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 50th 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
After-hatch-year Pac Slope
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