Week 8: July 21st - 27th
As we enter week 8, I find myself wondering whether we might see any fledglings drifting along with the tides and currents this week? I decided to look back to last season, and found it was indeed this same survey week that the first fledglings were spotted. It's amazing to think some PIGU may have successfully completed a full reproductive cycle already, having carefully tended eggs for four weeks, and dutifully fed their offspring for five to six!
How will you know if you see a fledgling?
Fledgling or juvenile PIGU have been described as having darker upper parts, especially on the face and crown. Their bodies show mottling and they have indistinct wing patches. Their overall color appears more brown than black, with white chin and underparts.
In our experience, fledglings are a bit elusive, so many surveyors may not see them at all. But around this time, most adult PIGU are still in breeding plumage, so if one is spotted that fits the description above, there's a good chance it's a fledgling. As adult PIGU start to molt into their non-breeding plumage, it may become trickier to tell the two apart, but the indistinct wing patch is a good tell for a juvenile or immature PIGU.
Here are some photos of chicks/fledglings from years past:
If anyone suspects they've captured a fledgling in a photo, please send it along! It would be wonderful to have some pics of this year's young to share.
Considering that chicks may be fledging soon, folks might expect to see a few different behaviors from their PIGU. Some may be feeding away, with prey getting seemingly larger (do you ever find yourself asking, "the chick is going to eat THAT??"). One might also witness crazy bluff interactions, with many PIGU flying at the bluff repeatedly, doing "touch and gos", making brief no prey visits, and generally causing your head to spin! If chicks have fledged however, it's also possible that there will be a very dramatic and sudden drop in activity at the colony altogether.
If you still haven't observed any prey deliveries to this point, don't give up! I know it can be hard to sit at a sleepy colony for 10 weeks, but thank you for sticking it out. You just never know when a late burrow will become active, and if you stop short, you might miss it! I myself once surveyed a colony that had no burrow visits until week 10, when we saw our first prey to burrow--and we ended up continuing to see deliveries through Week 13!! It can happen. :)
End of Season Planning - Photo and Video Call
I am starting preparations for our End of Season Event and would love to receive as many colony team selfies as I can. Please send me a selfie of your team with your colony in the background. I welcome video selfies and fun PIGU photos too! Let's see how many colonies and regions we can represent at the EoS Celebration!
Site Visits
Week 7 was an adventurous one for me! I was fortunate to travel north to make two regional site visits. The first was to the Portage Colony on lovely Vashon Island, where I met with Regional Lead, Taylor Umetsu, of the Vashon Nature Center. Two days later I headed up to beautiful Bainbridge Island to tour the Rolling Bay colony with my host, surveyor Demi Allen, and fellow surveyor and photog, Sue Larkin. It was fun to experience both colonies and their landscapes (and views!!) and see how each is unique. At Rolling Bay, it was as if the PIGU were on cue--one flew right over our heads to deliver a gunnel to a new burrow. A chick's gotta eat! Huge thanks to Taylor, Demi, and Sue for taking the time out to show me around and introduce me to their colonies!!
I have lots of pics and a couple of videos that were shared with me last week...
It may have been too foggy for Lac Pope to take photos at Hastie Lake, but his granddaughter came through with her vibrant rendition of a PIGU. I think an eye for birds must run in the family!
Here's a peek at the Fort Casey North survey team and their PIGU (Whidbey Island)! These photos were taken by Hillary Smith while she was tagging along with them last week.
A PIGU at Edgewater Beach in the South Sound got vocal following a prey delivery! According to surveyors, this is normal behavior for the pair at burrow B6. I wish we knew what exactly they're saying! Video by Melinda Wood.
Finally, what we all dream of experiencing on a survey...an orca sighting! This was filmed following a survey at Sandy Point on Anderson Island (South Sound) by Erin Arzola-Davis! Good thing the survey was over--it might have been hard to watch the birds otherwise!
I hope you all have an awesome week! Enjoy the wonders of the birds, the beach, and all that each new day brings.
Thank you for your continued dedication to our PIGU Breeding Survey!
— Shannon