RPBO Mirror - Postings for 2002

Date submitted: Friday, November 01 at 08:42 AM
Name: David Allinson
News Article:
Hello all,
Well, October 21st was the final day of our 2002 season at RPBO, and what a season it was!

Note that we "lost" four days from October 8th to October 11th due to a combination of events -- DND demolition training and the departure of bander-in-charge, David Woodward. However, we resumed normal activities on the 12th with Jukka Jantunen finishing the season as our BIC.

A total of 3161 birds were banded this fall (our biggest fall yet), even though at the end of August it looked like we were well behind our usual pace! Clear weather and high pressure systems in July and August kept banding numbers down as nocturnal migrants had little reason to stop over. Needless to say, steady numbers from mid-September into October got us back on track. Only three complete days were lost to rain!

As most of you know, this was the first year that all 13 nets were open daily since we began the phase-in of the "back three" in 1999. (However, I suspect we would still have had a solid season even without these new nets open daily). Note that twelve species recorded new season high captures for us: Sharp-shinned Hawk, Willow Flycatcher, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Cedar Waxwing, MacGillivray's Warbler, Fox Sparrow Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, and American Goldfinch. A remarkable 466 Ruby-crowned Kinglets took first place honours and Pacific-slope Flycatcher also came out a "winner" with 273 banded this fall.

A total of five species were added to RPBO checklist, bringing our total to 278 species. Aside from our banding numbers and captures of phenomenal regional rarities in the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and Northern Parula, one the other main highlights this year was Paul Levesque's new Northern Saw-whet Owl project. A staggering total of 182 ! of these little gnomes were captured over only 15 nights of banding (conducted mostly on Friday and Saturday nights from mid-September until late-October). Now, the task is to ensure that we continue this project in the future in order to gain more insight with recaptures and discover peak periods for this migratory owl.

As is usual for any migration monitoring/bird-banding operation, off-season activities will involve final data entry, proofing and interpretation, final reports and invoicing, access permit applications for next season, site maintenance, and the never-ending search for FUNDING, FUNDING, FUNDING and more FUNDING!

Here are our banding totals from July 20 to October 21:

Sharp-shinned Hawk - 10 (new season high)
Northern Pygmy-Owl - 1 (only our second banded)
Northern Saw-whet Owl - 1 banded during "regular" net program; another 182 banded during new project in evenings!
Downy Woodpecker - 1 (only our seventh banded since '94)
"Red-shafted" Northern Flicker - 2 (only our seventh and eighth banded)
Willow/"Traill's" Flycatcher - 47 (new season high -- almost twice average!)
Hammond's Flycatcher - 23
Dusky Flycatcher - 1 (our eighth record and third banded)
(#2) Pacific-slope Flycatcher - 273 (new season high)
Hutton's Vireo - 4
Warbling Vireo - 11
Steller's Jay - 7
Violet-green Swallow - 4
Northern Rough-winged Swallow - 2
Chestnut-backed Chickadee - 93 (new season high)
Bushtit - 45
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 4
Brown Creeper - 9
Bewick's Wren - 37 (low)
House Wren - 11
(#4) Winter Wren - 180 (but still "low" compared to last two seasons!)
Marsh Wren - 8
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 117 (new season high)
(#1) Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 466 (new season high)
BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER - 1 (adult male -- 6th BC record; second for Victoria checklist!)
Swainson's Thrush - 62 (second highest since 1997)
Hermit Thrush - 53 (second highest since 1997)
American Robin - 15
Cedar Waxwing - 7 (new season high)
Orange-crowned Warbler - 146
NORTHERN PARULA - 1 (adult female -- only third BC record; first for Victoria checklist!)
Yellow Warbler - 114 (second highest since 2000)
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 31 (second highest since 1997)
Black-throated Gray Warbler - 4
Townsend's Warbler - 2 (low)
MacGillivray's Warbler - 48 (new season high)
Common Yellowthroat - 74
(#3) Wilson's Warbler - 231 (second highest since 1999)
Black-headed Grosbeak - 1 (our 10th banded since '94)
Spotted Towhee - 88 (second highest since 2000)
Chipping Sparrow - 14 (high)
Savannah Sparrow - 74
Fox Sparrow - 94 (new season high)
(#5) Song Sparrow - 170 (new season high)
Lincoln's Sparrow - 148
Swamp Sparrow - 1 (fifth banded)
White-throated Sparrow - 1
White-crowned Sparrow - 96 (new season high)
Golden-crowned Sparrow - 67 (second highest since 1997)
"Oregon" Dark-eyed Junco - 63
Red-winged Blackbird - 8
Brown-headed Cowbird - 7 (low)
Purple Finch - 6 (low)
House Finch - 6 (high)
Pine Siskin - 7
American Goldfinch - 159 (new season high)

Total - 56 species, 3161 individuals (avg. ~36/day).

Non-banding rarities/uncommon birds recorded during 'fall' season:
Yellow-billed Loon - second record for RPBO
Sooty Shearwater (offshore via 'MV Coho')
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel (offshore via 'MV Coho')
Cattle Egret - 1st record for RPBO
Broad-winged Hawk - only five in total (low based on last few years)
Rough-legged Hawk - two birds this fall (October 12 and 14)
Golden Eagle - three to four different birds
Whimbrel
Marbled Godwit - 1st record for RPBO
Ruddy Turnstone
Red Knot
Pomarine Jaeger
Parasitic Jaeger
Franklin's Gull - our second and third records
Little Gull - our fifth record
Black-legged Kittiwake - two records (our ninth and tenth)
Tufted Puffin
Barn Owl - fourth and fifth records (one found predated)
Black Swift
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Lewis's Woodpecker - first RPBO record in 30-40? years! (historically bred in area).
Bank Swallow - sixth record
Nashville Warbler - seventh record
Northern Waterthrush
"Western" Palm Warbler - two records this fall (7th and 8th)
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Rusty Blackbird - new RPBO species

Site year-list tally at 187 species (goal=200).
Note until our annual permit expires on December 31st, we will endeavour to conduct fall-winter surveys on weekends.

Only 260 days left until start of our 10th season on July 20, 2003!!

David Allinson
President, Rocky Point Bird Observatory

Date submitted: Sunday, September 15 at 07:32 PM
Name: Rod Mitchell
News Article:

STATION UPDATE AS REPORTED BY DAVID ALLINSON:

Hi folks,
With about a month left in 2002 season, here is a summary of our bandingÝnumbers to date.

It looks likeÝPacific-slope Flycatcher has finally pulled away for good from Wilson's Warbler for the #1 position. Of interest, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Lincoln's Sparrow and Song Sparrow have each recently kicked it up a notch.ÝRuby-crowned KingletsÝhave yet to arrive in numbers and they can keep the banders busy into October! Note that Hammond's Flycatcher, Orange-crowned Warbler, Savannah Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, Spotted Towhee,Ýand Winter Wren continue to lag behind average. However, it has been aÝgood year for Willow ("Traill's") Flycatcher, House Wren, MacGillivray's Warbler,ÝWhite-crowned Sparrow, and American Goldfinch. Nevertheless,Ýbanding totalsÝare still a behind schedule and we have yet to experience a really big day (65 is biggest to date). However, rain and showers are forecast for next few days which may stir things up...

Non-bandingÝrarities/uncommon birdsÝrecorded this 'fall':
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel (offshore via 'MV Coho')
Cattle Egret - 1st record for RPBO
Broad-winged Hawk - first of season on September 14th
Whimbrel
Marbled Godwit -Ý1st record for RPBO
Ruddy Turnstone
Red Knot
Franklin's Gull - our second record
Black-legged KittiwakeÝ- our ninth record
Tufted Puffin
Black Swift
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Bank Swallow - sixth record
Northern Waterthrush
"Western" Palm Warbler - eighth record for us

Here are our banding totals from July 20 to September 15:

Sharp-shinned Hawk -Ý5 (new high)
Cooper's Hawk - 1 (only ourÝfourth banded since '94)
"Red-shafted" Northern Flicker - 1 (only 6th banded since '94)
Willow/"Traill's" Flycatcher - 44 (high)
Hammond's Flycatcher -Ý9 (low)
Dusky FlycatcherÝ- 1 (our ninth record and fourth banded)
(#1.) Pacific-slope Flycatcher - 251
Hutton's Vireo - 3
Warbling Vireo - 9
Steller's Jay - 1
Violet-green Swallow - 4
Northern Rough-winged Swallow - 2
Chestnut-backed Chickadee - 64
Bushtit - 37
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 4
Brown Creeper - 6
Bewick's Wren - 32
House Wren - 11 (high)
Winter Wren - 40
Marsh Wren - 5
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 3
BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER - 1 (adult male -- 6th BC record; second for Victoria checklist!)
Swainson's Thrush - 40
Hermit Thrush - 3
American Robin - 9
Cedar Waxwing - 7
Orange-crowned Warbler -Ý96 (low)
NORTHERN PARULA - 1 (adult female -- third BC record; first for Victoria checklist!)
Yellow Warbler -Ý91
Black-throated Gray Warbler - 2
Townsend's Warbler - 2
MacGillivray's Warbler - 48 (high)
Common Yellowthroat - 61
(#2.) Wilson's Warbler - 221
Black-headed Grosbeak - 1
Spotted Towhee -Ý18 (low)
Chipping Sparrow - 14
Savannah Sparrow - 35 (low)
Fox Sparrow - 15
Song Sparrow - 84
Lincoln's Sparrow - 74 (low)
"Puget Sound" White-crowned Sparrow - 72 (high)
Golden-crowned Sparrow - 9
"Oregon" Dark-eyed Junco - 26
Red-winged Blackbird - 8
Brown-headed Cowbird - 7
Purple Finch - 4
House Finch - 5
Pine Siskin - 6
(#3.) American Goldfinch -Ý156 (new record for us!)

Total -Ý51 species,Ý1651 individuals (avg. ~29/day).

Site year-listÝtally at 165 species (goal=200).

Date submitted: Sunday, September 1st at 11:15 PM
Name: Rod Mitchell
News Article:

AUGUST BANDING NUMBERS

SUMMARY TO END OF AUGUST, AS REPORTED BY DAVID ALLINSON:
We are having a good season with some amazing regional rarities and a few species posting highs. Note Pacific-slope Flycatcher and Wilson's Warbler continue to battle it out for the #1 position and we have already beaten last year's high for American Goldfinch! Nevertheless, banding totals are behind schedule and we have yet to experience a really big day (56 is biggest to date). However, perhaps this is not surprising with dry and clear conditions prevailing and one high pressure system after another over us throughout July and August? Furthermore, September did not start well either with season low seven (yes, that was '7'!) new birds banded today! Hopefully a change in weather and some new fall migrants will pick things up at nets soon?!

Other rarities/uncommon birds recorded this 'fall':
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel (offshore via 'MV Coho')
Marbled Godwit
Ruddy Turnstone
Red Knot
Black-legged Kittiwake
Tufted Puffin
Dusky Flycatcher
Bank Swallow
Northern Waterthrush

HERE ARE OUR BANDING TOTALS FROM JULY 20 TO END AUGUST
Hammond's Flycatcher - 5 (low)
(#1.) Pacific-slope Flycatcher - 206
Hutton's Vireo - 3
Warbling Vireo - 8
Northern Rough-winged Swallow - 2
Chestnut-backed Chickadee - 52
Bushtit - 37
Brown Creeper - 6
Bewick's Wren - 31
Winter Wren - 24
Marsh Wren - 5
Swainson's Thrush - 23
American Robin - 9
Orange-crowned Warbler - 56 (low)
Yellow Warbler - 37 (low)
Black-throated Gray Warbler - 1
Townsend's Warbler - 2
Common Yellowthroat - 39 (low)
(#2.) Wilson's Warbler - 192
Spotted Towhee - 9 (low)
Chipping Sparrow - 14
Savannah Sparrow - 2
Song Sparrow - 65
Lincoln's Sparrow - 17
"Puget Sound" White-crowned Sparrow - 57
"Oregon" Dark-eyed Junco - 13
Red-winged Blackbird - 8
Brown-headed Cowbird - 7
Pine Siskin - 8

THE FOLLOWING SPECIES ARE OF INTEREST OR ARE HIGHER NUMBERS THAN USUAL:
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2
Cooper's Hawk - 1 (only our fourth banded since '94)
"Red-shafted" Northern Flicker - 1 (only 6th banded since '94)
Dusky Flycatcher - 1 (our ninth record and fourth banded)
Willow/"Traill's" Flycatcher - 40 (very high)
Violet-green Swallow - 4
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 4
House Wren - 11
BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER - 1 (adult male -- 6th BC record; second for Victoria checklist!)
Cedar Waxwing - 7
NORTHERN PARULA - 1 (adult female -- third BC record; first for Victoria checklist!)
MacGillivray's Warbler - 45
Black-headed Grosbeak - 1
Purple Finch - 4
House Finch - 5
(#3.) American Goldfinch - 145 (new record for us!)

Total - 45 species, 1211 individuals (avg. ~28/day).

Season species tally at 158 (goal=200).

Date submitted: Friday, August 16th at 11:08 PM
Name: Rod Mitchell
News Article:

JULY BANDING NUMBERS

Here are our banding totals from July 20 to August 15 as reported by David Allinson:

Willow Flycatcher - 9
Hammond's Flycatcher - 2
Hutton's Vireo - 3
Warbling Vireo - 2
Northern Rough-winged Swallow - 2
Brown Creeper - 6
Bewick's Wren - 25
House Wren - 8
Winter Wren - 12
Marsh Wren - 5
Swainson's Thrush - 10
American Robin - 8
Orange-crowned Warbler - 29 (low)
Yellow Warbler - 13
Townsend's Warbler - 2
Common Yellowthroat - 16
(#2.) Wilson's Warbler - 129
Spotted Towhee - 9
Chipping Sparrow - 13
Song Sparrow - 52
"Puget Sound" White-crowned Sparrow - 33
"Oregon" Dark-eyed Junco - 2
Red-winged Blackbird - 8
Brown-headed Cowbird - 7
Pine Siskin - 8

THE FOLLOWING SPECIES ARE OF INTEREST OR ARE HIGHER NUMBERS THAN USUAL:

Cooper's Hawk - 1 (only our fourth banded since '94)
"Red-shafted" Northern Flicker - 1
(#1.) Pacific-slope Flycatcher - 131
Violet-green Swallow - 4
Chestnut-backed Chickadee - 36
Bushtit - 28
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 4
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 1 (6th BC record!)
Cedar Waxwing - 6
MacGillivray's Warbler - 40
Black-headed Grosbeak - 1
Purple Finch - 4
House Finch - 4
(#3.) American Goldfinch - 92

Total - 39 species, 766 individuals (avg. ~28/day, but over last week with warm, clear conditions, nets have been slow!).

Date submitted: Tuesday, August 6th at 10:30 PM
Name: Rod Mitchell
News Article:

JULY BANDING NUMBERS

Here are our banding numbers from July 20-July 31:
Willow Flycatcher - 2
Hammond's Flycatcher - 1
Hutton's Vireo - 2
Chestnut-backed Chickadee - 23
Brown Creeper - 2
Bewick's Wren - 18
House Wren - 6
Winter Wren - 4
Marsh Wren - 3
Swainson's Thrush - 7
American Robin - 6
Orange-crowned Warbler - 23
Yellow Warbler - 3
MacGillivray's Warbler - 14
Common Yellowthroat - 8
Spotted Towhee - 3
Chipping Sparrow - 4
(#3.) Song Sparrow - 33
"Puget Sound" White-crowned Sparrow - 12
"Oregon" Dark-eyed Junco - 1
Red-winged Blackbird - 6
Brown-headed Cowbird - 6
Pine Siskin - 5
American Goldfinch - 28

THE FOLLOWING SPECIES ARE OF INTEREST OR ARE HIGHER NUMBERS THAN USUAL:
"Red-shafted" Northern Flicker - 1
(#1.) Pacific-slope Flycatcher - 53
Violet-green Swallow - 4
Bushtit - 21
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 4
Cedar Waxwing - 4
Black-headed Grosbeak - 1
Purple Finch - 4
House Finch - 4

Total - 34 species, 362 individuals.

Date submitted: Wednesday, July 17 at 09:47 PM
Name: Rod Mitchell
News Article:

READY FOR THE SEASON

Much has happened since the last update here. We have a new Bander in Charge, David Woodward and he arrives on the 18th. The trailers fared the winter extremely well, thanks in part to the air vents installed last fall. They both smelled fresh and clean all winter.

We have had two work parties over the last few weeks and have managed to get the bushes and very deep grass all trimmed back from our trails and net lanes. We also got an ankle twisting rut filled in on the trail near the upper ponds. It was quite a job and took four of us 3 visits to manage it all.

At the camp we have the following jobs completed:
- grass trimmed around trailers.
- trailers thoroughly cleaned out.
- solar charging system and batteries installed.
- propane bottles all filled.
- water jugs disinfected and refilled.

In addition we have most of the gear needed at the banding shack, new ropes and stakes for the nets, the outhouses on site, and we are the proud owners of a new weed whacker which will remain on site for ongoing trail maintenance.

Our volunteer coordinator has long term volunteers lined up for almost the entire season and we have a good pool of other volunteers to call on by the looks of things. The method of access, with the list at the gate, seems to be working well with updates reaching the commissionaires in good time.

In short, there is little to do except set up the nets and start banding.
Here's hoping for a banner year for RPBO, bring on the migrants!

Date submitted: Sunday, April 21st at 10:32 PM
Name: Rod Mitchell
News Article:

We visited the site again yesterday and found all in good order. There were new trees down along the road but our site was spared again thank goodness. The weather was beautiful for a change and the whole area was alive with birdsong as the spring ritual gets into first gear. We are still gaining access under the DND ID method but expect the permit process to completed and the new access list to be at Rocky Point Main Guard Room soon.
Meanwhile, the search for a new Bander-in-Charge continues with several interesting possibilities. Stay tuned for the resolution of this issue as well.

Date submitted: Thursday, April 18th at 6:21 PM
Name: Rod Mitchell
News Article:

ACCESS ISSUE RESOLVED!
We received very good news from the DND this week. They have essentially re-affirmed their acknowledgement of the important work we at RPBO conduct on their land and the great contribution we make to the larger community on behalf of the base.
Working closely with Range Control we have come up with a system that identifies the volunteers that are authorized to visit RPBO and sets requirements for access that allows us to carry on much as we have in terms of getting our people in to work for us. This is very good news and a credit to our society as well, considering the base is still in a heightened security posture. So, while spur of the moment sign-ins are a thing of the past, RPBO will be back in force and ready for a banner year!

Date submitted: Monday, April 15 at 06:32 PM
Name: David Allinson
News Article:
STOP THE PRESS!
Great news: Our first "foreign" recovery (that is, a bird we caught banded elsewhere, not other way 'round)!
The Pacific-slope/"Western" Flycatcher we re-trapped on August 4, 2001 was originally banded as a hatch-year bird near Mendocino, California on September 11, 2000! Band number 2210-05066.

Cool!

Date submitted: Sunday, April 7th at 9:50 PM
Name: Rod Mitchell
News Article:

SITE SURVIVES HEAVY WINDS
In spite of several trees being down in other areas on the way in, our camp, net lanes, and banding shack are all in fine condition. As mentioned every time previously, the trailers are fresh and clean smelling. We were only in for a couple of hours this time but the place was alive with signs of spring. A sign of another sort was found by bldg 100, it appears that one of the wolves may have caught what we think was a sick canada goose that David and I saw hanging around last time. All that was left was a profusion of feathers in the gorse patch next to where David parks.
We won't be able to make it out next week, so look for a submission following the 21st of April.

Date submitted: Sunday, March 24th at 9:30 PM
Name: Rod Mitchell
News Article:

A PERFECT DAY .....for a change.
After a long hiatus we have finally been on site again. The weather was beautiful and much appreciated. As usual, use the link above to read about the birds we saw. The water had come down quite a bit, to the point that Derbyshire creek was a just that again, not the too-wide-to-jump veritable river it has been on previous visits. The ground is still very soggy around nets 7 to 10 however so it is good there is not too much traffic or it would all turn into a quagmire quickly. As a testament to that we saw 3 vehicles stuck in the mud up to the axles in the west meadows, two of them large multi-drive wheel units.We also saw some fairly fresh wolf scat along the trails again, mostly near the upper ponds. I saw my first Virginia Rail and that was a thrill, only about six feet away too!

TRAILERS DOING FINE
Both trailers still smell as fresh as one could want. Not a hint of mildew or stuffiness, nor a sign of any dampness at all. As well, there no large branches fallen around them. Road maintenance staff have cut down some of the broom along the road that provided our camp with cover from observers on the water. Plans are being made to plant some native vegetation to take their place but far enough from the road to survive future trimming.

AGM RETURNS BOARD
Our AGM was short and efficient, the entire board was returned for another year of good, hard work! David read a letter of appreciation, detailing the contributions of each board member over the last year. We have been a busy bunch, hip hip hooray for us!

Date submitted: Sunday, March 17 at 10:01 PM
Name: Rod Mitchell
News Article:

LONG PAUSE
It has been 3 weeks since David and I have been able to get out to the Point for a count. The first two weeks we alternated family obligations and yesterday we were both ready to go and woke up to a see a late-in-the-season blizzard in full swing. It did not let up for more than a few minutes at a time for several hours. Although due to the temperature being just above freezing, in the end it only dumped a couple of inches of snow in the Rocky Point area, it was impossible to count birds of course. Sigh. Next week is the charm. Keep checking.

FINAL REPORT POSTED
Use the link above or below to the homepage, then click on Bander-in-charge Final ReportsAGM
This coming Thursday, the 21st, is our annual general meeting. We may have a whole new slate of eager puppies running the show after that. Stay tuned for the results.

Date submitted: Friday, February 22 at 11:11 PM
Name: Rod Mitchell
News Article:
Thursday, February 21st. Board of Directors meeting.

Regretably, our excellent Bander in Charge is working on a new and exciting project back east this year so we have struck a BIC advertisement committee to start the hunt for a Bander In Charge for the 2002 season at RPBO. There will soon be a posting to selected listservs and various other media postings, including somewhere on the web site. Graeme has promised to do more work with us in the future and we look forward to having him again. His patience with volunteers in training is legendary. Just ask me!

The final report for 2001 is in and the html version is currently under development. Watch for it.

Date submitted: Tuesday, February 19 at 11:58 PM
Name: Rod Mitchell
News Article:

Saturday, February 16th. ___ Site still looking good.

David and I were on site for a couple of hours again, after not being able to make it for two Saturdays due to family issues. The weather was poor again with steady rain the whole time. Thankfully, the wind was rather light so it was not too bad. I would have been colder if David had not loaned me an over jacket, it made the difference. (My mummy forgot to dress me:-) As ususal, check out the sightings board using the link above for info from that perspective.

The trailers, banding shack and net lanes continue to escape the effects of the winter storms and no damage has been seen to this point. We're keeping our fingers crossed. We saw fresh signs of wolves again, four different scats, mostly in the west meadows. We notice the gorse in that area will need some serious trimming if we are to continue using that trail without leaving blood behind.

Just a passing note: the concrete block wall along the road's edge at Edye Point is almost completely fallen over and toward the water as a result of the many SE storms this year.

David and I attended the ESAC meeting at Royal Roads on Feb. 7th where David gave a great slide and talk presentation on RPBO. It was really appreciated by everyone there. It was fascinating to see all the projects that are in progress, and stalled, on DND lands. I also got the chance to talk with someone from Formation Environment and heard that the Base Commander is keenly interested in getting us all back to work as soon as possible. One of the possibilities they are looking at is a form of identification for those conducting research on DND lands. Depending on how long this ID would take to process, this could be problematic for the way we work, with so many volunteers coming from other parts of the country. We will be keeping in touch with the base so check back for further developments.

Date submitted: Sunday, January 27 at 03:07 PM
Name: Rod Mitchell
News Article:

Saturday, January 26th. ___ Trailers in good shape.

David and I made another trip in to RPBO to do a count and check up on our equipment on site. We were lucky enough to see a Northern Goshawk fly by closely and then to study, with very close telescopic view, a Golden Eagle perched on a tree in good light. Use the link above to check out the Sightings Board for more on what was seen.
The day was bright and beautiful with fresh snow and a slight breeze. It was very beautiful, especially in the back meadows; soft, clean, and quiet but for the sounds of Varied Thrush (many), and the rest of the bird community, chipping and chirping all around us. There was more surface water than I have seen before, with Glover pond covering part of the trail at net 2, much of the rest of our trails flooded, and Derbyshire Creek so wide near net 10 that one could not possibly leap across. We crossed a bit downstream where it was deeper but more narrow.

We saw no sign of the wolves at all. We expect that, if they were still around like in the fall, we would have seen tracks somewhere at least. The last sign we saw anywhere was some reasonably fresh scat back in mid-November. Maybe they will be back, but they seem to have moved elsewhere for the time being.

We checked in on the trailers and were pleased to find both were fresh smelling and dry. Once again we were grateful for the fancy-pants winter vents. We also decided that the P-traps under the sinks in both trailers should be drained in case we had some really protracted cold weather. The idea is that, if that water froze solid, it could crack the drain pipe. Not the kind of thing we like to admit to here in Canada's banana belt and probably a waste of time.........., but it is now done.
Agoin, there were no new surprises in terms of trees down in our area or damage to the trailers. Keep your fingers crossed. Now all we need to do is get normal access back. Keep watching.

Date submitted: Wednesday, January 23 at 10:04 PM
Name: Rod Mitchell
News Article:

FIRST SUBMISSION OF THE YEAR

As I have been involved with house construction, this announcement is a bit late is coming.

David and I made our first visit to the site this year on January 6th. It was a relatively dry one, for a change. We saw a couple of beautiful sights as posted in the Sightings Board. The graceful flight of the swans was quite in contrast to the breakneck diving pursuit of the falcon, but both were wild and wonderful. The trailers both are still fresh and happy. As you can see above, I have moved last year's submissions to a separate page, same thing for the Sightings Board.
Hope 2002 finds you all healthy and happy, good birding.