ASSISTANT BIRD BANDER: VASEUX LAKE BIRD OBSERVATORY
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Employer |
Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Alliance |
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Site |
Vaseux Lake Bird Observatory |
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Location |
Okanagan Falls, BC, Canada |
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Please Apply Before |
June 15, 2019 |
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Dates |
July 30 – 16 October 2019 |
Description:
The Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Alliance seeks applications for one experienced passerine bander to work on contract as Assistant Bander at the Vaseux Lake Bird Observatory, from July 30 to October 16, 2019. The successful applicant will be responsible for assisting in the operation of the Vaseux Lake Bird Observatory (VLBO). VLBO is a moderate-volume banding station running continuously since 2000. The station is located on the west side of Hwy. 97, 1 km north of Vaseux Lake and 4 km south of Okanagan Falls, BC. The station is located on land owned by Environment and Climate Change Canada (Vaseux Bighorn National Wildlife Area) and Provincial Crown land. Migrants are sampled through banding (with 14 mist nets), a daily census, and general observations. Since banding concludes by noon, assistant bander will have ample free time. Very low cost accommodation is available nearby with student biologists.
The contract is $420/week for 11.5 weeks, with an additional $200 stipend for assisting with 10 school programs during banding hours. Total contract is $5030.The Assistant bander is expected to work 30-hours per week (5 days a week for 6 hr/day). VLBO has an exciting and active banding program and hosts visitors including school programs, students, and members of the public. The successful applicant will assist in these banding demonstrations and other duties, such as clearing net lanes and maintaining equipment, as assigned. We recommend having your own vehicle. There is the opportunity to participate in a voluntary Saw-whet Owl Banding initiative, contingent upon sufficient volunteers.
Position requirements:
Preferred Skills:
To Apply:
Please submit a cover letter, resume, and contact information, with three professional references to smansiere@okanagan.bc.ca who you can direct any questions towards. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled, but please continue to submit resumes even if you are concerned you missed the cutoff. See the observatory website https://vlbo.wordpress.com/about/ and Facebook page @vaseuxlakebirds for more information.
2018 Season Banding Summary
The 2018 fall migration monitoring season is complete and it is once again time to examine the data and take a look at the numbers. In terms of productivity and diversity this season was VLBO’s second best ever with 2154 birds banded of 66 species and 609 recaptures of 32 species. These totals are each the second highest recorded, following 2006 for number of birds banded and recaptured, and 2012 for species banded; although, considering we did not conduct owl banding this year, our species total is tied for the highest. Banding productivity followed the typical pattern through the season with high numbers at the beginning of August followed by a lull in late August and early September before migration really picked up in mid-September. However, the second half of August was still relatively busy which could be attributed to a productive breeding season that continued quite late with many birds have second or perhaps even third broods in some cases. After the peak of migration during September, activity slowed down more abruptly at the end than usual.
It was a very productive year for birds breeding at the station overall with many species having record or close to record totals. Yellow Warbler, Willow Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo and Eastern Kingbird all set new season highs, while Gray Catbird, Cedar Waxwing, and American Goldfinch also had very high totals. This contributed to August being the most productive ever with 1086 birds banded. September was also a good month with numbers being well above average for many migrants, making it the third most productive September on record with 917 banded. Orange-crowned Warblers moved through in high numbers this year, ending with the second highest total on record, as did Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Wilson’s Warblers set a new season record, and most of our other abundant migrants were above or close to average. Then, in contrast with the rest of the season, activity really slowed in October. We banded only 151 birds banded during the month, which is the second lowest ever in the 13 years that the season has been extended into October. While most of the later migrants were still close to the 18-year average in number, some occurred in lower numbers than in recent years (ie., The last 10 years), such as White-crowned Sparrow, ‘Oregon’ Junco, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Song Sparrow, and Marsh Wren. Interestingly, many of these are sparrows. Not banding Northern Saw-whet owls this year also contributed to a lower total for October.
We’ll be posting a season summary of our estimated totals which include daily observation and census once the data entry is complete so check back soon for more updates!
Below are the banding and recapture totals:
| SPECIES | BANDED |
| Orange-crowned Warbler | 354 |
| Gray Catbird | 217 |
| Common Yellowthroat | 174 |
| Song Sparrow | 168 |
| Yellow Warbler | 150 |
| Lincoln’s Sparrow | 139 |
| Willow Flycatcher | 128 |
| Cedar Waxwing | 124 |
| ‘Audubon’s’ Yellow-rumped Warbler | 88 |
| American Goldfinch | 87 |
| Wilson’s Warbler | 76 |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 68 |
| Northern Waterthrush | 34 |
| Marsh Wren | 30 |
| Warbling Vireo | 23 |
| ‘Gambel’s’ White-crowned Sparrow | 23 |
| Veery | 22 |
| MacGillivray’s Warbler | 19 |
| Dusky Flycatcher | 15 |
| Black-capped Chickadee | 15 |
| Oregon’ Dark-eyed Junco | 15 |
| Eastern Kingbird | 14 |
| Swainson’s Thrush | 14 |
| ‘Unidentified’ Yellow-rumped Warbler | 13 |
| American Robin | 12 |
| ‘Myrtle’ Yellow-rumped Warbler | 11 |
| Spotted Towhee | 10 |
| Pine Siskin | 9 |
| Western Wood-Pewee | 7 |
| Black-headed Grosbeak | 7 |
| Nashville Warbler | 5 |
| Savannah Sparrow | 5 |
| Mallard | 4 |
| Black-chinned Hummingbird | 4 |
| Downy Woodpecker | 4 |
| Red-shafted’ Flicker | 4 |
| House Wren | 4 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 3 |
| Calliope Hummingbird | 3 |
| Least Flycatcher | 3 |
| Bewick’s Wren | 3 |
| Pacific Wren | 3 |
| American Redstart | 3 |
| Yellow-breasted Chat | 3 |
| Western Tanager | 3 |
| Swamp Sparrow | 3 |
| Virginia Rail | 2 |
| Rufous Hummingbird | 2 |
| Pacific Slope Flycatcher | 2 |
| Cassin’s Vireo | 2 |
| White-throated Sparrow | 2 |
| Lazuli Bunting | 2 |
| Bullock’s Oriole | 2 |
| House Sparrow | 2 |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 1 |
| Sora | 1 |
| Wilson’s Snipe | 1 |
| Belted Kingfisher | 1 |
| Olive-sided Flycatcher | 1 |
| Hammond’s Flycatcher | 1 |
| Gray Flycatcher | 1 |
| Red-eyed Vireo | 1 |
| Barn Swallow | 1 |
| Tennessee Warbler | 1 |
| Magnolia Warbler | 1 |
| Townsend’s Warbler | 1 |
| Clay-colored Sparrow | 1 |
| ‘Unidentified’ Dark-eyed Junco | 1 |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | 1 |
Total: 2154 banded of 66 species
| SPECIES | RECAPS |
| Song Sparrow | 157 |
| Orange-crowned Warbler | 80 |
| Gray Catbird | 65 |
| Willow Flycatcher | 49 |
| Common Yellowthroat | 49 |
| Lincoln’s Sparrow | 40 |
| Black-capped Chickadee | 36 |
| Yellow Warbler | 26 |
| Northern Waterthrush | 18 |
| Wilson’s Warbler | 13 |
| Veery | 11 |
| Cedar Waxwing | 11 |
| American Goldfinch | 9 |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 8 |
| Marsh Wren | 6 |
| Warbling Vireo | 4 |
| Bewick’s Wren | 4 |
| ‘Gambel’s’ White-crowned Sparrow | 4 |
| Swainson’s Thrush | 3 |
| MacGillivray’s Warbler | 3 |
| Oregon Junco | 2 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 |
| Belted Kingfisher | 1 |
| Virginia Rail | 1 |
| Downy Woodpecker | 1 |
| Western Wood-Pewee | 1 |
| Cassin’s Vireo | 1 |
| American Robin | 1 |
| Tennessee Warbler | 1 |
| Nashville Warbler | 1 |
| ‘Myrtle’ Yellow-rumped Warbler | 1 |
| Black-headed Grosbeak | 1 |
Total recaptured: 609 of 32 species
Week 11, 2018: A quiet ending
Week 11 (October 10 – 15), the final week of our 2018 fall migration monitoring season was by far the slowest of the season, as it usually is since migration for songbirds is all but over at this point and Week 11 is also only 6 days. We banded only 28 birds of 10 species, recaptured 13 birds of 3 species and captured two California Quails which were released unbanded. The number of birds banded is less than half of the 12 year average (since banding in October has been done) of 65.6 birds for Week 11 and makes it one of the slowest weeks in the station’s 18 year history. We had two days with only 1 new bird this week pushing our daily average down to 4.7 birds. To really put this halt in activity in perspective, 28 birds is also our daily average for the season as a whole, which shows that despite the slow ending we still had a very productive season.
The highlights of the week were our 3rd Bewick’s Wren of the season, a species that has never been banded in October before, our 2nd and 3rd Pacific Wrens and our 4.
Song Sparrow is the most frequently banded species of the week for the third time this season with 11, followed by ‘Oregon’ Junco (7), Pacific Wren (2), and Lincoln’s Sparrow (2). All other species this week were only banded on one occasion. While we did not band any new Black-capped Chickadees this week, they were the most recaptured species with 8 occurrences, indicating that most or all individuals of the local resident flock have already been banded.
Song Sparrow and ‘Oregon’ Junco are the only species anywhere close to average for Week 11 with both being slightly below average. Major absences this week are Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Marsh Wren which average about 6 and 3 birds during this week, respectively. Several other species are often banded during week 11 but were lacking this year, including American Goldfinch, both ‘Audubon’s’ and ‘Myrtle’ Yellow-rumped Warblers, Orange-crowned Warbler and Black-capped Chickadee.
Overall, we banded 151 birds of 20 species for the month of October which is actually not too far below the 12 year average of 191, thanks to the busy first two days of the month. However, it is still the second slowest October on record for number of birds banded, and third lowest for species banded.
Below are the banding and recapture totals:
| SPECIES | Total banded |
| Song Sparrow | 11 |
| ‘Oregon’ Dark-eyed Junco | 7 |
| Pacific Wren | 2 |
| Lincoln’s Sparrow | 2 |
| Mallard | 1 |
| Bewick’s Wren | 1 |
| American Robin | 1 |
| Common Yellowthroat | 1 |
| ‘Gambel’s’ White-crowned Sparrow | 1 |
| Pine Siskin | 1 |
Total: 28 banded of 10 species, and 2 unbanded California Quails
| SPECIES | Total recaptured |
| Black-capped Chickadee | 8 |
| Song Sparrow | 4 |
| Lincoln’s Sparrow | 1 |
Total recaptured: 13 of 3 species
The weather was consistently sunny and warm this week.
Our final banding totals for the season.
Week 10, 2018: A major drop in numbers
Week 10 (October 3 – 9) of the 2018 fall banding season saw a major drop in bird activity from the previous weeks with only 59 birds of 14 species banded and 24 of 8 species recaptured. While there is typically a drop in numbers during October, these totals are significantly below the average for Week 10 which is 94.7 birds and about 17 species, and much lower than last year. It’s actually the slowest Week 10 ever (considering only years when banding occurred on all 7 days of the week). This is interesting given that every other week of the season has had above average numbers. Perhaps the early cold snap pushed the remaining migrants out sooner than usual. The daily average for the week is only 8.4 birds which was boosted by one busier day with 18 birds; but most days were actually below that.
The highlight of the week was a Wilson’s Snipe which aren’t banded every year and this was the 15th banding record for VLBO! As one of only two birds banded that day, it gave us a much needed boost of excitement. The other new species for the week was House Sparrow, of which we banded two – only the 3rd and 4th ever banded at VLBO, oddly enough. Other highlights were our second White-throated Sparrow of the season and third Swamp Sparrow. We also recaptured the one Belted Kingfisher that was banded about a month prior.
Lincoln’s Sparrow grabbed the title of most banded species this week with 15, followed by Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Song Sparrow (both with 9), and then ‘Oregon’ Junco (7). Given the low overall total numbers, most species were below average this week with the exception of Lincoln’s Sparrow and ‘Oregon’ Junco. Ruby-crowned Kinglet was only slightly below average. Surprisingly we didn’t catch any White-crowned Sparrows this week. Lincoln’s Sparrow was also the most recaptured species this week with 7 recaps.
Below are the banding totals:
| SPECIES | Total banded |
| Lincoln’s Sparrow | 15 |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 9 |
| Song Sparrow | 9 |
| ‘Oregon’ Dark-eyed Junco | 7 |
| ‘Audubon’s’ Yellow-rumped Warbler | 3 |
| Marsh Wren | 2 |
| American Robin | 2 |
| Orange-crowned Warbler | 2 |
| ‘Myrtle’ Yellow-rumped Warbler | 2 |
| House Sparrow* | 2 (3rd and 4th record) |
| Wilson’s Snipe* | 1 (15th record) |
| Black-capped Chickadee | 1 |
| ‘Unidentified’ Yellow-rumped Warbler | 1 |
| Common Yellowthroat | 1 |
| Swamp Sparrow | 1 |
| White-throated Sparrow | 1 |
Total banded: 59, and 14 species
*Indicates new species for the season
| SPECIES | Total recaptured |
| Lincoln’s Sparrow | 7 |
| Song Sparrow | 6 |
| Orange-crowned Warbler | 3 |
| Black-capped Chickadee | 2 |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 2 |
| ‘Oregon’ Dark-eyed Junco | 2 |
| Belted Kingfisher | 1 |
| Downy Woodpecker | 1 |
Total recaptured: 24, and 8 species
Overall conditions were cold and wet this week.
Our season totals after Week 10
Week 9, 2018: Magnolia Warbler
Week 9 (September 26 – October 2) of our 2018 fall migration monitoring season was a great week with well-above average numbers for this time of year and several exciting birds! We banded 183 birds of 17 species which actually makes this the second most productive Week 9 ever. Historically migration really starts to wind down this time of year and the weekly average drops significantly from the previous week to only 120.4 birds. Such a pattern did not occur this year with numbers being almost on par with the previous week, showing a more gradual decrease in migrants rather than a sudden drop. This has been the more typical trend in the last 8 years or so. We also recaptured 40 birds of 8 species which is above average. The daily total number of birds banded was up and down this week with some very high totals for this time of year and a few low ones. The peak occurred on Monday with 40 birds banded and the mean is 26.1 birds per day.
New species for the season included Swamp Sparrow and White-throated Sparrow, neither of which are caught every year as both are sporadic migrants through our region. Interestingly both species have become more regular in recent years. The most exciting bird of the week by far was a Magnolia Warbler – only the station’s third ever and first since 2011. This species is a true rarity as very few are reported across south-central BC since the vast majority migrate south east of the Rockies. Other highlights of the week were two Sharp-shinned Hawks on the same day, and our second Cassin’s Vireo and third Mallard of the season. We also banded this season’s 76th Wilson’s Warbler which represents a new season record for this species, surpassing the previous record set way back in 2004.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet is the most frequently banded species this week with 31 banded, knocking Orange-crowned Warbler off the top spot for the first time in four weeks, down to second (28). Both are way above average for the week, with kinglet numbers being three times the average! ‘Audubon’s’ Yellow-rumped Warbler claimed the third spot with 27 banded; however, when combined with its other conspecifics, Yellow-rumped Warbler is actually the top species with 43. Common Yellowthroat (23) and Lincoln’s Sparrow (20) filled in the remaining top spots. Of the species with multiple numbers banded, almost all are well above average for the week, except for most of the sparrows. Lincoln’s Sparrow is only slightly above average, Song Sparrow is very close to average, and White-crowned Sparrow and Dark-eyed Junco are both below average. The two most recaptured species are Song Sparrow (23) and Orange-crowned Warbler (17).
Below are the banding totals:
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Total banded: 183, and 17 species
*Indicates new species for the season
| SPECIES | 19-Sep | 20-Sep | 21-Sep | 22-Sep | 23-Sep | 24-Sep | 25-Sep | Totals |
| Song Sparrow | 4 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 23 | |
| Orange-crowned Warbler | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 17 | ||
| Lincoln’s Sparrow | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 10 | ||
| Common Yellowthroat | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | ||
| Wilson’s Warbler | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |||
| Black-capped Chickadee | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||
| Warbling Vireo | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Bewick’s Wren | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Swainson’s Thrush | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| ‘Gambel’s’ White-crowned Sparrow | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Total | 8 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 70 |
Total recaptured: 70, and 10 species
Bird Migration School Programs continued this week.
Week 8, 2018: Back to Normal
Week 8 (September 19 – September 25) of VLBO’s 2018 fall migration monitoring season was surprisingly quiet compared to last week. We banded 188 birds of 18 species and recaptured of species which is very close to the average number birds banded for week 8 and significantly lower than the last two years, suggesting that migration in our area peaked a week earlier than in more recent years. There were two busier days earlier in the week but overall the days were pretty consistent in terms of numbers banded and recaptured with an average of 36.9 captures per day.
The only new species and most exciting moment of the week was a Townsend’s Warbler which is only the 7th record for the station and brings our season total to 61 species. Other highlights were our 2nd Virginia Rail, a late Nashville Warbler – only our 5th of the season, and our 5th Savannah Sparrow.
Orange-crowned Warbler is once again the most frequently banded species this week, for the third week in the row and their numbers remain above average. Lincoln’s Sparrow (21), followed by ‘Audubon’s’ Warbler (18), Common Yellowthroat (18), Ruby-crowned Kinglet (16) round out the top 5 species. Gray Catbird is clinging on with only 1 new banded and very likely the last of the season, while Yellow and MacGillivray’s Warblers and all flycatcher species have departed from the station. Wilson’s Warblers continue to have a good season and are again well above average this week, as are ‘Audubon’s’ Warbler, and Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Common Yellowthroat, Marsh Wren, and Lincoln’s Sparrow are close to average this week, while Song Sparrow and White-crowned Sparrow continue to underwhelm in numbers. We haven’t yet banded any White-throated Sparrows even though they were observed several times this week and Chipping Sparrows remain strangely absent. Despite being low in number of new birds banded, Song Sparrows were the most recaptured bird this week followed by Orange-crowned Warbler and then Lincoln’s Sparrow.
A comparison of ‘Audubon’s’ (left) and ‘Myrtle’ (right) Yellow-rumped Warblers.
OSCA’s Bird Migration School Program was in full swing this week with classes from different schools visiting us every day of the week. Our annual Open House was also held on Sunday which was a great success with over 100 visitors stopping by to get a close up look at the birds.
Below are the banding totals:
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Total banded: 188, and 18 species
*Indicates new species for the season
| SPECIES | 19-Sep | 20-Sep | 21-Sep | 22-Sep | 23-Sep | 24-Sep | 25-Sep | Totals |
| Song Sparrow | 4 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 23 | |
| Orange-crowned Warbler | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 17 | ||
| Lincoln’s Sparrow | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 10 | ||
| Common Yellowthroat | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | ||
| Wilson’s Warbler | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |||
| Black-capped Chickadee | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||
| Warbling Vireo | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Bewick’s Wren | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Swainson’s Thrush | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| ‘Gambel’s’ White-crowned Sparrow | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Total | 8 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 70 |
Total recaptured: 70, and 10 species
The weather was consistently clear and mild during the week until rain arrived over the weekend.
Week 7, 2018: Orange-crowned Warbler Surge
The 7th Week (September 12 – September 18) of VLBO’s 2018 fall migration monitoring season was a big one with a whopping 367 birds of 27 species banded and 111 birds of 13 species recaptured. These totals are attributed mostly to huge numbers of Orange-crowned Warblers passing through the station all week long – we banded 158 and recaptured 44 of them! This is the most ever banded in a single week at VLBO. The number of birds banded is the second highest week 7 total (after 2006) and the number of species is the also the second highest. It is the second biggest week of the season (after our first week) and also the 5th biggest week of VLBO’s history!
The week started well with well above average numbers of birds during the first two days but things really got going starting Friday and continued into the weekend. Saturday was the biggest day of the season and the biggest overall since 2006 with 97 new birds and 25 recaptures! The birds just didn’t stop with almost every net being littered with warblers and sparrows during every single net run! The high volumes continued for two more days after the peak but then really plummeted by Tuesday. All in all we almost doubled the 17-year average for week 7 which is 198 birds.
New species for the season this week were Cassin’s Vireo (1), Hammond’s Flycatcher (1), and Pacific Wren (1), bringing our season total number of species to 60. Other highlights were only our third and quite late Western Tanager, fourth Savannah Sparrow, a Red-shafted Flicker, and 8 Yellow Warblers which gave us a new record for the most Yellow Warblers banded in a season with 150.
As mentioned above, Orange-crowned Warbler is far and beyond the most banded species this week with 158. Other warblers put in good showings as well though with Wilson’s Warblers tying with Lincoln’s Sparrow for second with 35 banded, followed by Common Yellowthroat (30), and ‘Audubon’s’ Yellow-rumped Warbler (16). The total for Wilson’s Warbler is way above the average for week 7 (which is only 5.5!) as it of course is for Orange-crowned, though they are expected in good numbers this time of year with an average of 53. Both Yellow and MacGillivray’s Warblers experienced a late surge, as very few are normally banded this late in the season. Common Yellowthroat and Lincoln’s Sparrow are also typically quite abundant this time of the year and passed through in slightly above average numbers this week, while Audubon’s Warbler and Gray Catbird are almost right on average. Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Warbling Vireo, and Marsh Wren took a big jump this week compared to last, and interestingly, so did Cedar Waxwing with 11 banded! These were the first waxwings banded since Week 3 which was a highlight in itself as they are always a joy to band and handle. Seven of them came in single flock in net 18 early one morning! Song Sparrow and ‘Gambel’s’ White-crowned Sparrow were banded in below average numbers this week.
Below are the banding totals:
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Total banded: 367, and 27 species
*Indicates new species for the season
| SPECIES | 12-Sep | 13-Sep | 14-Sep | 15-Sep | 16-Sep | 17-Sep | 18-Sep | Totals |
| Orange-crowned Warbler | 1 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 44 |
| Song Sparrow | 10 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 28 |
| Common Yellowthroat | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 9 | ||
| Lincoln’s Sparrow | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 | ||
| Wilson’s Warbler | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | ||||
| Warbling Vireo | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||||
| Gray Catbird | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||||
| Black-capped Chickadee | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||
| Swainson’s Thrush | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||
| Western Wood-Pewee | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Willow Flycatcher | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| G’ambel’s’ White-crowned Sparrow | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Total | 13 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 14 | 20 | 14 | 111 |
Total recaptured: 111, and 13 species
