Yellow-breasted Chat.

By Michael Barry Lancaster

The Yellow-breasted Chat in the Okanagan is officially designated as a species at risk. That is to say it is scheduled under the species at risk act (SARA) and is protected and studied accordingly. It is not the species per se that is at risk, as it is widespread through out the USA, and occurs in both eastern and western Canada. However, the most north western population( ‘ours’) which is small, is deemed to be in a precarious state and this is due in no small part because its favourite habitat (riparian) has been reduced by 90% since the 1950s in the Okanagan.

At my banding site in Oliver I have been fortunate to capture several of these charismatic birds. Part of the charisma, at least for me, is the enigma of its taxonomic status. We do not know where it belongs in the hierarchy. It sits in splendid isolation as a single species with two subspecies in its own genus but the ‘poor thing’ has no family – at least it cannot be determined to which family it belongs. And this is the 21st century?

Anyway, this year so far, I have caught 4, the highest number in the now 5th year of my study. One of these is an interesting character that I have named ‘Wandering Star’ – I always was a Lee Marvin fan. First banded by the ‘Chat girls’ (Environment and Climate Change Canada) at N’kmip Park, seen later that day at Vaseux by another ‘Chat girl’, and recaptured by me 14 days later at my site and again this week (28th June). It transpires that his wanderlust has paid off as he now has a mate sitting on eggs. Interestingly, very close to where chats used to breed before the reconstruction involved in reconnecting the oxbows.

Nikon Coolpix P900 500th sec @f6.3