure. Pedder Bay Marina is privately owned property adjacent to the Rocky Point Military base. At first we thought the closure would be a few days but then it turned into 10 days! Since the peak of migration did not occur last week we were very grateful that we could band at a nearby location in hopes that we would have a similar representation of birds that were passing through Rocky Point. We have been happy with the diversity and abundance of birds caught and observed at Pedder Bay. In 5 days we banded 215 birds from 26 species. Our top three birds banded at Pedder Bay were: Oregon Junco (28), Lincoln’s sparrow (28), and golden-crowned sparrow (21).

Sunday was our only day of banding at Rocky Point this week. I left early to help Rick set-up nets at Pedder Bay. It did rain this morning so the banding day at Rocky Point was cut short by about an hour. I did not have a chance to get the day’s banding total from Brian.

It poured rain on Monday so our first day of non-standard banding at Pedder Bay was a bit of a bust. It was just spitting on the drive out to the site but then the rain started to pour once we arrived at Pedder Bay! We hung around for about an hour in hopes that the rain would let up. We showed the volunteers where the nets were set up. We decided to go out for breakfast and if the rain stopped we would go back out to Pedder Bay. When breakfast was done it was still pouring rain so we called it a day and headed home.

Who is this with the funky hair style? 

Tuesday was our first official non-standard banding day at Pedder Bay. Some slight rain showers occurred throughout the day so we increased our net checks when it was raining. We were delighted when we saw a beautiful rainbow between rain showers! The chocolate covered coffee beans were sill around to keep us fueled as well as some apples and cashew squares from Cheryl. Banding highlight today was the Anna’s hummingbird. We banded 20 birds and 0 recaps from 11 species.

On Wednesday we saw some greater white-fronted geese. Ann S. brought in some treats and we had a guest bander from Pennsylvania visit us! It was good timing that she was in Victoria while we are at Pedder Bay so she can see our improvised set-up and banding protocol. We banded 44 birds and recaptured 0 from 12 species.

On Thursday we heard some cackling geese fly over. Susanne, a bander from Calgary arrived today. She will be volunteering with us for a couple of weeks! We had our first visitors from the campground at Pedder Bay Marina today. It is nice to be able to show guests what we do. We banded 45 birds, recaptured 1 from 16 species! Our first recapture!

The weather was nice on Friday. We banded 29 birds, recaptured 3 from 12 species.

On Saturday we had another visitor, Megan from Seattle. This is her second trip volunteering with RPBO this year. Welcome back Megan! Today’s banding highlight was a red-breasted sapsucker! We banded 77 birds and recaptured 2 from 16 species.

Owl cupcakes made by Jessie F.

Saturday night was also our first night of RPBO’s owl fundraising BBQ. We had 19 guests come out for a fun night. Food was excellent and a great presentation by Ann N. really help set the stage for the owl banding demo. Jessie F. was our owl bander for the evening and she made her delicious owl cupcakes. We caught 2 owls for the demo. Lots of oohs and ahhs when the guests had their first look at saw-whet owls. We took small groups out to see the nets and one lucky group was able to watch an owl extraction. For the BBQ on Sunday we had 10 guests. Fortunately the rain held off but we did not have any owls for the banding demo. Thanks to all the guests who came out to support Rocky Point and to all the volunteers who helped make this event a success!

One of the saw-whet owls from the banding demo on Saturday

Non-standard Banding – Pedder Bay Marina

Species weekly total (Sunday, Sept 25 to Saturday, October 1)

Alphabetical

ANHU (1), AUWA (5), BEWR (2), BRCR (1), BUSH (7), CBCH (7), COYE (2), FOSP (15), GCKI (17), GCSP (21), HAFL (1), HETH (11), LISP (28), MYWA (2), OCWA (8), ORJU (28), PSFL (1), PSWS (9), RBSA (1), RCKI (12), SAVS (4), SOSP (20), SPTO (6), SWTH (3), WIWR (2), YWAR (1).

Banding total:

Total birds banded this week:  215, recaptures: 6, species banded: 26.

Week 2 of the RPBO Northern Saw-whet Owl Migration Season, Wednesday, September 21 to Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Rocky Point Bird Observatory is hosting a fundraising BBQ this weekend! Saturday's BBQ is almost sold out! Still spots left for Sunday. See http://rpbo.org/barbecue.html for more information.

Wed. Sept. 21 – 2 NSWO, 1 BDOW – Rocky Point

Thurs. Sept. 22 – 5 NSWO – Rocky Point

Fri. Sept. 23 – 7 NSWO – Rocky Point

Sat. Sept. 24 – 3 NSWO – Rocky Point

Sun. Sept. 25 – 5 NSWO, 1 recap – Rocky Point

Mon. Sept. 26 – 0 – base closed

Tues. Sept. 27 - 0 – base closed

Lovely Barred Owl banded by Ann N!

Banding total:

Total birds banded this week:  22, recaptures: 1, species banded: 2

Total birds banded this season: 44, recaptures: 2, species banded: 2.

-- Emily

Week 9 of the RPBO Fall Migration Season, Sunday, Sept 18 to Saturday, Sept 24, 2011

Where did all the birds go? This week we banded 132 birds less than last week. We had the second highest banding day of the season on Monday followed by the lowest banding day of the season on Friday. Traditionally, September 21 is the peak day at Rocky Point. Give or take a day or two. This September 21 was not our peak day. Did the birds come early or are they being held up by the rain up island? Only time will tell. My highlight of the week was banding a Northern red-shafted flicker. It was a well behaved, after second year male. Top three species banded this week were: Orange-crowned warbler (20), followed by Lincoln’s sparrow (15), and fox sparrow (14).

On Sunday, new batteries arrived for our solar power system and Ann N. brought in muffins. We banded 23 birds and recaptured 4 from 15 species.

Net 7

Monday was a livelier day with the second busiest day of the season! We banded the first varied thrush of the season and some Sandhill cranes flew over the site. We banded the 250^th Pacific-slope flycatcher today. We banded 83 birds and recaptured 3 from 18 species.

Tuesday was a tad quieter on the bird front but the larger kettles of turkey vultures kept us looking to the sky. The Motek’s brought in snacks. We banded the 100^th Lincoln’s sparrow. We banded 26 birds and recaptured 3 from 18 species.

September 21±1 day is the busiest day of the year. That was not the case this year as we only banded 35 birds and recaptured 3 from 18 species. All was not lost as our wonderful volunteers brought in treats! Coffee from Jeremy, muffins from Mary, and chocolate covered coffee beans from Margie! The 25^th Oregon junco was banded today.

 Who is this handsome fella?

The base was closed on Thursday so no banding occurred today. It was also raining so I don’t think we missed much.

On Friday we continued to eat the left-over chocolate covered coffee beans and ate cookies from Donna M. We banded the first Myrtle warbler of the season. We banded 8 birds and recaptured 5 from 11 species. This was our worst banding day of the season.

On Saturday we banded the first Northern red-shafted flicker of the season and a song sparrow from 2008. Snacks from the Motek’s and more chocolate covered coffee beans were consumed. We banded 11 birds and recaptured 6 from 10 species.

Species weekly total (Sunday, September 18 – Saturday, September 24)

(this week/total)

Rufus hummingbird (0/7), downy woodpecker (0/3), Northern red-shafted flicker (1/1), willow flycatcher (1/43), Hammond’s flycatcher (2/11), Pacific-slope flycatcher (8/253), Hutton’s vireo (0/1), warbling vireo (0/5), chestnut-backed chickadee (0/26), bushtit (0/9), red-breasted nuthatch (0/2), brown creeper (0/11), Bewick’s wren (0/37), house wren (0/9), Pacific wren (11/48), marsh wren (0/1), golden-crowned kinglet (1/4), ruby-crowned kinglet (4/13), Swainson’s thrush (4/48), hermit thrush (13/36), American robin (0/8), varied thrush (1/1), cedar waxwing (0/2), orange-crowned warbler (20/166), yellow warbler (13/138), Audubon’s warbler (2/3), Myrtle’s warbler (2/2), black-throated gray warbler (0/5), Townsend’s warbler (0/4), white-throated sparrow (0/2), Macgillivray's warbler (0/48), common yellowthroat (5/47), Wilson’s warbler (11/337), Western tanager (0/2), black-headed grosbeak (0/1), spotted towhee (6/15), chipping sparrow (0/12), savannah sparrow (7/23), fox sparrow (14/45), song sparrow (6/66), Lincoln’s sparrow (15/105), Puget Sound white-crowned sparrow (10/120), golden-crowned sparrow (3/19), Oregon junco (11/27), red-winged blackbird (0/8), brown-headed cowbird (0/5), purple finch (1/13), pine siskin (0/1), American goldfinch (1/62), olive-sided flycatcher (0/1), Traill’s flycatcher (1/12), sharp-shinned hawk (0/4), Cooper’s hawk (0/1), saw-whet owl (0/1), Northern waterthrush (0/1), Western palm warbler (0/1).

Banding total:

Total birds banded this week: 186, recaptures: 24, species banded: 27.

Total birds banded this season: 1892, recaptures: 233, species banded: 57.

The banding board from the beginning of the season.

The most common birds banded for the season are listed in the first 3 columns 

followed by the unusual birds.

-- Emily

Week 1 of the RPBO Northern Saw-whet Owl Migration Season, Thursday, September 15 to Tuesday, September 20, 2011

The first day of owls was on Thursday, September 15 and 3 Northern saw-whet owls were banded.

Friday, Sept. 16 – 3 banded NSWO

Saturday, Sept. 17 – 0 banded NSWO– closed early due to rain

Sunday, Sept. 18 – 4 banded NSWO

Monday, Sept. 19 – 5 banded NSWO, 1 recapture. The recapture was originally banded by Jessie in 2010!

Tuesday, Sept. 20 – 7 banded NSWO. My first owling night ever where I successfully extracted 2 females and banded 3. I managed to band these owls with my small hands!

Banding total:

Total birds banded this week (and season): 22, recaptures: 1, species banded: 1.

-- Emily

Week 8 of the RPBO Fall Migration Season, Sunday, Sept 11 to Saturday, Sept 17, 2011

The birds are back! The change in weather from hot sunny days to cool and overcast has resulted in a jump in birds! This was our best week of the season in terms of numbers of birds banded (318) and tied with week 3 as the highest diversity (31 species). My highlight of the week was banding a young sharp-shinned hawk while almost everyone else would probably pick the Western palm warbler. The fall migrants are also starting to arrive such as fox sparrow, ruby-crowned kinglet, and Hermit thrush, just to name a few. Our top three birds banded this week were: yellow warbler (44), orange-crowned warbler (42), and a tie for third with fox and Lincoln’s sparrow (29). Thanks to everyone who has added comments and guessed the quiz birds!

Just a quick reminder that we are hosting a fundraising owl BBQ on October 1 and 2^nd! A limited number of tickets are available so act fast to avoid disappointment. It was a lot of fun last year I hear!

On Sunday, September 11 we hit the 1400 banded bird mark! I brought in some treats and Jessie picked us some black berries. The plum trees on site are starting to produce some tasty plums. We banded 25 birds and recaptured 3 from 9 species.

On Monday we banded two new species for the season: ruby-crowned kinglet and a white-throated sparrow. These two species brought us to the 50^th species banded! I banded a sharp-shinned hawk, our second of the day! Ann N. brought in blueberries for us to snack on. We banded 28 birds and recaptured 3 from 18 species.

 Want a lick off my ice cream cone?

The weather changed on Tuesday and so did our luck with the birds. We banded the first golden-crowned sparrow of the season and heard our first varied thrush. Rick brought in some very juicy plums from his tree. We banded 54 birds and recaptured 4 from 13 species.

Quiz bird!

Mary brought us some fabulous dates on Wednesday. We banded our first marsh wren and Hermit thrush of the season. Small kettles of turkey vultures have been observed around the site. A Northern harrier was flying low around the front meadow a few times today. On one occasion, there was a turkey vulture performing an entertaining dance by flying low over the field while the harrier was searching the field for food. We banded our 1500^th bird today and the 100^th yellow warbler. We banded 51 birds and recaptured 6 from 16 different species.

On Thursday we had some light rain which cause us to shut our nets early. Brian extracted a bat from one of the back nets. We banded 38 birds and recaptured 4 from 13 species.

Friday was our busiest day of the season with 88 birds banded from 20 different species! We banded the Western palm warbler today. It was caught in one of the front nets near the pond. We recaptured a chestnut-backed chickadee from 2008 and banded 125th yellow warbler and the 200th recaptured bird.

Head shots of the Western palm warbler

We thought that Saturday was going to be busier than Friday since it rained a bit last night, but we had an ok day. Be banded 30 birds and recaptured 8 from 14 different species. The kettles of turkey vultures are progressively getting larger as we saw 60 vultures in one kettle today,  

Species weekly total (Sunday, September 11 – Saturday, September 17)

(this week/total)

Rufus hummingbird (0/7), downy woodpecker (0/3), willow flycatcher (1/42), Hammond’s flycatcher (2/9), Pacific-slope flycatcher (22/245), Hutton’s vireo (0/1), warbling vireo (0/5), chestnut-backed chickadee (2/26), bushtit (3/9), red-breasted nuthatch (0/2), brown creeper (1/11), Bewick’s wren (1/37), house wren (0/9), Pacific wren (12/37), marsh wren (1/1), golden-crowned kinglet (2/3), ruby-crowned kinglet (9/9), Swainson’s thrush (7/44), hermit thrush (23/23), American robin (0/8), cedar waxwing (0/2), orange-crowned warbler (42/146), yellow warbler (44/125), Audubon’s warbler (0/1), black-throated gray warbler (0/5), Townsend’s warbler (0/4), white-throated sparrow (2/2), Macgillivray's warbler (0/48), common yellowthroat (4/42), Wilson’s warbler (16/326), Western tanager (1/2), black-headed grosbeak (0/1), spotted towhee (1/9), chipping sparrow (0/12), savannah sparrow (9/16), fox sparrow (29/31), song sparrow (16/60), Lincoln’s sparrow (29/90), Puget Sound white-crowned sparrow (5/110), golden-crowned sparrow (16/16), Oregon junco (4/16), red-winged blackbird (0/8), brown-headed cowbird (0/5), purple finch (1/12), pine siskin (0/1), American goldfinch (6/61), olive-sided flycatcher (0/1), Traill’s flycatcher (0/11), sharp-shinned hawk (2/4), Cooper’s hawk (0/1), saw-whet owl (0/1), Northern waterthrush (0/1), Western palm warbler (1/1).

Banding total:

Total birds banded this week: 318, recaptures: 30, species banded: 31.

Total birds banded this season: 1706, recaptures: 209, species banded: 54.

-- Emily

Owl Fundraising BBQ

On Saturday October 1 and Sunday October 2 Rocky Point Bird Observatory is hosting an Owl Fundraising BBQ at Pedder Bay Marina.

Dinner starts at 5 pm and includes burgers, hot dogs, salads, and desserts
There will be a slide show at 6 pm followed by an owl banding demo from 7 - 9.
Tickets are $25 for adults and kids under 14 are $10.
Advanced purchase available from www.rpbo.org

Week 7 of the RPBO Fall Migration Season, Sunday, Sept 4 to Saturday, Sept 10, 2011

Another week of cool, foggy mornings has resulted in a pretty slow week. This was the slowest week of the season with only 122 birds banded and the lowest diversity with 21 species. In contrast, the best week was week 3 with 240 birds banded and the same week had 28 species. We caught the first fox sparrow this week and we had one base closure. Our top birds banded this week was Lincoln’s sparrow and Puget Sound white-crowned sparrow with 19 birds banded each! Third place goes to Wilson’s warbler with 12 birds.

I changed the comments sections so that you do not need to sign in to post a comment. Which is useful since I’ve added a photo where you can write the caption! Let's try it out! I post a silly photo, you write a witty caption!

Write a caption in the comments section!

On Sunday Sept. 14, we banded the 100^th orange-crowned warbler and the 300^th Wilson’s warbler of the season! We banded 15 birds and recaptured 5 birds from 11 species.

On Monday, Sept. 5, the hawks and turkey vultures are starting to become more numerous. Jeremy K. observed a Northern goshawk. We banded 15 birds and recaptured 1 from 11 species.

There was a base closure on Tuesday. No banding today.

On Wednesday we were back to banding and Ann S. and Ann N. brought us in some muffins and peas. Ann N. told us about the Big Year trailer. I am looking forward to watching the movie after reading the book and watching the trailer! The book is available from the library! If you have not already seen the trailer, you can see if from here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zTt6PEODBM. We banded 21 birds and recaptured 3 from 11 species.

On Thursday a pod of orcas kept us entertained. We also saw the goshawk again and a broad-wing hawk. Lots of pine white butterflies have been out and about! We banded 21 birds and recaptured 4 from 11 different species.

Early on Friday morning as we were walking into the site, we were greeted by two great horned owls. Dannie brought us in cookies! We banded our 50^th American goldfinch and the 25^th Pacific wren of the season. Today we banded 18 birds and recaptured 3 from 10 species.

Which sparrow am I?

On Saturday we had a new species for the week – a fox sparrow! The 100^th Puget Sound white-crowned sparrow was banded today. The birds were more active as we banded 32 birds and recaptured 9 birds from 13 species.

Owls update - On Thursday night, Ann N. conducted a second owls trial run. They banded 3 saw-whet owls and observed barred owls. They turned the scope to the stars and saw 4 moons around Jupiter.

Species weekly total (Sunday, Aug 28 – Saturday, September 3)

(this week/total)

Rufus hummingbird (0/7), downy woodpecker (0/3), willow flycatcher (2/41), Hammond’s flycatcher (0/7), Pacific-slope flycatcher (9/223), Hutton’s vireo (0/1), warbling vireo (0/5), chestnut-backed chickadee (3/24), bushtit (1/6), red-breasted nuthatch (0/2), brown creeper (0/10), Bewick’s wren (3/36), house wren (0/9), Pacific wren (1/25), golden-crowned kinglet (0/1), Swainson’s thrush (0/37), American robin (0/8), cedar waxwing (0/2), orange-crowned warbler (6/104), yellow warbler (3/81), Audubon’s warbler (0/1), black-throated gray warbler (1/5), Townsend’s warbler (0/4), Macgillivray's warbler (1/48), common yellowthroat (11/38), Wilson’s warbler (12/310), Western tanager (0/1), black-headed grosbeak (0/1), spotted towhee (4/8), chipping sparrow (0/12), savannah sparrow (1/7), fox sparrow (2/2), song sparrow (9/44), Lincoln’s sparrow (19/61), Puget Sound white-crowned sparrow (19/105), Oregon junco (5/12), red-winged blackbird (0/8), brown-headed cowbird (0/5), purple finch (0/11), pine siskin (0/1), American goldfinch (8/55), olive-sided flycatcher (0/1), Traill’s flycatcher (2/11), sharp-shinned hawk (0/2), Cooper’s hawk (0/1), saw-whet owl (0/1), Northern waterthrush (0/1).

Banding total:

Total birds banded this week: 122, recaptures: 25, species banded: 21.

Total birds banded this season: 1392, recaptures: 179, species banded: 48.

-- Emily

Week 6 of the RPBO Fall Migration Season, Sunday, Aug 28 to Saturday, Sept 3, 2011

Lots of cool morning fog this week. One base closure on Wednesday but this was replaced by “bare naked birding” at Pedder Bay Marina. Read Wednesday’s summary to learn more about this birding experience. Lincoln’s sparrow took over as most common bird banded this week at 37 birds, followed by a tie for second place with 32 birds each of Pacific-slope flycatcher and Wilson’s warbler. Honourable mention to yellow warbler with 21 birds banded.

What type of sparrow am I?

 On Sunday, Aug. 28 we banded the 175^th Pacific-slope flycatcher! There were 34 birds banded and 3 recaptures from 11 species.

On Monday we had a nice eating day. We had snacks from the Motek’s and coffee from Ann N! We banded our first golden-crowned kinglet of the season! Bill spied a kingbird while on census. We banded 28 birds and 6 recaptures from 15 species.

On Tuesday Rick brought us plums and the Motek’s brought snacks again! Brian’s brand new watch that he bought off the internet broke twice today. It’s a good thing that he ended up buying three watches. We banded 30 birds and 10 recaptures from 14 species.

On Wednesday we had a base closure. All was not lost as Rick, Ann N. and I lead a “bare naked birding” event for the patrons of Pedder Bay Marina. The idea was to wear your clothing but leave your binoculars at home. It was Rick vs Ann or binoculars vs no binoculars as Ann was curious to try this new birding style. After two hours of birding the two styles were tied at 41 bird species! The highlight of the day was the four belted kingfishers fighting in the bay and the first sighting of a Steller’s jay for all of us.

Ann N. with the Bare Naked Birding sign

On Thursday we were back out at Rocky Point. We banded a young male sharp-shinned hawk. A few Sandhill cranes flew over head. Ann S. brought in treats. We banded the 200^th Pacific-slope flycatcher and the 75^th yellow warbler today. We banded 60 birds and 4 recaptures from 13 species.

On Friday the barred owl was spotted hanging out around the owl nets. Mike observed a Western gull and minke whales. We also spotted an Osprey who was sitting on a telephone pole so we were all able to get a good look at it through the scope. Sophie invited us over for lunch! We banded the 25^th common yellowthroat today as well as 35 birds and 3 recaptures from 13 species. 

On Saturday the barred owl was in net 5 but escaped before we had a chance to catch it! Maybe next time. We banded 26 birds and 4 recaptures from 13 species today. Ann N. set up a trial run of owls on this fine evening and the owlers managed to band 4 Northern saw-whet owls, and they observed great horned, barn, and barred owls too! A great way to start the season!

Species weekly total (Sunday, Aug 28 – Saturday, September 3)

(this week/total)

Rufus hummingbird (0/7), downy woodpecker (0/3), willow flycatcher (6/39), Hammond’s flycatcher (3/7), Pacific-slope flycatcher (32/214), Hutton’s vireo (0/1), warbling vireo (0/5), chestnut-backed chickadee (3/21), bushtit (0/5), red-breasted nuthatch (0/2), brown creeper (0/10), Bewick’s wren (3/33), house wren (0/9), Pacific wren (8/24), golden-crowned kinglet (1/1), Swainson’s thrush (8/37), American robin (0/8), cedar waxwing (0/2), orange-crowned warbler (15/98), yellow warbler (21/78), Audubon’s warbler (0/1), black-throated gray warbler (1/4), Townsend’s warbler (0/4), Macgillivray's warbler (2/47), common yellowthroat (8/27), Wilson’s warbler (32/298), Western tanager (0/1), black-headed grosbeak (0/1), spotted towhee (2/4), chipping sparrow (0/12), savannah sparrow (4/6), song sparrow (3/35), Lincoln’s sparrow (37/42), Puget Sound white-crowned sparrow (11/86), Oregon junco (4/7), red-winged blackbird (0/8), brown-headed cowbird (0/5), purple finch (2/11), pine siskin (0/1), American goldfinch (4/47), olive-sided flycatcher (0/1), Traill’s flycatcher (2/9), sharp-shinned hawk (2/1), Cooper’s hawk (0/1), saw-whet owl (0/1), Northern waterthrush (0/1).

Banding total:

Total birds banded this week: 213, recaptures: 30, species banded: 24.

Total birds banded this season: 1270, recaptures: 154, species banded: 47.

Week 5 of the RPBO Fall Migration Season, Sunday, Aug 21 to Saturday, Aug 26, 2011

The down pour on Monday caused the birds to hide as Tuesday was our slowest banding day of the season with only 10 birds banded. We had to close up shop on Thursday as there was a base closer. Our three most commonly banded species this week was Wilson’s warbler (30), Pacific-slope flycatcher (24), and we had a tie for third at 19 individuals each from orange-crown warbler and Puget Sound white-crowned sparrow.

Who's this?

On Sunday, Aug. 21, we banded two new species for the season a sharp-shinned hawk and Oregon junco. We banded 32 birds and 1 recapture from 12 species.

On Monday we were rained out. After closing the nets due to rain we looked over towards the Olympic Mountains and saw that the weather wasn’t so bad. We decided to stick around for a bit to do some sea watching in hopes that it would clear up. We opened four nets closest to the banding station for a brief period of time between rain showers. As soon as the second down pour came and there were no “sucker holes” in sight we packed it in for the day and headed for coffee at the Pedder Bay Marina to record our estimated totals. It was a good choice as it continued to rain for most of the day. We did manage to band 15 birds and 1 recapture from 9 species before we shut down the nets for good.

Tuesday was an exciting day as we caught our first pine siskin of the season. A deer ran through net 8 and dragged sections of it into the woods. It also tried to jump through net 9 but fortunately the net was not torn. We replaced the broken net that day. Today was our slowest banding day of the season as we only banded 10 birds and recaptured 2 from 9 species.

Which bird has this distinct tail pattern?

On Wednesday, I saw a common yellowthroat with a fat of 5, the fattest bird I’ve seen all season. The birds seemed to be more active than yesterday as we banded 35 birds and 3 recaptures from 11 species today.

On Thursday we did not band any birds as the station was closed due to a base closure. I used my day off productively and purchased a new pair of “bins” or binoculars!

On Friday we recaptured a Wilson’s warbler that was originally banded in 2006! This warbler also paid us a visit in 2010. It is nice to know that we have frequent visitors to Rocky Point. Sophie brought us treats! The dreaded barred owl was observed today for the first time this season. No casualties as of yet. Ann N. heard the first ruby-crowned kinglet of the season and we banded our 1000^th bird today! We banded 30 birds and 3 recaptures from 11 species.

On Saturday we saw orca’s twice! I extracted my first dragonfly from the net. I think it was Canada dancer. While Brian was doing a net round he heard a growl from net 11! He did not stick around to find out what made the noise. The birds seemed to be on the move today as we banded 50 birds and recaptured 2 from 14 species.

Species weekly total (Sunday, Aug 21 – Saturday, August 26)

(this week/total)

Rufus hummingbird (0/7), downy woodpecker (0/3), willow flycatcher (12/33), Hammond’s flycatcher (1/4), Pacific-slope flycatcher (32/182), Hutton’s vireo (0/1), warbling vireo (0/5), chestnut-backed chickadee (1/18), bushtit (0/5), red-breasted nuthatch (0/2), brown creeper (1/10), Bewick’s wren (0/30), house wren (0/9), Pacific wren (2/16), Swainson’s thrush (5/29), American robin (1/8), cedar waxwing (1/2), orange-crowned warbler (19/83), yellow warbler (8/57), Audubon’s warbler (0/1), black-throated gray warbler (0/3), Townsend’s warbler (1/4), Macgillivray's warbler (3/45), common yellowthroat (5/19), Wilson’s warbler (30/266), Western tanager (0/1), black-headed grosbeak (0/1), spotted towhee (1/2), chipping sparrow (0/12), savannah sparrow (0/2), song sparrow (2/32), Lincoln’s sparrow (5/5), Puget Sound white-crowned sparrow (19/75), Oregon junco (3/3), red-winged blackbird (0/8), brown-headed cowbird (0/5), purple finch (0/9), pine siskin (1/1), American goldfinch (16/43), olive-sided flycatcher (0/1), Traill’s flycatcher (3/7), sharp-shinned hawk (1/1), Cooper’s hawk (0/1), saw-whet owl (0/1), Northern waterthrush (0/1).

Banding total:

Total birds banded this week: 173, recaptures: 16, species banded: 24.

Total birds banded this season: 1057, recaptures: 124, species banded: 46.

Week 4 of the RPBO Fall Migration Season, Sunday, Aug 14 to Saturday, Aug 20, 2011

This week we had our busiest day and our slowest day of the season. A high of 68 birds on Sunday and a low of 14 birds on Friday. The weather was a bit cooler in the mornings as there was a fog bank for a couple of days. Last week we started a washroom birding checklist and to make things more interesting I started recording the insects and other creatures viewed or heard from the washroom this week. Our three most commonly banded species this week was Wilson’s warbler (64), Pacific-slope flycatcher (51), and Puget Sound white-crowned sparrow (21).

On Sunday, Aug. 14 we banded two new species of the season: Northern waterthrush and a black-throated gray warbler. We banded 68 birds (season high!) and there were 2 recaps.

Who am I?

On Monday, Aug. 15, we banded a young female Cooper’s hawk! Hammond’s flycatcher also was banded today for the first time this season. We had a fog bank roll in this morning so it was a tad chilly. On a buggy note, I extracted a long-horned beetle from one of the nets. This beetle was mimicking a wasp by making buzzing noises with its wing covers and sticking the end of its abdomen up into the air to try and “sting” me. Very cool. We banded 55 birds today plus 7 recaptures from 12 species.

Am I a sharp-shinned or a Cooper's hawk?

Tuesday was another cool and foggy morning. No new species were banded today. We banded 18 birds and had 9 recaps. This felt like a slow day compared to yesterday!

On Wednesday, we had a good diverse group of birds come through the nets representing 16 different species! We banded 38 birds and had 4 recaps.

Long-horned beetle before being extracted.

Thursday was a moderate birding day with 38 banded and 3 recaps from 14 species. The olive-sided flycatchers have been calling less frequently but we caught our first of the season today. Ian heard his first Lincoln’s sparrow on site today. Thanks for the muffins Ann S.

Friday was the slowest day of the season so far. Only 14 birds banded and 4 recaptured from 11 species. We banded our 50^th Puget Sound white-crowned sparrow today.

Saturday, Aug. 20 was another slow day with only 15 birds banded and 2 recaps from 9 different species. Our most exciting recaptured bird this week was a song sparrow originally banded in 2008. We saw an exciting predator-prey interaction while down by the boat ramp where a mourning dove was being chased by a merlin. The mourning dove found safety by diving into a prickly rose bush. Cookies were provided by Carol, Cynthia, and Brian.

Am I a Least or a Pacific-slope flycatcher? How old am I?

Species weekly total (Sunday, Aug 14 – Saturday, August 20)

(this week/total)

Rufus hummingbird (2/7), downy woodpecker (0/3), willow flycatcher (11/21), Hammond’s flycatcher (3/3), Pacific-slope flycatcher (51/150), Hutton’s vireo (0/1), warbling vireo (3/5), chestnut-backed chickadee (2/17), bushtit (0/5), red-breasted nuthatch (0/2), brown creeper (0/9), Bewick’s wren (6/30), house wren (0/9), Pacific wren (4/14), Swainson’s thrush (3/24), American robin (1/7), cedar waxwing (0/1), orange-crowned warbler (15/64), yellow warbler (10/49), Audubon’s warbler (0/1), black-throated gray warbler (3/3), Townsend’s warbler (0/3), Macgillivray's warbler (12/42), common yellowthroat (6/14), Wilson’s warbler (64/236), Western tanager (0/1), black-headed grosbeak (0/1), spotted towhee (0/1), chipping sparrow (2/13), savannah sparrow (1/2), song sparrow (3/30), Puget Sound white-crowned sparrow (21/56), red-winged blackbird (1/8), brown-headed cowbird (0/5), purple finch (1/9), American goldfinch (8/27), olive-sided flycatcher (1/1), Traill’s flycatcher (3/4), Cooper’s hawk (1/1), saw-whet owl (0/1), Northern waterthrush (1/1).

Banding total:

Total birds banded this week: 240, recaptures: 43, species banded: 28.

Total birds banded this season: 884, recaptures: 108, species banded: 42.

-- Emily