Identifying Olive-sided Flycatcher breeding populations 2019

This project will continue population surveys for threatened Olive-sided Flycatchers. British Columbia supports a large proportion of the remaining Olive-sided Flycatcher breeding population. Although Northern BC hosts suitable habitat for this songbird, there is limited knowledge regarding abundance and breeding success. In Spring 2018, surveys for breeding Olive-sided Flycatchers were conducted within the Finlay Reach of Williston Reservoir, and successfully located three breeding pairs. Although apparently scarce, further surveys and data are necessary before any conclusions can be made regarding Olive-sided Flycatcher populations in this area.

Update: 150 surveys identify breeding populations of olive-sided flycatchers

Two years of population surveys (2018–2019), confirm that the habitat surrounding the Finlay Reach of the Williston Reservoir supports a breeding population of olive-sided flycatchers. In June 2019, 150 surveys at 67 survey stations across three study areas were conducted, and 40 olive-sided flycatchers were detected (33 males and seven females). The timing of the arrival of the species in the study area was identified, with males beginning to arrive in late May and females in early June. It was estimated that 50% of the olive-sided flycatchers detected were resident breeders and not transient migrants, although this may be an underestimate. The focus of the surveys was on locating olive-sided flycatchers utilizing cutblock edge habitat, and coarse-scale habitat assessments were conducted at each survey station. None of the habitat characteristics measured predicted the detection probability of an olive-sided flycatcher; however finer-scale assessments may be necessary to reveal these associations.