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September 17, 2009 — September 23, 2009

Songbird migration during the third week of September was slow at the LSLBO. Whether it was windy or calm, there just were not many birds moving through the area to count or catch. Yellow-rumped warblers were frequently observed passing overhead, but their numbers were just a fraction of what was seen the previous week. White-crowned sparrows, dark-eyed juncos, and American tree sparrows are late fall migrants which are usually seen in large numbers in late September. But even these species were observed in low abundances. Even though things were quiet with low capture rates and small counts, we did have a nice surprise in the nets. We caught not one, but two varied thrush. These spectacular thrush are commonly found in the Rocky Mountains and British Columbia. The LSLBO is out of their typical range, but occasionally they show up in our area. In previous years, we have banded three and have had numerous sightings.

Northern Saw-whet owl fall migration monitoring began at the LSLBO in 2004. The purpose of the owl banding program is the same as the songbird banding. We want to monitor populations to determine if there are any significant changes over time. Owl banding occurs in many forms and for many species, but northern saw-whet owl fall migration banding is popular among banding stations across Canada. Large numbers of saw-whets migrate across North America each fall and they are relatively easy to catch. I do not have an estimate on the number, but to put it into perspective I heard a story of an eastern banding station catching over 300 saw-whet owls in a single night! Banding a large volume of owls helps us understand natural population cycles and migratory patterns. Plus catching more owls is just plain fun. Over the past five years, the LSLBO has banded over 600 saw-whets and averages 120 each fall. Currently we have banded 52 this year and the owls are showing no signs of slowing down.

My saw-whet owl banding experience all started nine years ago while banding at the Beaverhill Bird Observatory. One night, my good buddy suggested “you know what we should do…” Just for fun we set up for owls for a couple nights and were rather surprised when we caught some. We tried again the next year, but for a few more nights and caught even more owls. The third year Beaverhill created a full-out owl banding program to determine the population size and timing of the saw-whets migrating through the area. I was hired to monitor every night from mid-August to mid-November. During that time about 150 saw-whets were banded. Shortly after that I came up here to Lesser Slave Lake and immediately wanted to try a full owl banding program in the boreal forest. The volume of owls we band is not as high as other stations, but we still band a good number of saw-whets and have a lot of fun, which was why we started in the first place.

September 10, 2009 — September 16, 2009

As the weather improved over the second week of September, turning from windy and rainy to sunny and warm, songbird migration resumed at the LSLBO. Migrants must have been held up from the adverse weather because they took full advantage of the sunny skies. Yellow-rumped warblers were the most prevalent species observed migrating. Several hundred were counted almost everyday. Yellow-rumped warblers have one of the longest migratory windows of all species observed at the LSLBO. They migrate through the area in very large numbers from mid-July straight through until the end of September. One reason for their long migratory window is because the individuals that arrive early in the spring may have a second brood, something the later spring migrants just don’t have time for during our short summer season. One of the yellow-rumped warblers we banded over the week was still in heavy juvenile plumage indicating that it hatched mid-August. The birds born in a second brood would not be able to commence migration until later in the fall.

Even though the yellow-rumped warblers had the strongest migratory presence, they were not alone. American pipit, Lapland longspur, American robin, and orange-crowned warbler were also seen in large numbers. An amazing number of red-breasted nuthatch were observed migrating in very large numbers, which was a bit puzzling. Red-breasted nuthatch are year round residents, so one would expect to see a few individuals moving through in normal juvenile dispersal, but not a massive migration event. Steady flocks flew over and their totals surpassed 100 on several days. This has never been documented here before; the previous highest daily total recorded was 20. Even though I cannot explain the passage, I was happy to see the nuthatches because they are my favorite bird. Not only are they good looking birds, they are fun to watch, have mild temperaments, and often make adorable noises while being banded. It was just too bad that not a single one of the hundreds spotted was captured.

Northern Saw-whet Owls also took part in the migration. Over the week steady numbers of owls were banded. The numbers were not high, 3 or 4 were banded each night and for a total of 21 over six nights. After a slow start to the season, it was great to see the owls coming in. It also makes the long nights worthwhile when a few are banded each night. On September 26 the LSLBO will be hosting the second annual Saw-whet Social. This is an opportunity for the public to check out the owl banding program, enjoy some presentations and join in on a potluck dinner. Last year we had a great turn out and it was a lot of fun. It would have been more fun if the owls showed up. Despite perfect weather we did not catch a single owl. I have been ordered to produce some owls, so the pressure is on this year. For more information contact the Boreal Centre at 780-849-8240.

September 3, 2009 — September 9, 2009

September is my favorite month to be banding at the LSLBO. I can’t pick out a single reason why, it is a combination of things. One reason is that migration is nearing its end and September is the last chance to enjoy the last of the migrants before they leave for the winter. Even though migration is winding down, September can have big migration days, good banding, and large species diversity. Actually, some of the neatest birds I have ever banded, such as a marsh wren and a black throated-blue warbler, have occurred in September. Then there are the fall colours and smells. I simply enjoy being out every day watching the forest change colour. September has a relaxing feeling to it. Part of the reason is that summer vacation season is over and we have fewer visitors to the banding lab. As much as I enjoy talking to visitors and showing off the work we do, it is nice to be able to enjoy the remaining weeks of migration all by yourself.

The problem with September is the weather. When a nasty weather system moves in it tends to sit over the region for at least a week and bring nothing but rain and wind. I am not a weather expert, nor have I torn through the weather data to see if this pattern holds true, but it seems to occur every year. It happened over the first week of September and severely hampered our ability to catch and count migrants. A few birds were seen here and there, but even on days with slightly better weather, there were no birds moving. Our sightings were limited to a few orange-crowned warblers, a couple palm warblers, a ruby-crowned kinglet or two, a handful of yellow-rumped warblers, and small flocks of American pipits.

Needless to say, between rain forcing our nets closed and with so few birds active, only 23 birds were banded over the first week of September. Swainson’s thrush was the top banded species and made up almost half of the banded birds. We did catch a palm warbler, so that was some comfort in an otherwise dismal banding result. Our fall banding total has just passed 1100 birds, which is still well below the fall average of 2000. With such low banding totals it is difficult to believe that any species could have broken any kind of banding record this fall. But it happened. Sharp-shinned hawks have been banding in record numbers. The previous record was 27 banded, which occurred in both the fall of 2000 and 2004. We have currently banded 30 so far this fall with a few weeks of banding left. We definitely did not destroy the record, but making a new one is a good feeling. It’s hard to say if the record is because of more sharpies around or if we have been extremely lucky and fast to get to more at the nets before they have the chance to escape. Either way, we like sharpies and we’ll take them.