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

Week 3 of the RPBO Fall Migration Season, Sunday August 7 to Saturday, August 13

We encountered yet another sunny and windy week out at Rocky Point. Nets 1 and 2, the nets closest to the ocean, were occasionally opened. When they were opened, it was just for a few hours in the early morning. No base closures this week. Our three most commonly banded species this week was Wilson’s warbler, Pacific-slope flycatcher, and yellow warbler.

On Sunday, August 7 we banded the first savannah sparrow of the season. We banded 51 birds and we had 6 recaptured birds today.

On Monday we banded a black-headed grosbeak for the first time this season. Today we reached the 50^th recaptured bird mark. Total birds banded today were 35 plus 9 recaptures.

On Tuesday, Katie brought in treats. No new species were banded today. Ian heard and saw a Nashville warbler in a willow tree by the front pond. On this day we banded 34 birds plus 4 recaptures.

On Wednesday, August 10 we banded our 500^th bird! Another milestone was that I extracted my first tongued bird, a hatch year red-winged blackbird from net 2. It is much easier to extract a bird when they do not try to eat the net. We also saw a pod of Orca whales today. We banded 42 birds and 3 recaptures.

On Thursday we banded two new species: spotted towhee and a Traill’s flycatcher. Ann S. and Mike brought in treats. Ian heard a Western wood pewee and a sphinx moth caterpillar was hanging out on the picnic table in the afternoon. We banded 51 birds and 6 recaptures.

Two new species of the season made it into our nets on Friday. A saw-whet owl and an Audubon’s warbler. Ann N. thinks the owl is on its way north. Ann tried to take a photo of the owl on my shoulder but it flew away before she could capture the moment. I guess I will have to wait until the fall before I have another opportunity to have a saw-whet owl on my shoulder. We banded 34 birds and 2 recaptures.

Saturday did not have any new species for the season. We banded 35 birds and 4 recaptures.

Species weekly total (Sunday, August 7 – Saturday, August 13)

(this week/total)

Rufus hummingbird (1/5), downy woodpecker (1/3), willow flycatcher (7/10), pacific-slope flycatcher (61/99), Hutton’s vireo (0/1), warbling vireo (1/2), chestnut-backed chickadee (3/15), bushtit (2/5), red-breasted nuthatch (1/2), brown creeper (0/9), Bewick’s wren (5/24), house wren (7/9), pacific wren (2/10), Swainson’s thrush (5/21), American robin (0/6), cedar waxwing (0/1), orange-crowned warbler (13/49), yellow warbler (32/39), Audubon’s 6 (1/1), Townsend’s warbler (2/3), Macgillivray's warbler (16/30), common yellowthroat (4/8), Wilson’s warbler (82/172), western tanager (0/1), black-headed grosbeak (1/1), spotted towhee (1/1), chipping sparrow (3/10), savannah sparrow (1/1), song sparrow (11/27), Puget Sound white-crowned sparrow (9/35), red-winged blackbird (3/7), brown-headed cowbird (0/5), purple finch (2/8), American goldfinch (6/19), Traill’s flycatcher (1/1), saw-whet owl (1/1).

Banding total:

Total birds banded this week: 282, recaptures: 34, species banded: 31.

Total birds banded this season: 640, recaptures: 77, species banded: 39.

-- Emily

Week 2 Sunday, July 31 to Saturday, August 6, 2011

This week the weather has been nice and sunny. It was a bit windy earlier in the week so we had to close nets 1 and 2 most of the days. The base was closed for two days (Aug. 2 and 3) so the migration crew was delegated to the other banding project - Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship or MAPS as it is more commonly known.

On Sunday, July 31 we banded three new species for the fall migration season out at Rocky Point: warbling vireo, red-breasted nuthatch, and yellow warbler. Monday also had new species banded: Townsend’s warbler and bushtits.

For MAPS, we headed out to Witty’s Lagoon on Tuesday and Madrona Farms on Wednesday. Caspian terns were spotted on the beach out at Witty’s and I banded my first Anna’s and rufous hummingbirds out at Madrona. Thanks Ann for teaching me how to band them! This was the last MAPS session for the season.

On Thursday, Aug. 4 we were back out at Rocky Point. Jessie brought us delicious shrimp pancakes and Ann brought tasty bran muffins. We also banded our first Hutton’s vireo of the season that day. We banded our first cedar waxwing on Friday. Also on Friday, Jessie and Ann made giant laminated observation sheets. We will use these reusable data sheets to record our daily tally of birds observed on site. No new species were banded on Saturday. This week we also had our first “foreign” recap. We recaptured a bewick’s wren that was banded during MAPS from Witty’s Lagoon (approximately 8 Km from Rocky Point as the crow flies)! We still need to check the MAPS data to see what date it was banded to determine how long it took to fly from Witty's to Rocky Point. Exciting stuff!

Natural history notes: swallowtail butterflies, rough skin newt, and sea lions barking in the bay.

Can you guess this week’s quiz birds? Please leave your answers in the comments section of this entry. Answers will be posted after someone has guessed!

Species weekly total (Sunday, July 31 – Saturday, August 6):

Rufus hummingbird (2/4*), downy woodpecker (1/2), willow flycatcher (1/3), pacific-slope flycatcher (24/38), Hutton’s vireo (1/1), warbling vireo (1/1), chestnut-backed chickadee (2/12), bushtit (3/3), red-breasted nuthatch (1/1), brown creeper (2/9), bewick’s wren (8/19), house wren (1/2), pacific wren (2/8), Swainson’s thrush (4/16), American robin (0/6), cedar waxwing (1/1), orange-crowned warbler (13/36), yellow warbler (7/7), Townsend’s warbler (1/1), Macgillivray's warbler (12/14), common yellowthroat (1/4), Wilson’s warbler (64/90), western tanager (0/1), chipping sparrow (4/7), song sparrow (2/16), Puget Sound white-crowned sparrow (12/26), red-winged blackbird (0/4), brown-headed cowbird (2/5), purple finch (4/6), American goldfinch (10/13).

*(number of birds banded this week/total number of birds banded this season)

Banding totals:

Total birds banded this week: 188, recaptures: 16, species banded: 28.

Total birds banded this season: 358, recaptures: 43, species banded: 31.

-- Emily