The Black Brant Monitoring Project
Brant Observation Log

1: The students of Cold Bay school wish to report that the Brant started to leave at 9:30 GMT on 23 October, 1996. The weather at Cold Bay was overcast with winds gusting to 42 mph at 288 degrees. The temperature was approximately 35 degrees F. Those in Pro Esteros can expect to see Brant arriving approximately 52 hours after departure from Cold Bay.

2: On friday evening we left from Ensenada to San Quintín, 4hrs. drive and winds and rain. On Saturdaythe weather was very bad. We got strong the head of the bay and it was not possible to get amorning we were at video because of the rain and the winds, we asked one of the local guides and he told us that with that kind of weather, the brants were eelgrass, and untiloutside the fay, were they can rind a few beds of the bay. WE also had a chance tothe low tide, the erants will go inside talk to the manager of the hotel were the hunters will stay when and we talbout tshe huNtingthe season will start, on november 15, presure of ilegall haunting. Wel wer out that day withactivity and the vehiclesome of the kids and it was very interesting. We diven't had a the field but a friend of one of the oysters farms take ookto Bahiafor was a thereacher from theFalsa we we saw a few more grupos. With us Guerrero Negro, because she is interested in ourVizcaino Reserve, from Sunday andeducational material, so she came back to Guerrero Negro on on tuesday and reported that she count 182 brants north ofcalled Reserve called andScammoons Lagoon, and today, someone form the reported ~200 in Guerrero Negro Bay.

3: The birds are out in the open water of Samish Bay. This is very unusual for the birds to stay in open water. The reason for this is unknown. Both subspecies (white bellied and dark bellied) have been seen. The 11 day Brant hunting season will open December 7th.

4: Birds are now starting to come into the bay from open water. This was a non-hunting day, so birds were seen at Camp Kirby (the Brant Gun Club's hunting locaito) on Samish Island.

5: The record snowfall has melted and currently we are experiencing clear skies and cool temperatures. We sent four 8th graders out into the field to count brant. They estimated the total number of brant counted to be about 550. There were 500 at one location and 50 at another. The brant were observed eating gravel, which will help them digest their meals of eelgrass. Also, 2 snowy owls, many bald eagles, and several Great Blue Heron were also observed.

6: We arrived to the San Quintin Lagoon at 11:30 and the students had the chance to talked to the biologist from Alaska that are working here for the winter, David Ward and his crew. The students observed the brants for almost 2 hrs. with telescopes and get samples of eelgrass and sea lettuce. We came back to the school at 2:00. During the field trip we had the company of Jane Spiller, a journalist from L.A. Times, taking pictures and information for a report she is making

7: This time of year the Brant primarily stay in two locations at Padilla Bay where they can access eelgrass and gravel. Our counts include both of these spots. The first location is a gravel spit on Samish Island, the second being exposed gravel from dredgings along the Swinomish Channel. Weather conditions: Low 50's; no wind; overcast. Counts: on Samish Island about 550 Brant, both Eastern and Black Brant subspecies were observed. The birds were in close today, this is the closest we have seen them (this also has been the mildest weather, and hunting season has been over for 4 weeks). Some of these birds were seen eating eelgrass! Non-Brant sightings: Eagles: 27 mature and 18 immature; Snowy Owls 3; Red Tailed Hawks: 3; Northern Harrier: 1.Observers: Mitchell Anderson, Brian Madsen, Thomas Stultz, David Moore.

8: We left our regular classes at 10:30 to go looking for the bird tislandhat we all know and loveB the brant. As we headSd to sImish wand 26 eagles. When we arrived at camp e saw: 4 snowy owls; many haCks; Kirby, it was cold and windy. The Because brant must have been effected too we only saw 70, where we have seen up to 1,000. Then we traveled to March's Point where we saw 200+ brant. This is the first time they have been spotted iday!!n this area. It was a great

9: Brant count: 1500+ at Samish Island; none at other location. We saw 1 Snowy Owl sitting in the field, 5 Northern Harriers, and 22 Eagles. The weather was really windy and cold, so the Brant were hard to see in the white caps. The Brant came close to the gravel shore and maybe would have stayed there if it wasn't so windy. Happy VALENTINES Day. The girls say (don't eat too much candy) or you will feel nasty like they do. :) From: Tony Bakkala, Chris Jacobsen, Jennifer Powell, Holly Robbins

10: Brant Count: 100 up close, over 1, 000 in the bay Comments: Weather was windy with a few breaks of sun. No rain today. A lot of puddles, they were fun to stomp through! The spotting scopes were set up so we saw the Brant eating gravel and eelgrass. There were mature and immature birds with both white and dark belly types. Both types of birds stayed in their own groups, we didn't see any sort of leg bands on them. The tide was on it's way out so we saw about fifty birds trying to get on the gravel spit. The waves were rough so the birds were being thrown around. One bird was having an especially difficult time. It dove half-way down, so it's tail was sticking up in the air. Just after it's head went under, a large wave came up and flipped the bird onto it's back. After a few seconds of flapping feet, it was eventually able to flip back to it's starting position. It is amazing how much personality these little guys have! There was also a large number of eagles. About 13 immature and 14 mature. Three immature eagles flew right over our heads! We watched hawks, Northern Harriers, and even a Peregrine! We drove to a heron rookery up in the trees! It was a GREAT day! :-) From: Jessica Carlson ;-D, Jennette Jones :-0, Jay Owens =-), and Aaron Chang :-P

11: Birds were observed bobbing around in the water, with eelgrass streaming from their beaks. They picked a beautiful weekend to arrive!

12: We arrived at 10:30 am., it was a shiny day with moderate wind comming from northwest, the tide was getting low and it make strong currents in the channels. This was an important day, because it was the clousure of the hunting season. We saw 7 hunters with a maximum of 4 geese each one, someone also hunt 2 surf scooter (Melanitta perspicillata). The students had the opportunty to observed with detail the brant's characteristics in the hunted ones and they also talked to the hunters. Observers: Club de Investigacion de Aves (Sec. No. 35), Laura Martinez Rios and Carlos Sepulveda.

13: Brant Count: 0, because it was too windy and the water was really rough so we couldn't see any. We left Bay View and went to the spots where Brant are usually seen. But today due to severe weather we were not able to see any Brant. Instead of seeing Brant we saw many bald eagles, mostly immature. We knew they were immature because they didn't have white feathers on their heads and tails. They look bigger than the matures because their feathers are longer so they can soar easier and look for dead food. For example we saw a group of immatures pecking at the carcus of some unidentified dead animal. We also learned that adult eagles have shorter feathers because they are more skilled at flying and are better able to capture live prey. We saw a demonstration of this while looking for Brant in the bay, only adult eagles were hunting for Brant there. Three or four weeks ago a group of students from our school witnessed five adult eagles hunt together and successfully capture a duck or Brant! They also said the brant they were watching flew away when the eagles arrived. There is definately a connection between the amount of eagles that we see here in the winter and the amount of ducks and Brant. On our journey today back to school we saw a dead cow that was bloated on it's side, it was really gross (we just thought we would mention that to you)!!!!! Sincerely, Tara, Scott, Shelby, and Tom

14: Brant Count: 65 on sand bar, about 50 yards away 35 across Bay Comments: We got a good look at the Brant on the sand bar, but it was difficult counting any birds further away due to choppy surf, brisk winds, and a sudden downpouring of rain. We suspect there are many more Brant in the Bay. Sam and Nathan scared a large group of widgeons away. Lots of Western Grebes floating about. Observers: Trina, Sam, Mike, Jarred, Nathan (Bay Birdwatchers), Celeste (South Slough), Fred (teacher). 

15: The Bay was fairly calm, though it was windy and cold. Brant were viewed dabbling for eelgrass across from us, at Fossil Point. They were also seen flying low to the water in large groups. We noticed that the Brant didn't seem to mind the rain too much. We mapped the area the Brant were seen in, described the plant species present, and counted and observed the geese. We spent about an hour at our first site (Point Adams) and then spent about 10 minutes at Fossil Point, closer to the geese. Observers: Fred Eschler and 5th grade class, Amy Bohnenstiehl, Al Sadro, Tom Gaskill, Celeste Carlisle.

16: Surprisingly we saw most of the Brant at Fidalgo Bay, which is located near 2 refineries. It smelled like natural gas while we were there. Near Shell we saw about 875+ brant. Across from Shell we saw about 300+ Brant right by homes on Fidalgo Island. We also saw punk rock birds,which we found out were Mergansers, tons of Buffle Head Ducks, 10 immature and 14 mature Bald Eagles. On the Samish flats we saw 2 snowy owls. This means that the winter birds are still all here. A lot of the eagles were seen right by the Brant. In Samish Bay it was very windy, so we only saw about 12 Brant. --Mackenzie Davis, Sarah Forbes, Thomas Stults, Luke Lomsdalen.

17: We walked from Charleston Elementary to a jetty called Point Adams. It takes about a half hour and the Bay Birdwatchers got to get out of school early to do this! Coos Bay has been rainy for weeks, but the first day of spring was sunny and sparkly! We looked across the water to Fossil Point, where the Brant gather for their stay here. Most were feeding on the shoreline, though quite a few bobbed about in the water. Other birds spotted include surf scoters, gulls, and a Great Blue Heron. We also saw a California Sea Lion. Observers: Sam Black, Jarred Yokum, Darcy Potter, Nathan Lood, Trina Wilmot, Cheryl Smith, Celeste Carlisle (from South Slough), Ronnie Estelle (from South Slough)

18: The group spent 3 hrs. observing brants and other birds, there was a lot of different species. The students counted them and took notes of their conduct, movements, etc. It was a shiny day, with a little breeze coming from the southwest and very good visibility. We took a video and the kids enjoyed it very much.

19: Today while we were watching the Brant by the refineries in Fidalgo Bay, an eagle came flying over twice and scared the Brant away both times. About 100 of the Brant were on the shore and were eating gravel and sea lettuce. It was really neat because we were very close to the Brant. After that we went to Samish Island and there were very few Brant maybe because there were eagles hanging around the area. We were probably only 20 feet from an eagle sitting on a post. We were also able to see quite a few eagle's nests during our drives. We were not able to see any Brant with tags on their legs. Also, the only Brant that we observed were all white-bellied Brant, and no dark-bellied Brant. We were able to see about 200 Brant from a distance in Padilla Bay, but when we went to see them up close, they had already flown away. These birds in Padilla Bay may be the migrating birds from Mexico, because the wintering birds haven't been seen in these areas. We had a lot of fun! Your Brant buddies, Sander Kallshian, David Rasar, Sandra Lundstrom, & Melissa Moore

20: Saw so many last week that I can't believe there would only be 284 this week! It was rainy and choppy. Birds were more spread out than they had been last week so it's possible that many more are still around, though in different places.

21: The weather was great because the sun was out and there were no clouds in the sky. The water was smooth and there was only a slight breeze. As I counted the Brant, I noticed that they were feeding and cleaning themselves. The water was cold (about 5^oC), but the air was warm (+15^oC). At the worst, the wind was about blowing at about 1 knot from a Northerly direction.

22: Before heading to the beach, we walked through the forest at the National Wildlife area which comprises much of the Little Qualicum Estuary. In the forest we listened to the sounds of the Winter Wrens and classified tree types. Out in the high marsh area of the estuary, we could see and hear numerous Red wing Blackbirds. Looking out over the brackish marsh, we could see a heronry with 5 nests in the trees on the edge of the estuary.

We observed the Brant in three groups. Group one had 32 Brant, group two, 101, and group three, 181, to make roughly three hundred in total. The air temperature was 14^oC, while the water was 4^oC. The wind speed was 2 Beaufort or 4-6 knots or 7mph with a light fresh breeze. It was blowing from a North to a Northwesterly direction. We were observing the Brant from 10:35 to 11:15. The Brant mixed well with other non-predatory birds such as the Glaucous gulls and Mallard/Goldeneye ducks. 2 Bald eagles were sighted in the distance, but they did not disturb the Brant and not once did they fly off, even when a dog came out and started barking. From our vantage point on the beach, we could see the Brant feeding on the eelgrass in the dropping tide, and preening themselves. As the tide went out, the Brant relocated themselves further out where a flock of Glaucous gulls where situated on a gravel bar. As we were preparing to leave, one group of Brant started to swim along the shoreline towards us, Troy approached them cautiously, keeping his distance, and got some good video shots of this group. All in all, we enjoyed the experience and will be going back again next week

23: It was really windy. This effected the amount of Brant we saw. We've had a huge wind storm and they couldn't handle the surf (huge waves). It's also possible that many of the birds have headed north. There was one Brant that we got to see up close because it was on land. It was neat to be so close to the bird. Marissa Neff, Jared Tiffany, Sarah Simmons, Scott Peterson.

24: The weather was beautiful, water was calm after yesterday's wind. The tide was coming in. Temperature = 13 C. Wind = 1 knot to none. Brant were feeding on eelgrass, preening, some aggression observed. Three times the Brant were forced to take flight when a Bald Eagle and Hawk flew over. We were able to read the following Bands (all were read from the bottom up):

Reading bands is new to us, but we think we were quite accurate as we confirmed each others observations.Along with the Brant we observed many gulls, and mallard, American Widgeon Ducks. We also think we saw a Green Winged Teal duck. Observers: Chrissie, Talia, David, Jessica, Amber, Lysanne, Zoe, John, Erin, Katarina, Jeanette, and Kevin.

25: The weather was fairly nice today, a few clouds and mostly sunny. The temperature was 13^oC, but was cooled off slightly by the gentle blowing breeze, which was about 8-12 knots. The tide was going out, and we were able to get quite close to the Brant (within 100 m). Most of them were feeding on eelgrass, preening, and following the tide out, entering the pools as they were being made. Since we got so close, we were able to read the following bands (all read from the bottom up:

Reported by: Dustin, George, Amanda M, Amanda B, Bryony, Brody, Lee, Sarah, Marshall, Troy, and Mr.Temple. Comments by Sarah Summerfelt.

Mr. Temple adds: We observed many Mallards and 2 Great Blue Herons. All were feeding in the tide pools. Towards the end of our stay, a Bald Eagle flew in and this scattered the Brant. We left the Beach and went across to the estuary, where we set up the scopes to observe a Bald eagle which is sitting on some eggs in its nest. We all got a good view of the eagle.

26: A crisp, slightly breezy day. The brant were floating about in the water not doing much of anything. These seem to be the stragglers as most of the brant have probably headed north.

27: It was a nice day. There were a lot of ducks in the bay such as Mergansers, Loons, Surf Scooters, Cormorants, and Buffle Heads. There were a few Brant among them all. There were no Brant at all in Fidalgo Bay near March's point. The only Brant we saw were way out by Hat Island in Padilla Bay. There are Brant spread out all over Puget Sound. A popular spot on March's Point that the Brant and other ducks used to frequent is now vacant this spring. We were told by Mike Davison (local biologist) that a chemical company was illegally dumping chemicals off of March's Point. This winter this site was dredged to recover buried logs. It is believed that the toxins in the mud were stirred up and has completely disturbed the food chain.Observers: Michelle, Sarah, Mitchel, Matt and Mary.

28: The final count for Brant was 220. Approximately 80% of the Brant were within 100m of the beach. General behaviour of the Brant was resting and feeding in the tidal pools. A small amount of Brant (39) were counted on a sandbar roughly 300 metres offshore. Other species counted included: Loons, Harlequins, Mergansers as well as a small number of Bald Eagles who have nests in the estuary. Weather was 30% cloud cover with a wind of 27 knots from the SE (Georgia Straight.) Air temperature was 18 C.

29: The final count for Brant was 145. Compared to the previous afternoon, the Brant were very mobile today as many were flying in from the south as we did our 3 counts. Ninety percent of the Brant were extremely close to us (within 50m) and did not seem to be concerned with our proximity. One student even mentioned that the Brant seemed to be slowly moving closer to us as we studied them. The Brant were feeding within the tidal pools. Weather was extremely co-operative as the sky was clear with no wind whatsoever. Herons and Mallards were two examples of other species that we counted at the site. A great day for a field study!

29A: The final count for Brant was 200. Approximately 80% of the Brant were within 100m of the beach. General behaviour of the Brant was preening, resting and feeding in the tidal pools and out on sand bars. We did not really see many other species of birds except a small number of Canada Geese. There was a pair of Mallards as well. Weather was 80% cloud cover at the outset of our field study but soon the weather changed to rain. A helicopter flew over low and the result was that the Brant flew north. Wi n d was gusty and variable at 10 knots from the NE (Northern Georgia Straight.) Air temperature was 10 C.

30: Today we decided to go to Birch Bay about 30 miles north of Padillia Bay, because the beach there allows us to get close to the brant! The brant were so close we were able to read leg bands today! These Black Bellied Brant don't get "spooked" when you get close to them, we thought this might be because they have not been hunted, or are so used to people from traveling so far. The White Bellied Brant that winter in Padilla Bay don't migrate as far and are hunted, so they spook easily. Reading leg bands required patience and teamwork but was fun! Here is what we saw:

* These two Brant may be mates because we kept seeing them together.

31: The group went up north to Birch Bay again (about 40 miles north of Padilla Bay). There were 10 Brant gravelling on the beach when we arrived. No leg bands present. The rest of the Brant were dispersed throughout the bay. The bay was filled with migrating birds. We saw two huge flocks of Artic Terns, thousands of Surf Scoters, and mergansers. Each week it is exciting to see which migrating bird species are passing through our waters. After Birch Bay the group looked for Brant in Padilla Bay. Six Brant were spotted in flight heading out to open water.

Today we had a special treat. A student from Costa Rica came with us. Yens is staying with Blake Minella, a Bay View student who came with us today. Yens taught us about the wildlife native to his country, and he had a chance to see the incredible Brant, other migrating waterfowl, and of course the resident Eagles of our area.

32: Brant, Bears and Short-eared Owls! On the way to Izembek Lagoon, we spotted a large brown bear. It was the first bear of the year for all of us. Since it was only 50 yards away we got a good look. Good thing we were still in the cars! When we arrived at Grant Point, we did a short scavenger hunt while we waited for the brant to start moving. About 4:30 p.m. the brant began to move. There was a constant stream flying over and around us. In 45 minutes, we counted 762 brant. We could see 1000s in a large flock a couple miles to the north. All the brant we saw were moving in a southerly direction against the wind. On our return to Cold Bay, two short-eared owls were seen. The owls are only occasionally seen around Cold Bay. It was an Exceptional Day! Observers: Craig, Yuzhun, and Trafford Evanoff; Casey and Claire Siekaniec; Terri, Melanie, and Selina Mach; Tim Quirk; Robert and Matthew Nielson; and Tracy Schafer.

33: The weather was clear and sunny. Most of the brant were feeding on eelgrass exposed by the low tide. A bald eagle roosted on the grassy hillside at Grant Point. Nearby two red fox hunted for Arctic ground squirrels.

34: We went to Birch Bay to see if there were any Brant. We saw four Brant at Birch Bay, they were in pairs of two. We saw one pair flying overhead at Padilla Bay. We saw tons of Surf Scoters and Canvas Back ducks. It seems that most of the Brant have left for Alaska.

35: The weather was cloudy and breezy (20-25 knots). We arrived at 4:44 p.m. to the lagoon and the brant were already flying southwards. Most groups were from 50-100 individuals. At first they seemed to be settling behind us in a sheltered cove, but then they moved away. Some went back north, but most travelled further south. One bald eagle was spotted at Grant Point. It may have been the reason they moved out of the sheltered cove. Two common loons were seen on the way out and on the way back in. Several Arctic ground squirrels were also seen along the road. Observers: Casey and Claire Siekaniec; Timmy Quirk; Robert Nielson; Trafford, Yuzhun, and Craig Evanoff; Laura McIndoe; Terri, Melanie, and Selina Mach; Sarah, Taylor, Chick Beckley; and Tracy Schafer.

36: It was fun to read Robert's info on Cold Bay. In 1992 I got to spend a summer and fall working at the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge near Cold Bay. I thought it was one of the most beautiful places I had ever been. The expansive eelgrass beds there were impressive and ALL the shorebirds, Brant and Emperor Geese, and Eiders were a real treat to study.

We wanted to submit our most recent oservation log from Coos Bay: Ronnie and Maureen (a friend and visitor from Anchorage, Alaska) watched 35 Brant feeding on a sand flat with eelgrass last night at Pigeon Point within Coos Bay. We saw them at sunset (~2040), and the skies were clear and calm. Celeste misses seeing the large numbers of Brant, but was happy when we told her about what we saw last night.

37: This was an unusually late sighting. They just never seem to leave! :) After talking to Chris Dau, our former biologist, it was decided that they must be non-breeders just hanging around. Summer has finally arrived bringing endless days of fog, rain, and cool winds. Perhaps they'll move on now to the Interior where it is much warmer.