The cold front has finally arrived and like the majority of the cold fronts this season has brought in wet and windy conditions. Despite the less than ideal conditions, we were able to band at Captain Sam’s for a few hours before the strong winds forced us to close. In the short time that we were open, we ended up having 17 new birds and 3 recaptures, comprised of 11 species. We had several highlights this morning including a Blue-headed Vireo, two White-throated Sparrows, and a pair of Black-throated Blue Warblers, which is one of our latest records for this species. Though our true reward for banding this morning were the three Golden-crowned Kinglets that graced our nets. For the past few weeks, we have been hearing the high pitched peeps of the Golden-crowned Kinglet from the tops of the pine trees around the station. So we were very pleased to finally catch three of them today.
 |
| Golden-crowned Kinglet (after hatch year, female) |
Golden-crowned Kinglets are impressively hardy for their
size. They weigh only slightly more than
a nickel and are able to withstand temperatures well below zero, wintering
as far north as Nova Scotia and Alaska.
Little Bear
Little Bear was closed this morning due to the strong wind. Little Bear is not as sheltered as Captain Sam’s, leaving the nets more susceptible to being blown around in the wind. The forecast for tomorrow is not looking too promising for either station, with a high chance of rain predicted for the morning.
-Mattie
| Species | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Recaps | New | Recaps | |
| Blue-headed Vireo | 1 | - | - | - |
| Golden-crowned Kinglet | 3 | - | - | - |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 2 | - | - | - |
| Gray Catbird | 1 | - | - | - |
| Black-throated Blue Warbler | 2 | - | - | - |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) | 2 | 1 | - | - |
| Eastern Towhee | - | 1 | - | - |
| Song Sparrow | 2 | - | - | - |
| Swamp Sparrow | 2 | - | - | - |
| White-throated Sparrow | 1 | 1 | - | - |
| Indigo Bunting | 1 | - | - | - |
| Banding Stats | Captain Sam's | Little Bear | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| # Birds Banded | 17 | - | 17 |
| # of Recaptures | 3 | - | 3 |
| # of Species | 11 | - | 11 |
| Effort (net-hours) | 41.9 | - | 41.9 |
| Capture Rate (birds/100 net-hours) | 47.7 | - | 47.7 |
| Nets | 23 | - | 23 |
Banding Staff
Aaron Given (CS)
Mattie VandenBoom (CS)
Nancy Raginski (CS)
Casey Weissburg (CS)
Michael Gamble (CS)
Ryan Donnelly (CS)
A nickel, hard to believe! Great shot!
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