Update from Albert Creek - Week 4 (May 13 to 19)

Week four was another cat and mouse game at Albert Creek with the weather; however, there was a lot of migration activity during the week. The station did not operate May 17th due to rain and snow and 3 other days were delayed due to rain or freezing temeratures.

Myrtle Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Wilson's Warbler and Northern Waterthrush made up the bulk of the warblers banded and observed with a strong showing from Lincoln's Sparrow as well. Swainson's Thrush had a good showing on May 10th and Grey-cheeked Thrush showed up on the 15th. Blackpoll Warbler was first detected on May 13th when one was mist netted. Sparrows such as White-crowns and American Tree continued to linger in the area throughout the week. Fox Sparrow completely fell off our radar except for one local breeder who set up his territory in the same place as in past years. The Barred Owl was heard throughout the week. Shorebird sightings included Pectoral, and Least Sandpiper as well as Red-necked Phalarope along with the usual Spotted and Solitary Sandpipers. Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs were also recorded on many days.

Many thanks to Shyloh Van Delft who volunteered from Tagish.  Manda Maggs from Teslin joined the team on May 19th and Susan Drury continues to put in many hours of her time on a daily basis. Thank you Jean Legare of Upper Liard for delivering more locally lumbered boards for our on going board walk repairs. 

Birds Banded During Week 4 (# in brackets is the season total)

Sora - 0 (1)

Spotted Sandpiper - 1 (1)

Solitary Sandpiper - 3 (4)

WIlson's Snipe - 0 (1)

Belted Kingfisher - 0 (1)

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 5 (10)

Northern Flicker - 0 (1)

Olive-sided Flycatcher - 0 (1)

Hammond's Flycatcher - 4 (11)

Say's Phoebe - 0 (2)

Gray Jay - 2 (2)

Tree Swallow - 2 (2)

Boreal Chickadee - 0 (4)

Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 16 (90)

Gray-cheeked Thrush - 4 (4)

Swainson's Thrush - 30 (38)

Hermit Thrush - 2 (14)

American Robin - 2 (15)

Varied Thrush - 6 (9)

American Pipit - 0 (1)

Bohemian Waxwing - 0 (1)

Orange-crowned Warbler - 49 (203)

Yellow Warbler - 2 (2)

Myrtle Warbler - 198 (358)

Blackpoll Warbler - 4 (4)

Common Yellowthroat - 11 (11)

Northern Waterthrush - 68 (81)

Wilson's Warbler - 35 (39)

Lapland Longspur - 0 (1)

American Tree Sparrow - 22 (529)

Savannah Sparrow - 10 (20)

Fox Sparrow - 0 (181)

Lincoln's Sparrow - 70 (154)

Swamp Sparrow - 1 (3)

White-crowned Sparrow - 75 (244)

Golden-crowned Sparrow - 1 (1)

Slate-colored Junco - 15 (243)

Red-winged Blackbird - 1 (1)

Rusty Blackbird - 0 (79)

Purple Finch - 0 (2)

Common Redpoll - 2 (55)

TOTAL =  643 (2,424)

male Blackpoll Warbler

male Common Yellowthroat

Spotted Sandpiper

Jukka and Ted collecting bird observations in the snow

board walks at Albert Creek

Update from Albert Creek - Weeks #2 and 3 (April 29 to May 12)

The 2nd and 3rd weeks of spring migration monitoring at Albert Creek Bird Observatory were very busy and cold!  On many days temperatures were too cold to start at official time and during week 3 winds were also a problem. We were completely weathered out on May 4th due to rain. 

The sparrows continued to dominate the migration picture with hundreds of American Tree Sparrows and Slate colored Juncos leading the pack.On May 1st we were caught off guard when a major fallout of Myrtle Warblers joined the masses of sparrows. This was a record early movement with 85 being banded. This resulted in a 250 bird day. On the following day we banded another 212 birds this time White-crowned Sparrows and Fox Sparrows surged through the area. On May 8th we had a noticeable movement of Orange-crowned Warblers with 79 banded of a total  of 173 birds banded. Banding highlights included a SORA on May 3rd which puts teh Yukon Bird Observatories'  all time species total for banding at 103. An Olive-Sided Flycatcher was banded on May 5th. ACBO shattered the previous season record total for banded Tree Sparrows. There have been just over 500 ATSP banded this spring compared to the previous high of 345. Rusty Blackbird also made a good showing with 79 banded so far.

Some arrival dates for species of interest include: Wilson's Warbler (April 30 --- > record early), Swainson's Thrush (May 3 -- >ties record early date), Swamp Sparrow (May 3)

Tundra Swan migration peaked on April 30th with 1146 estimated.  Greater White-fronted Geese were not as apparent with only 233 counted on that same day. The Pileated Woodpecker has not been detected since first reported in April but the Barred Owl has been heard on most days sometimes well into the morning. 

A huge thank you goes out to Susan Drury of Watson Lake who was our much valued net runner and scribe on all but one day during the two week stretch. Thank you also goes out to Matt Clarke, Ryan Drummond and Amber Rudd of Watson Lake for putting in their time just when I needed it most. Finally, thank you to Barry Drury for lending ACBO his ice fishing hut which serves as a good banding lab/ storage area when the weather gets bad.

Birds Banded to Date (# in brackets is the season total)

Sora - 1 (1)

Solitary Sandpiper - 1 (1)

Wilson's Snipe - 0 (1)

Belted Kingfisher - 1 (1)

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 5 (5)

Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker - 1 (1)

Olive-sided Flycatcher - 1 (1)

Hammond's Flycatcher - 7 (7)

Say's Phoebe - 2 (2)

Boreal Chickadee - 2 (4)

Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 50 (74)

Swainson's Thrush - 8 (8)

Hermit Thrush - 12 (12)

American Robin - 13 (13)

Varied Thrush - 3 (3)

American Pipit - 1 (1)

Bohemian Waxwing - 1 (1)

Orange-crowned Warbler - 154 (154)

Myrtle Warbler - 156 (160)

Northern Waterthrush - 13 (13)

Wilson's Warbler - 4 (4)

Lapland Longspur - 1 (1)

American Tree Sparrow - 242 (507)

Savannah Sparrow - 8 (10)

Fox Sparrow - 169 (181)

Lincoln's Sparrow - 79 (84)

Swamp Sparrow - 2 (2)

Gambel's White-crowned Sparrow - 166 (169)

Slate-colored Junco - 93 (228)

Rusty Blackbird - 58 (79)

Common Redpoll - 51 (53)

Total - 1305 (1781) of 30 (31) species 

American Pipit

Belted Kingfisher

Bohemian Waxwing

Sora - Yukon Bird Observatories 103rd species banded to date !

Wilson's Warbler - record early banded on April 30

female Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker

Yukon Bird Observatories - McIntyre Marsh - May 2, 2012

One of the primary purposes of the field station at McIntyre Marsh is to provide an opportunity for the public to visit a bird banding station and allow easy access for those individuals interested in the activities of the Yukon Bird Observatories.  Since April 21st, the station has operated for a total of 8 days and there have been very many birds at the site thus far.

When the station opened on the 21st, the majority of birds banded were Slate-colored Juncos and American Tree Sparrows.  Low numbers of Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Lincoln Sparrow, Fox Sparrow and Yellow-rumped Warbler were also at the station during the first few days of operation. A visiting school group the 26th was fortunate to see a nice male Violet-green Swallow banded.  We also like to show the visiting school groups a variety of bird species to show how every species is specially adapted to their ecological neiche and a swallow is a perfect example of this !

Towards the last few days of April, the numbers of juncos and tree sparrows began to decrease just as White-crowned Sparrows began to increase and the first Golden-crowned Sparrows were banded.  A visting school group on May 2nd got to see the first Orange-crowned Warbler of the season.

To date, a total of 676 birds of 12 species have been banded; see the list below for the total number of birds banded thus far.  We have also had a high number of visitors to date; excluding those individuals assisting with the station's operations, we have hosted 57 visitors for a total of 145 visitor hours.

The operation of the station over the past 10 days would not have been possible without the assistance of the following volunteers: Nick Guenette, Mary & Gerry Whitely, Tracy Allard, Max, Anne McLeod, Brian Charles, Tami & Shay Hamilton, Hilary Cooke, Mike Setterington and John Meikle.  Thank you for your help everyone !

Thank you the following supports of the Yukon Bird Observatories' 2012 operations: Yukon Fish & Wildlife Enhancement Trust Fund, Environment Canada, Environment Yukon, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Alaska Pipeline Project, Teslin Renewable Resource Council, Yukon Electrical Company Limited and EDI Environmental Dynamics Inc.

Banding Totals

Violet-green Swallow                     = 1
Black-capped Chickadee                = 3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet                   = 22
American Robin                             = 1
Orange-crowned Warbler               = 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler                 = 25
American Tree Sparrow                 = 133
Fox Sparrow                                   = 5
Lincoln's Sparrow                          = 5
White-crowned Sparrow                = 37
Golden-crowned Sparrow              = 9
Dark-eyed Junco                            = 434

TOTAL                                           = 676

American Robin

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Slate-colored Junco

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Albert Creek Bird Observatory Update - April 29, 2012

The Albert Creek Bird Observatory began it's 12th consecutive spring season of operation on April 21st. The first two days were quite slow with just a few birds banded and very few observed. The weather was beautiful but cold. On the 23rd we witnessed a big wave of sparrows move in and ended up with 120 banded most of which were American Tree Sparrows. On the 26th we estimated 130 Rusty Blackbirds at the site; a new record for ACBO ! On the 28th we had our first day of Tundra Swan movement estimating just over 400. The big news was the reapperance of the notorious Barred Owl first heard by Susan Drury on April 19th and has been heard hooting on most days since. An other welcomed return was a Pileated Woodpecker spotted by Matt Clarke on April 16th. Unfortunately we have not detected it since.

Our biggest challenge this week was dealing with the very unstable weather. We were forced to open nets late on a few days due to severe cold in the early morning and we had to run one day as a non-standard day due to snow.  We did not operate at all on April 27th due to snow and rain which persisted throughout most of the day. All in all we had a productive week and are looking forward to better weather. Many thanks to Susan Drury for volunteering for the entire week and Chris Nemeth who came down one day and may return. Thanks also goes out to Ryan Drummond and Barry Drury for providing logistical help. Also thank you to Gerry Whitley for transporting the travel trailer to Watson Lake to accomodate the Bander In Charge.

Birds banded April 21st - 28th inclusive

Wilson's Snipe - 1

Boreal Chickadee - 2

Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 24

Myrtle Warbler - 4

American Tree Sparrow - 265

Savannah Sparrow - 2

Fox Sparrow - 12

Lincoln's Sparrow - 5

Gambel's White crowned Sparrow - 3

Slate-colored Junco - 135

Rusty Blackbird - 21

Common Redpoll - 2

Season total = 476 birds of 12 species

Setting up mist nets and clearing the board walks

Setting up mist nets and clearing the board walks

male Rusty Blackbird

Wilson's Snipe

100 + Rusty Blackbirds observed near the banding table

Yukon Bird Observatories Opening Soon !

Within the next few weeks, two of the Yukon Bird Observatory field stations will be opening.  Details on the operational schedule for the stations is shown below.  Note that both stations are always open to the public and if you are interested in birds, we strongly recommended that you drop by to visit us.  We are also accepting volunteers who would like to learn how to handle/band the birds or simply help accepting visitors, recording bird observations or scribed data. 

ALBERT CREEK BIRD OBSERVATORY

The Albert Creek station is located at Upper Liard, approximately 15 km west of Watson Lake, YT.  To access the station, drive into the Albert Creek subdivision; this is the first turnoff on the south side of the Alaska Highway on the Whitehorse side of the Albert Creek bridge.  Once in the subdivision, continue approximately 500 m down the gravel road and follow the short dirt track down to the station.  Note that depending on weather conditions, you may be required to walk a short distance to the station.  Also, there is no turn around for large vehicles (RVs) at the end of the road.

The station will be open daily from April 24 to June 7 with the hours of operation beginning at official sunrise and continuing for 6 hours.  For more information on Albert Creek, please contact Ted Murphy-Kelly via email at tedmurphykelly@northwestel.net or phone 335-1518.

MCINTYRE MARSH BIRD BANDING DEMONSTRATION SITE

The McIntyre Marsh station is located at km 4 of the Fish Lake Road within the City of Whitehorse.  Parking for station visitors is at the large parking lot of the Fish Lake Road and the Copper Haul Road.  From the parking lot, the station is access by a short walk (100 m) down the Copper Haul Road; take the foot trail which follows the marsh on the right hand side of the trail.

The station will be open on weekends and holidays from April 28 until the end of May with the hours of operation being 7 am to noon.  For more information on McIntyre Marsh, please email Ben Schonewille at teslin.bird.banding@gmail.com .

 TESLIN LAKE BIRD OBSERVATORY

The Teslin Lake station does not operate during the spring season. The fall season will begin on July 23 and extend until the end of September or later dependent on funding.

 

Slate-colored Junco - one of the first migratory songbirds to arrive in spring

Teslin Lake - end of the season!

The last two weeks of the season were surprisingly quiet at TLBO. As the weather got colder, snow started flying and smaller lakes freezing over fewer and fewer birds remained. The 16th was the last fairly busy migration day with over 300 swans, 130 Pine Grosbeaks and 500 redpolls, and on the following day just over 100 Pine Grosbeaks were counted again. A nice surprise that day was a flock of four White-winged Crossbills - our first sighting since August! Eight Golden Eagles were seen on both the 24th and the 29th while four Bald Eagles flew by on both the 26th and the 27th. Some of the late birds included an American Pipit on the 27th, a Yellow-rumped Warbler on the 28th and American Robin, Rusty Blackbird and Savannah Sparrow on the 29th. A juvenile Sabine's Gull on the 24th and again on the 27th was a real surprise while the juvenile Mew Gull that stayed until the 28th was a record late for the Territory. A few Snow Buntings and Lapland Longspurs were seen almost daily till the end of the season as was the long staying Glaucous Gull too.


juvenile Sabine's Gull on the 27th


The season 1st photographed, but 364th overall, Golden Eagle being harassed by a Common Raven.

Here are the season end numbers for the raptors seen in migration flight (in order of abundance):
Red-tailed Hawk - 1086
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 693
Northern Harrier - 687
Golden Eagle - 379
Rough-legged Hawk - 332
American Kestrel - 243
Bald Eagle - 77
Merlin - 66
Osprey - 60
Swainson's Hawk - 23
Peregrine Falcon - 20
Northern Goshawk - 19
Unidentifieds - 58
=3743



hatch-year White-crowned Sparrow


our regular Glaucous Gull


Snow Bunting lunching on the beach


The parting shot, morning of October 31st

TLBO would like to thank many individuals for their input for making the season a successful one. First Doug and Birgit for providing the BIC with an accommodation and Ted and Hollie for providing the volunteers with an accommodation, Ben and Ted for shared station managing (I did a little bit of that too ;)), Bernice for providing us with data sheets, Richard and Rory for the camping spots and looking after us, Abril for putting in astonishing 78 volunteer days (!), Cameron for all kinds of support (the trailer move was a grand move!!), and of course all the other volunteers and our financial supporters and SOYBO board. If I left anyone out, I apologize, it was unintentional. Thank you everyone!! We'll be back in 2012.

Jukka

Photos ©Jukka Jantunen