Curious about what spring is like living in a bird colony? Here I recount my return to living on a remote island in Pacific Canada, as well as my research project, and a sneaky animal that followed me on the island.
…One year later. I started the 2023 season of field work this week and its such a refreshing change of pace from being in the city, and also a change from the last time I was here which was last August when the heat made everything dry up and smell. The island is so full of life right now!
We made our way out to the island in the evening and the sunset behind me was something you see out of a movie. Unfortunately, I didn’t get much of a look because my eyes were glued forward and my hands clenched the wheel of the boat I was driving down the Harrow Straight. Beside me was my new field assistant, Ebba, who had a tight grip on her seat. I’m an inexperienced- but licensed- boater, and I think it shows. She loosened her grip to point at something in the water. I SWEAR we saw a seal levitating on the surface! What we actually saw was a seal sunbathing on a rock that was about to be fully submerged in the rising tide. His body formed a U-shape with his head and tail raised to avoid contact with the cold water that was about to spoil his lounging spot.
When we finally arrived it was so fun watching the reaction of someone who had never been to the island before. I forgot how beautiful it is here… even the view from the outhouse is incredible! People are always relieved to see an oven and a stove in the “kitchen”! The sun dipped below the horizon and we moved around the cabin cooking by the light of our headlamps. Despite the remote location, you can rest assured you are not alone on the island when you hear the scampering of mice in the roof while eating dinner. Ah, its good to be back.
Contrary to what you might think, the thin plywood sheets that make up our sleeping cabins do NOT fend off the cold and with temperatures as low as 4C its nice to sleep in a winter coat. I woke up to the familiar yet alarming sound of gulls running across the roof of my sleeping shack. Each morning a seal sunbathed on the rocks outside of the outhouse so I got to watch her while brushing my teeth.
We spent most of our days watching the song sparrows, but there is so much wildlife here to get distracted by… I had one totally unexpected encounter. Ebba and I decided to split up to watch a specific bird and I suggested she move to a more interesting part of the island while I stay in a rather boring meadow. I was at the highest point on the island, probably 20m above sea level, and walked between a few shrubs to stand in a grassy meadow expecting to see nothing. Suddenly I realized I WAS NOT ALONE! Something was following my path. Then I made direct eye contact with a river otter a few meters behind me. They don’t have great vision above water and I think we were equally surprised to see each other- I didn’t realize how far up they’ll climb on land. I didn’t even have a chance to take a picture he scampered away so quickly
What our fieldwork consists of at the moment:
Spring is full of romance… The biggest goal for our fieldwork in April is to map out the territories of each male song sparrow and see if they are mating with a female. We differentiate the birds by the unique colour combination of bands on their legs. So we spent the day moving throughout the island spending an hour or so identifying the bands on each bird, mapping the locations they sang, and watching their behaviour. Their behaviour can indicate whether they are mated or not if you are paying attention and may help you find females which are much more discrete. By watching mated birds we can find nests on the island and band their babies. Our first day was a huge success: we found a nest with 4 eggs! It’s important to watch the parents and narrow down where you think the nest is, as opposed to tramping through the bushes, intrusively searching and flattening all the vegetation. Our footprints in the shrubs really open up the area around the nest, making it easier for predators to find the chicks, so we keep our searching to a minimum and cover up our tracks after we find a nest.
While my main focus on the island is the song sparrow population, I also am interested in monitoring the population of fox sparrows which are newer residents to the island (breeding here since about 1975). There is next to nothing known about fox sparrows despite their extensive distribution across north america- they could be outside your window! Because we know so little about them, its very difficult to find their nests and band them at a young age as intensively as we do with the song sparrows. Its my goal this summer to trap, measure, and band as many fox sparrows as possible. They’re bigger and more feisty than song sparrows and my thesis is focusing on how they may be driving local extinction in the song sparrow population.
There’s many other birds nesting on the island. Through my binoculars I watched the cliff-nesting cormorants. They always look like the most majestic birds in my opinion- but in reality I think they’re the only birds which defecate in their nest and on their eggs. I watch the cormorants from afar because they’re getting ready to nest and don’t fancy human disturbances.
In my down time I often sit by the water and read. This allows me to notice some of the beautiful ducks swimming by.
Bald eagles often come perch on the island which causes the gulls to react hysterically. To be fair, they hunt for gulls and their eggs! Below a juvenile bald eagle is perched on a tree trunk, you’ll notice its entirely brown. Like us, they grow into their “baldness” 🙂
That’s all for now! Keep an eye out as I continue to update throughout the season. Thanks for reading.
“There is no environment ‘out there’ separate from us. The environment is embedded in us. We are as much a part of our surroundings as the trees and birds and fish, the sky, water and rocks.”
-david suzuki
Last Updated on May 19, 2023 by Megan Duchesne
I love you and this, can’t wait to see more posts <3.
I had several guesses for *what* followed you…but I did not guess a river otter! I would love to see the shock on both your faces. The cormorants actually freak me out (perfect bird for a Stephen King movie). Love the blog…can’t wait to read about your next adventure!
I wouldn’t have guessed it either! Funny you say that, in Ireland cormorants can be seen as a sign of bad luck. Thanks for reading!
Keep on writing, great job!
Thank you so much